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Have the degree of disability determined for the first time

It is not the number of diagnoses that decides, but their combined effect

Versorgungsamt§ 152 SGB IXFree of charge

The most important point first, because almost every expectation founders on it: the overall GdB is not a sum. § 152 Abs. 3 SGB IX (Social Code Book IX, Sozialgesetzbuch Neuntes Buch) provides that the degree of disability is determined “according to the effects of the impairments taken as a whole, having regard to their mutual relationships”. Two conditions with an individual GdB of 30 each therefore do not add up to 60. They can produce 40 — and where the two overlap functionally, the result can even remain at 30. What matters is how severely participation is restricted overall, not how many diagnoses are present. In addition, the GdB is graded in steps of ten, and a determination is made at all only from a GdB of 20.

Since the sixth amending regulation to the Versorgungsmedizin-Verordnung (Medical Assessment Ordinance, VersMedV), in force since 3 October 2025 and governing procedures in the year 2026, the benchmark has shifted: it is not the diagnosis that decides, but the concrete restriction of participation. For the application, this has a very practical consequence — a list of findings alone no longer carries the same weight. Describe what you can no longer do in everyday life: which distances, which activities, for how long, which aids you need. This is exactly what the assessors now evaluate.

The competent body is the Versorgungsamt of the federal state — depending on the Bundesland, it is called Landesamt für Soziales, Amt für Versorgung und Integration or similar. The application is free of charge, and the office itself obtains the findings from the treating doctors once you have released them from their duty of confidentiality. Processing, by experience, takes several months; there is no statutory deadline.

Last updated28 August 2026
Legal basis§ 152 SGB IX
Verification§ 152 Abs. 1 and 3 SGB IX in full · VersMedV, 6th amending regulation
Written and reviewed byAndrés Sánchez Botta
Independent information website: we are not the Versorgungsamt, not an authority and not a paid advice service – we do not submit applications on your behalf. All information comes from official sources and is explained here in plain language; binding information always comes from the competent body. No legal advice and not an official authority. We are neither lawyers nor tax consultants: we document official procedures and check the information against the official source – this is information, not legal or tax advice.
Overall GdBNot a sum§ 152 Abs. 3 SGB IX
Determination fromGdB 20In steps of ten
ApplicationFree of chargeThe objection too
Required documents

What you need

The application to the Versorgungsamt

The federal state’s form, often online. Enter every impairment, even the seemingly minor ones — they can raise the overall GdB if they affect a different function from the main diagnosis.

A list of all treating doctors

With address and specialty. The office requests the findings itself; the more complete the list, the fewer queries. Remember specialists you have only seen once.

The release from medical confidentiality

Without it, the office cannot obtain findings and decides on the basis of the file as it stands — usually to your disadvantage. It is the most common reason for avoidably low notices.

A description of the restriction of participation

Since the VersMedV reform, this is the decisive part. Not “osteoarthritis of the knee”, but: how far you can still walk, how long you can stand, what you can no longer manage around the house, which aids you need, how often pain dominates your day.

Your tax identification number

Since 1 January 2026, the Versorgungsämter have transmitted the determined GdB electronically to the Finanzamt — but only if you give your Steuer-ID in the application and consent to the transmission. Without both, proof continues to rely on paper.

Step by step

How to proceed

  1. 1

    Record every impairment, not just the main diagnosis

    Because the overall GdB is formed from the way impairments interact, every impairment that affects a different function counts. Two conditions affecting the same system barely add up; an orthopaedic condition and an internal-medicine condition, by contrast, often reinforce each other.

  2. 2

    Describe the effect, not the diagnosis

    Since 3 October 2025, the Versorgungsmedizin-Verordnung has focused on the restriction of participation. Describe it concretely and with figures: walking distance in metres, standing time in minutes, number of days on which you cannot carry out your usual activities, aids required. A collection of findings without this information carries less weight today than it used to.

  3. 3

    Give a comprehensive release from medical confidentiality

    For every treating body, including hospitals and rehabilitation facilities. Missing findings mean that an impairment is simply not assessed at all — it does not then come out low, it carries no weight whatsoever.

  4. 4

    Realistically assess what the outcome can be

    A GdB is determined only from 20, and only in steps of ten. Anyone expecting the individual values to be added up will almost always perceive the notice as too low — even though it corresponds to the system set out in § 152 Abs. 3 SGB IX.

  5. 5

    Check the notice and note the deadline

    The notice sets out the recognised individual GdB values and the overall GdB. First check whether every impairment claimed was assessed at all — if one is missing, that is the most promising ground for an objection. An objection (Widerspruch) against the notice is available, to be lodged within one month. If it does not succeed, the social court (Sozialgericht) decides — not the administrative court: § 51 Abs. 1 Nr. 7 SGG of the Social Courts Act (Sozialgerichtsgesetz) expressly assigns “the determination of disabilities and their degree, as well as further health characteristics” to the social courts’ jurisdiction. And the proceedings cost you nothing: § 183 SGG expressly names “persons with disabilities” among those for whom proceedings before the social courts are free of charge.

