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Compensation after an act of violence

Versorgungsverwaltung (social care administration) · Compensation under §§ 13 ff. SGB XIV

No duty to reportPsychological violence included tooRegardless of the perpetrator

The most important sentence first, because it concerns the most common misconception: This entitlement does not depend on the perpetrator. Whether they are caught, charged, convicted or able to pay plays no role for social compensation (Soziale Entschädigung). It rests on a special duty of the state to make amends, not on liability. Civil-law claims for pain and suffering continue to exist alongside it — but they are worthless if no one can pay, and it is exactly this gap that the Social Code Book Fourteen (Sozialgesetzbuch Vierzehntes Buch, SGB XIV) closes.

The second point is the extension that came into force in 2024 and has still hardly registered. The former Victims’ Compensation Act (Opferentschädigungsgesetz) required a physical assault — in bodily form. § 13 SGB XIV now also expressly recognises psychological violence: “other wilful, unlawful, serious conduct directed directly against a person’s free exercise of will”. And subsection 2 lists cases that in any event count as serious — among them sexual abuse (§§ 174 to 176d StGB), rape and sexual assault (§§ 177 and 178 StGB), human trafficking (§§ 232 to 233a StGB), stalking in the cases under § 238 Abs. 2 and 3 StGB, hostage-taking (§ 239b StGB) and robbery-related extortion (§ 255 StGB).

The third point holds many affected people back, and it is not correct as commonly understood: a criminal complaint is not a condition for the entitlement. What the law actually provides for is something different and milder. § 17 SGB XIV distinguishes two cases, and they are often lumped together: under subsection 1, benefits must be refused where it would be inequitable for reasons connected with the applicant’s own conduct — this is mandatory. Under subsection 2, benefits may be refused in whole or in part if injured persons have failed to contribute what was possible and reasonable for them to clarifying the facts and pursuing the case. This is a matter of discretion, and the word “reasonable” carries the whole weight: where making a complaint was not reasonable, its absence cannot defeat the entitlement.

Acts committed abroad are covered too: § 15 SGB XIV regulates entitlements for acts of violence outside Germany separately. Anyone who becomes a victim while on holiday or a business trip is therefore not left with nothing — the scope does, however, differ from that for acts committed within Germany, and you should obtain information on this from the competent authority.

Last updated28 August 2026
Legal basis§ 13 SGB XIV
VerificationChecked against SGB XIV, IfSG and the transitional provisions
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.
Covered since 2024Psychological violence§ 13 Abs. 1 SGB XIV
Criminal complaintNot a condition§ 17 Abs. 2: discretion
PerpetratorIrrelevantEven if unknown or without means
Immediate helpTrauma outpatient clinicWithout recognition
Required documents

What you need

What is available on the act itself

Police or public prosecution office file number, initial medical documentation, photographs, messages. If none of this is available, that is not a ground for exclusion — § 117 SGB XIV then allows your own statements to be sufficient, provided they appear credible.

Medical and psychotherapeutic reports

Initial presentation, diagnoses, course of treatment. For psychological after-effects, the early findings are particularly important, because they establish the chronological link to the act.

Information on the effects on daily life and work

Incapacity for work, loss of earnings, activities given up, moves. These support the assessment of the degree of impairment caused by the damaging event (Grad der Schädigungsfolgen, GdS) and possible participation benefits — and are almost always described too briefly.

For relatives and surviving dependants: your own situation

Relatives, surviving dependants and close associates also have entitlements of their own, including to the services provided at a trauma outpatient clinic (Traumaambulanz). Their application is a separate application, not an appendage.

Place of residence — and, for acts abroad, the place where the act occurred

For acts of violence, local jurisdiction is based on the place of residence of the person entitled. For acts committed abroad, § 15 SGB XIV contains its own rules.

Step by step

How to proceed

  1. 1

    Use the fast-track assistance (Schnelle Hilfen) first

    The trauma outpatient clinic and case management are available before a decision has been made on the application. Under § 11 Abs. 5 SGB XIV, the first two sessions are paid for even if, in the end, no entitlement exists.

  2. 2

    Submit the application — independently of the criminal proceedings

    The social compensation procedure runs independently. It does not wait for a judgment, and discontinuation of the criminal proceedings does not end it.

  3. 3

    Check whether psychological violence may also apply

    Since 2024, § 13 SGB XIV expressly covers serious conduct directed against a person’s free exercise of will. For acts before 1 January 2024, however, this does not apply retroactively — there, the law in force at the time must have been satisfied.

  4. 4

    Describe the effects in full

    Not only injuries, but also sleep, concentration, ability to work, avoidance behaviour. The GdS is assessed according to the effects, not according to the severity of the act.

  5. 5

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

    After that, the way to the social court (Sozialgericht) is open, free of court costs for the affected person. An objection (Widerspruch) is particularly worthwhile in the case of a refusal under § 17 Abs. 2, because this is a discretionary decision.

Fee information

Costs and payment

Requirements and frameworkThe procedure is free of charge for affected people
ApplicationFree of charge
Criminal complaintNot a condition
PerpetratorIrrelevant
Psychological violenceCovered since 2024
Acts committed abroad§ 15 SGB XIV
JurisdictionFederal state (Bundesland) of residence

Contributing to clarifying the facts may be required under § 17 Abs. 2 SGB XIV, to the extent that this was possible and reasonable. A refusal on this ground is a discretionary decision and can therefore be challenged.

