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Apply for a mother-and-child health retreat

Statutory health insurance fund (Krankenkasse) · Preventive healthcare and rehabilitation for parents

By postThrough the medical practice

The mother-and-child health retreat and the father-and-child health retreat are mandatory benefits of statutory health insurance, not voluntary offers. The law sets out a genuine entitlement: “Insured persons are … entitled to” – the fund therefore has no discretion over whether to provide the benefit at all, and only examines medical necessity.

There are two legal bases that are often confused in practice: § 24 SGB V governs preventive healthcare, § 41 SGB V rehabilitation for mothers and fathers. Which of the two applies depends on whether a condition requiring treatment already exists – for you, the process changes little, but the justification does.

The measure is carried out on an inpatient basis at a recognised facility and usually lasts three weeks. A further health retreat is in principle possible after four years – the time limit follows from § 23 Abs. 5 SGB V, to which § 24 Abs. 2 expressly refers. Importantly: § 24 Abs. 1 provides that § 23 Abs. 4 Satz 1 does not apply – the priority of non-residential benefits that would otherwise be required therefore does not apply here.

Last updated26 August 2026
Legal basis§ 24 SGB V · § 41 · § 23 Abs. 5
VerificationChecked against gesetze-im-internet.de and the Müttergenesungswerk
Written and reviewed byAndrés Sánchez Botta
Independent information page: we are not your Krankenkasse, not an authority and not paid advice — we do not submit applications for you. All information comes from official sources and is explained here in simple terms; binding information always comes from the competent body. The Krankenkasse decides on medical necessity in the individual case. All information provided without guarantee. We are neither lawyers nor tax consultants: we document administrative procedures and check the information against the official source — this is information, not legal or tax advice.
Duration3 weeksInpatient, extension possible
RepeatAfter 4 yearsEarlier if urgently needed
Legal natureMandatory benefitNo discretion on the fund’s part
Co-payment€10/dayChildren pay nothing
Required documents

What you need

Medical certificate with findings report

The centrepiece. The doctor must set out the health complaints and their connection with the strain of the family situation. A certificate that only lists diagnoses is rarely enough – what is required is the link between symptoms, strain and the aim of the measure.

Application forms from the Krankenkasse

Usually a multi-part set: a medical part, a self-declaration and, where applicable, a part for the child. Advice centres of the Müttergenesungswerk help free of charge with filling them in – this noticeably increases the approval rate.

Documents concerning the child

If the child is travelling along and is to be treated themselves, they need their own medical part. If the child is only accompanying, details of age and care needs are enough. Clarify this in advance – the difference decides which facility is suitable.

Proof of previous measures

For the four-year time limit. Note down when you last made use of a health retreat or rehabilitation. An earlier approval is possible, but it must be urgently justified on medical grounds.

Description of the strain situation

Not a form, but practically decisive. Describe specifically: being a single parent, caring for relatives, shift work, a child’s chronic illness, lack of relief. This information underpins the justification of why a measure away from home is necessary.

Step by step

How to proceed

  1. 1

    Visit an advice centre

    The advice centres of the Müttergenesungswerk and the welfare associations advise free of charge, help with filling in the forms and know the facilities. This is the single most effective step: well-prepared applications are approved considerably more often.

  2. 2

    Have a medical certificate drawn up

    Arrange a longer appointment and explicitly discuss that it concerns a mother-and-child or father-and-child measure. What matters is the connection between the complaints and the strain situation – not just the list of diagnoses.

  3. 3

    Submit the application to the fund

    Submit the complete set with the medical part, self-declaration and, where applicable, the documents for the child. Allow for several weeks’ processing time; the fund may involve the Medical Service (Medizinischer Dienst).

  4. 4

    Name your preferred facility

    Name a preferred clinic and give a medical reason for it – for example a particular focus on your condition or the child’s condition. Facilities differ greatly in their focus and care offering.

  5. 5

    If your application is refused, lodge an objection (Widerspruch)

    Refusals are common and are often corrected in the objection proceedings. Lodge an objection (Widerspruch) within one month and submit a supplementary medical statement that addresses the stated grounds for refusal precisely. The advice centres also support you with this.

  6. 6

    Start the health retreat and pay the co-payment

    Adults pay €10 per calendar day; children travelling along pay nothing. Anyone exempt from co-payments or who has reached the co-payment limit (Belastungsgrenze) presents the co-payment exemption certificate (Befreiungsbescheid).

Fee information

Costs and payment

Mandatory benefit with a daily co-paymentChildren pay nothing
Cost of the measureKrankenkasse
Co-payment for adults€10/day
Children travelling alongNo co-payment
DurationUsually 3 weeks
RepeatAfter 4 years
Advice and WiderspruchFree of charge

The Krankenkasse bears the cost of the measure; adults pay a co-payment of €10 per calendar day, children travelling along pay nothing. Over three weeks that amounts to around €210 in personal contribution. A Befreiungsbescheid under § 62 SGB V also applies here, and the co-payment also counts towards the Belastungsgrenze. A legally important point: this is a mandatory benefit. Both § 24 and § 41 SGB V set out an entitlement (“Insured persons are … entitled to”), not a discretionary benefit. The fund therefore does not decide whether it provides the benefit at all, but only on medical necessity in the individual case. That is the strongest argument in the objection proceedings – and the reason why a Widerspruch against a refusal pays off so often. Advice from the advice centres of the Müttergenesungswerk and the welfare associations is free of charge, as is the Widerspruch.