Fee information

Costs and payment

What the procedure costsDetermination procedure under § 152 SGB IX
Application to the VersorgungsamtFree of charge
Obtaining medical findingsHandled by the office
Objection (Widerspruch)Free of charge
Legal action before the social court (Sozialgericht)Free of charge, § 183 SGG
Determination made fromGdB 20
GradingIn steps of ten

The entire procedure is free of charge for the applicant, including the office obtaining medical findings and any later legal action — § 183 SGG expressly names persons with disabilities among those for whom proceedings before the social courts are free of charge. Costs arise only if you instruct a lawyer to represent you.

Good to know

Important notes

The most important point first, because almost every expectation founders on it: the overall GdB is not a sum. § 152 Abs. 3 SGB IX (Social Code Book IX, Sozialgesetzbuch Neuntes Buch) provides that the degree of disability is determined “according to the effects of the impairments taken as a whole, having regard to their mutual relationships”. Two conditions with an individual GdB of 30 each therefore do not add up to 60. They can produce 40 — and where the two overlap functionally, the result can even remain at 30. What matters is how severely participation is restricted overall, not how many diagnoses are present. In addition, the GdB is graded in steps of ten, and a determination is made at all only from a GdB of 20.

Since the sixth amending regulation to the Versorgungsmedizin-Verordnung (Medical Assessment Ordinance, VersMedV), in force since 3 October 2025 and governing procedures in the year 2026, the benchmark has shifted: it is not the diagnosis that decides, but the concrete restriction of participation. For the application, this has a very practical consequence — a list of findings alone no longer carries the same weight. Describe what you can no longer do in everyday life: which distances, which activities, for how long, which aids you need. This is exactly what the assessors now evaluate.

A determination is made only from a GdB of 20, and the GdB is graded only in steps of ten. A “GdB of 35” does not exist.

State every treating body and give a comprehensive release from medical confidentiality. An impairment without findings is not assessed as low — it is not assessed at all.

Since 1 January 2026, the Versorgungsämter have transmitted the GdB electronically to the Finanzamt if you give your Steuer-ID and consent. This replaces the proof, not the claim for the lump-sum allowance in your tax return.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes

Expecting the individual GdB values to be added up. The overall GdB arises from how they interact, not from a sum.

Stating only the main diagnosis. Impairments in other functional areas can raise the overall GdB.

Submitting only diagnoses. Since the VersMedV reform, what counts is the described restriction of participation.

Giving an incomplete release from medical confidentiality. Findings that were not requested are entirely missing from the result.

Leaving out the Steuer-ID and then waiting for the automatic transmission. Without giving it and consenting, the transmission does not happen.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

Are my individual GdB values added up?

No, and this is the most common misconception. Under § 152 Abs. 3 SGB IX, the degree of disability is determined “according to the effects of the impairments taken as a whole, having regard to their mutual relationships”. Two conditions with an individual GdB of 30 each therefore do not add up to 60 — often 40, and where there is functional overlap, sometimes only 30. What matters is the overall effect on participation.

From what GdB is a notice issued at all?

From a GdB of 20. Below that, no determination is made under § 152 Abs. 1 SGB IX. The GdB is also graded only in steps of ten — intermediate values such as 35 or 45 do not exist. A person is considered severely disabled if they have a GdB of at least 50.

What changed with the VersMedV reform?

The sixth amending regulation to the Versorgungsmedizin-Verordnung came into force on 3 October 2025 and governs procedures in the year 2026. The benchmark has shifted: it is not the diagnosis that decides, but the concrete restriction of participation. In practice, this means that a list of findings alone carries less weight than it used to — the application should describe what, specifically, is no longer possible in everyday life.

How long does the procedure take?

By experience, several months, because the office requests findings from every treating body, and they respond at different speeds. There is no statutory processing deadline. You can speed things up by submitting existing findings straight away and completing the list of doctors in full.

Does the application cost anything?

No. The determination procedure is free of charge, including the office obtaining medical findings. A later objection is also free of charge, and legal action before the social court is free of charge for persons with disabilities under § 183 SGG. Costs arise only with legal representation; social associations advise their members in these procedures.

What happens to my data at the Finanzamt?

Since 1 January 2026, the Versorgungsämter have transmitted a newly determined or changed GdB electronically to the Finanzamt. This requires that you give your tax identification number in the application and consent to the transmission. For notices issued before 1 January 2026, proof continues to rely on the notice or the pass. And the disability lump-sum allowance must still be claimed in the tax return.

Related official procedures

Severe disability pass (Schwerbehindertenausweis)
From GdB 50 — with disability codes
Free of charge
Have your GdB increased
Opens the entire file — downwards too
§ 48 SGB X
Objection (Widerspruch)
One month — after that, the social court
Free of charge, § 183 SGG

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