Good to know

Important notes

The worry that there is nothing to be had without a criminal complaint keeps people away from an entitlement they actually have. The truth is: a criminal complaint is not a condition. § 17 Abs. 2 SGB XIV only allows a refusal if injured persons have failed to do what was possible and reasonable for them to help clarify matters — and even then it lies within the discretion of the authority. The mandatory ground for refusal in subsection 1 concerns something different: conduct of the applicant’s own that would make the benefit inequitable.

For events from the time before 1 January 2024, a two-part rule applies, and you need to know it before you build up hopes. § 142 SGB XIV covers only two groups: anyone who had already been granted benefits with final and binding effect by 31 December 2023 continues to receive them under the old law; and an application made by that date but not yet decided with final and binding effect is decided under the law in force at the time the application was submitted. A new application, by contrast, is governed by the SGB XIV, even if the event is older. But — and this is the part that is often left out — for acts before 1 January 2024, the requirements of the OEG, BVG, ZDG or IfSG, in the version in force at the time of the act, must have been satisfied. So the new procedure applies retroactively, but the new grounds for entitlement do not.

Before anything has been recognised, help is already available — this is the biggest practical innovation of the SGB XIV. The fast-track assistance comprises case management and the trauma outpatient clinic, and under § 34 SGB XIV it consists of up to 15 sessions for adults and up to 18 sessions for children and young people. Entitlement is held not only by injured persons, but expressly also by relatives, surviving dependants and close associates. And no prior recognition is needed for this: the sessions can begin before a decision has even been made under the simplified procedure (erleichtertes Verfahren) under § 115 SGB XIV.

Two abbreviations here look confusingly alike and measure different things. The GdB (degree of disability, Grad der Behinderung) of severe disability law covers all a person’s impairments, whatever their origin. The GdS (degree of impairment caused by the damaging event, Grad der Schädigungsfolgen) under § 5 SGB XIV covers only the consequences of the damaging event. Both are assessed in steps of ten — and yet they are not interchangeable: it is entirely normal to have a high GdB and a markedly lower GdS, because one reflects the whole of a person’s health and the other only the portion for which the state is responsible. The thresholds also differ: you are severely disabled from GdB 50; the monthly compensation payment under § 83 SGB XIV, on the other hand, starts from a GdS of 30 and rises in five stages. It is paid irrespective of income.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes

Waiting for the criminal proceedings to end. The compensation procedure runs independently and does not depend on a judgment.

Believing that nothing can be done without a criminal complaint. It is not a condition; § 17 Abs. 2 only requires reasonable cooperation — and even then it is a matter of discretion.

Mentioning psychological after-effects only in passing. The GdS is assessed according to the effects; they carry the decision.

Assuming the extension to psychological violence applies retroactively. For acts before 2024, the law in force at the time must have been satisfied.

Failing to submit a separate application as a relative. Relatives, surviving dependants and close associates have entitlements of their own.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

Do I need a criminal complaint?

No, it is not a condition for the entitlement. § 17 SGB XIV sets out two different grounds for refusal, which are often confused: under subsection 1, benefits must be refused where it would be inequitable for reasons connected with the applicant’s own conduct. Under subsection 2, they may be refused in whole or in part if injured persons have failed to do what was possible and reasonable for them to help clarify matters and pursue the case — this is a discretionary decision, and the test of reasonableness is decisive here.

Is psychological violence covered?

Yes, since 1 January 2024. § 13 Abs. 1 SGB XIV covers, alongside physical assault, other wilful, unlawful, serious conduct directed directly against a person’s free exercise of will. Subsection 2 names cases that in any event count as serious, including sexual abuse, rape, human trafficking, stalking, hostage-taking and robbery-related extortion. This extension does not, however, apply to acts before 2024: there, the requirements of the law then in force must have been satisfied.

What if the perpetrator is unknown?

That makes no difference. Social compensation rests on a special duty of the state to make amends, not on the liability of a person. Whether someone is caught, convicted or able to pay plays no role for the entitlement — unlike civil-law claims for pain and suffering, which continue to exist alongside it.

Does this also apply to acts committed abroad?

Yes, § 15 SGB XIV regulates entitlements for acts of violence abroad separately. The scope and conditions do, however, differ from those for acts within Germany; binding information on this is given by the competent social compensation authority. What matters is raising the case at all, rather than ruling it out from the outset because of where it happened.

Do I get help before a decision has been made on my application?

Yes, this is the central innovation of the SGB XIV. The fast-track assistance — case management and the trauma outpatient clinic — is available before a decision has been reached; § 34 SGB XIV provides for up to 15 sessions for adults and up to 18 for children and young people. The first two sessions and the first contact made by case management are even covered under § 11 Abs. 5 if, in the end, no entitlement exists.

Can relatives apply for something too?

Yes. Relatives, surviving dependants and close associates have entitlements of their own, including to the services provided at a trauma outpatient clinic. Their application is a separate, independent application, not an addition to that of the injured person — even if the injured person does not submit one themselves.

Related official procedures

Trauma outpatient clinic
Up to 15 sessions without recognition
First two always free
Social compensation
Four grounds since 1 January 2024
No deadline for applying
First GdB application
The overall GdB is not a sum
Determination from GdB 20

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