Good to know

Important notes

It is a mandatory benefit, not a favour. §§ 24 and 41 SGB V give a genuine entitlement. The fund only examines medical necessity – not whether it wants to grant the benefit at all.

Fathers have the same entitlement. The law expressly refers to father-and-child measures. Father-and-child health retreats are applied for less often, but are legally on an equal footing.

The non-residential priority does not apply here. § 24 Abs. 1 SGB V expressly provides that § 23 Abs. 4 Satz 1 is not to be applied. The fund therefore cannot turn you down on the ground that non-residential benefits near your place of residence take priority.

Advice centres raise the approval rate. The free advice centres of the Müttergenesungswerk and the welfare associations know the fund’s requirements and the facilities. Their support is the most effective lever for a successful application.

A Widerspruch is almost always worthwhile. Refusals are common and are often corrected in the objection proceedings if a supplementary medical statement addresses the stated grounds for refusal precisely. The deadline is one month.

The child can be a patient or an accompanying child. If the child is to be treated themselves, they need their own medical part in the application. If they are only travelling along, details of age and care needs are enough. The difference determines which facility is suitable.

Four years, but with an exception. The repeat time limit follows from the reference in § 24 Abs. 2 to § 23 Abs. 5 SGB V. An earlier approval is possible if it is urgently required on medical grounds.

The facilities differ greatly. Some specialise in exhaustion and psychological strain, others in respiratory conditions or the child’s obesity. The choice significantly affects the success of the measure.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes

Submitting a thin certificate. A plain list of diagnoses rarely convinces the fund. What is required is the stated connection between the complaints, the family’s strain situation and the aim of the measure.

Applying without an advice centre. The advice is free of charge and knows the funds’ requirements. Applications made without this support are, by experience, refused more often.

Giving up after a refusal. That is the most costly mistake, because this is a mandatory benefit. The Widerspruch is free of charge, possible within one month and often successful.

Letting yourself be referred to the non-residential priority. § 24 Abs. 1 SGB V expressly excludes the application of § 23 Abs. 4 Satz 1. A refusal on this ground can be challenged.

Not clarifying the child’s role. Patient or accompanying child – this determines which facility is suitable and which documents are needed. Clarifying it late costs weeks.

Leaving the facility to chance. The areas of focus differ considerably. Without a reasoned preference, you will be assigned to any suitable facility, which may not match your needs.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

Am I entitled to a mother-and-child health retreat?

Yes, this is a mandatory benefit. Both § 24 SGB V (preventive healthcare) and § 41 SGB V (rehabilitation) set out a genuine entitlement: “Insured persons are … entitled to”. The Krankenkasse does not decide whether it grants the benefit at all, but only examines medical necessity in the individual case.

How long does the health retreat last and when can I repeat it?

Usually three weeks on an inpatient basis; an extension is possible where there is urgent medical need. A further measure is in principle considered after four years. This time limit follows from § 23 Abs. 5 SGB V, to which § 24 Abs. 2 SGB V expressly refers – it is therefore not set out in § 24 itself.

Is this also available for fathers?

Yes. The law expressly names father-and-child measures; fathers are fully equal in law. Father-and-child health retreats are applied for less often, but are approved under the same standards. There are facilities specifically geared towards fathers.

What does the mother-and-child health retreat cost?

The Krankenkasse bears the cost of the measure. Adults pay a co-payment of €10 per calendar day – around €210 over three weeks. Children travelling along pay nothing. A Befreiungsbescheid under § 62 SGB V also applies here, and the co-payment also counts towards the Belastungsgrenze.

Can the fund refer me to non-residential services?

No, not on the ground of the general priority of non-residential benefits. § 24 Abs. 1 SGB V expressly provides that § 23 Abs. 4 Satz 1 – the provision on the priority of non-residential preventive healthcare – does not apply here. You should challenge a refusal given on this ground by lodging a Widerspruch.

What should I do if the application is refused?

Lodge a Widerspruch – within one month of notification; an informal one is sufficient at first. Refusals are common and are regularly corrected if a supplementary medical statement addresses the stated grounds for refusal precisely. The advice centres of the Müttergenesungswerk support you with this free of charge.

Does my child have to come along?

Not necessarily. There are also pure mother or father health retreats without a child. If the child does come along, a distinction must be made as to whether they are to be treated themselves – in which case they need their own medical part in the application – or whether they are only travelling along as an accompanying child. This distinction determines which facilities are suitable.

Who helps me with the application?

The advice centres of the Müttergenesungswerk and the welfare associations advise free of charge, help fill in the forms, know the facilities and also support you in the objection proceedings. By experience, this is the single most effective step towards approval – use it before submitting the application, not only after a refusal.

Related official procedures

Preventive health retreat
General preventive healthcare
€10/day
Household help
When no one at home can help
€10/day
Rehab
In the case of an existing illness
€10/day

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