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Trauma outpatient clinic and rapid assistance

Versorgungsverwaltung (social care administration) · Benefits before the decision

Without recognitionAlso for relativesFirst two sessions always free

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.

A single sentence of the law removes all the risk from this, and it sits in a place no one would look — in the section on when benefits begin. § 11 Abs. 5 SGB XIV provides that the costs for the first two sessions at the trauma outpatient clinic as well as for the first contact made by case management are also covered where entitlements under this Book do not exist. In plain terms: you can start without knowing in advance whether you are entitled to anything at all — and if it turns out in the end that you are not, you are not left paying for these sessions.

For access, the law distinguishes two routes, and the second is the one almost no one knows — because it affects exactly the people who believe it is too late. § 32 SGB XIV regulates early intervention: it requires that the first session take place within twelve months of the damaging event — for relatives, surviving dependants and close associates, within twelve months of becoming aware of it. § 33 SGB XIV regulates the other cases: if the event occurred more than twelve months ago and has led to an acute psychological strain, the twelve-month period runs from the onset of this acute strain. An old event therefore does not rule out the help.

Two practical points round this off. Treatment is only provided at trauma outpatient clinics with which the institutions responsible for social compensation have concluded an agreement — the competent authority will tell you which ones these are. And in case the authority does not decide, the law has made provision: if a decision remains outstanding two weeks after the application is submitted, further sessions can be provided under § 34 SGB XIV. The authority’s silence therefore does not work against the affected person here.

Last updated28 August 2026
Legal basis§§ 29 to 38 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.
Adults15 sessions§ 34 SGB XIV
Children and young people18 sessionsMaximum entitlement
RecognitionNot neededBefore the decision
First two sessionsAlways paidEven without an entitlement
Required documents

What you need

Nothing that should hold you back

No recognition, no notice and no expert report is needed for the first contact. This point is made here because the belief that something must first be decided is the most common reason people come too late.

The application for fast-track assistance

It triggers the simplified procedure (erleichtertes Verfahren) under § 115 SGB XIV. There, a summary examination is sufficient, and the facts put forward are presumed to be true unless their untruth is obvious.

Information on the event and its timing

When it happened and — for events further in the past — since when the acute strain has existed. This second piece of information determines whether § 32 or § 33 applies.

Existing medical findings, if available

They are helpful, but not a condition of access. The procedure is deliberately designed so that treatment can begin before anything has been assessed.

For relatives: your own situation

Relatives, surviving dependants and close associates have an entitlement of their own to the sessions. For them, the twelve-month period runs from the time they learned of the event.

Step by step

How to proceed

  1. 1

    Ask the competent authority about the trauma outpatient clinic

    Treatment is only provided at outpatient clinics with an agreement under § 37 SGB XIV. The list is held by the social compensation authority — and in many federal states this is not the same body that issues the severe disability pass (Schwerbehindertenausweis).

  2. 2

    Determine the route of access

    If the event occurred less than twelve months ago, early intervention under § 32 applies. If it occurred longer ago and has led to an acute strain, § 33 applies — the twelve months then run from the onset of this strain.

  3. 3

    Start without waiting for the notice

    The sessions can start before the decision is made under the simplified procedure. The first two sessions and the first contact made by case management are covered under § 11 Abs. 5 even if, in the end, no entitlement exists.

  4. 4

    Follow up after two weeks without a decision

    § 34 SGB XIV provides that further sessions can be provided if the authority has not decided within two weeks of the application. Raise this with the outpatient clinic instead of interrupting treatment.

  5. 5

    Clarify further need in good time

    If the sessions are not enough, § 35 SGB XIV regulates the transition to further-reaching benefits. This question should be raised before the last session, not after it.

Fee information

Costs and payment

Scope, access and costsNo costs arise for affected people
AdultsUp to 15 sessions
Children and young peopleUp to 18 sessions
First two sessionsCovered even without an entitlement
RecognitionNot required
Travel costs§ 36 SGB XIV
Retroactive effectExcluded, § 11 Abs. 4

Under § 11 Abs. 4 SGB XIV, fast-track assistance benefits are not provided for periods before the application is submitted. Unlike with the other benefits, it is therefore not worth collecting documents here, but worth applying early.

Good to know

Important notes

The sentence that carries this whole page sits in a place no one would look for it: § 11 Abs. 5 SGB XIV — the first two sessions and the first contact made by case management are covered “where entitlements under this Book do not exist”. You can therefore start without knowing whether you are entitled to anything, and you carry no cost risk if it turns out in the end that you are not.

An event further in the past rules nothing out. § 33 SGB XIV expressly covers the case where an event more than twelve months in the past has led to an acute psychological strain — the period then runs from the onset of this strain. This is the route for everyone who notices, years later, that something is breaking open.

The application does not have retroactive effect: under § 11 Abs. 4 SGB XIV, fast-track assistance is not provided for periods before it. For all other benefits it is worth submitting the application early and sending in documents afterwards — here this applies doubly, because treatment already paid for yourself is not taken over retroactively.

The simplified procedure under § 115 SGB XIV is the reason all this can happen so quickly: for fast-track assistance, a summary examination is sufficient, the facts put forward are presumed to be true unless their untruth is obvious — and whether they are true or untrue is not decided at all in this procedure. An approval here is therefore not a preliminary decision on the main application, and a refusal there does not undo these sessions.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes

Waiting for recognition. The sessions can begin before any decision is made.

Assuming an old event is excluded. § 33 SGB XIV covers exactly this case, where an acute strain is added.

Paying yourself and claiming it back later. Fast-track assistance is not provided for periods before the application.

Going to any practice you choose. Treatment is only provided at trauma outpatient clinics with an agreement under § 37 SGB XIV.

Hesitating as a relative. The entitlement exists independently, and the period runs from when you learned of the event.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

Does my case have to be recognised before I am allowed to come?

No, and that is the heart of the arrangement. The services at the trauma outpatient clinic can be provided before a decision has been made under the simplified procedure under § 115 SGB XIV. What is more, the costs for the first two sessions as well as for the first contact made by case management are covered under § 11 Abs. 5 SGB XIV even where entitlements under this Book do not exist.

How many sessions do I get?

Up to 15 sessions under § 34 SGB XIV; for children and young people, the maximum entitlement is 18 sessions. If the authority has not decided two weeks after the application is submitted, further sessions can be provided. If that is not enough, § 35 SGB XIV regulates the transition to further-reaching benefits.

My event happened years ago — is it too late?

Not necessarily. § 32 SGB XIV requires, for early intervention, that the first session take place within twelve months of the event. For older events, there is § 33: if an event more than twelve months in the past has led to an acute psychological strain, the twelve months run from the onset of this strain. This route is intended precisely for people for whom something only breaks open later.

Can relatives get sessions too?

Yes. § 34 SGB XIV expressly names injured persons as well as relatives, surviving dependants and close associates. For them, the twelve-month period for early intervention does not run from the event, but from the point in time at which they learned of it.

Can I go to any practice?

No. Psychotherapeutic intervention is only provided at trauma outpatient clinics with which the institutions responsible for social compensation have concluded an agreement under § 37 SGB XIV. The competent social compensation authority will tell you which these are near you — and in several federal states, this is not the same body that issues the severe disability pass.

What if my main application is later refused?

The sessions already provided are not undone as a result. The simplified procedure under § 115 SGB XIV expressly makes no finding on the truth or untruth of the facts put forward, and no decision on further-reaching entitlements — it stands alongside the main procedure. And the first two sessions are covered anyway, even if no entitlement exists.

Related official procedures

Compensation for victims of crime
Psychological violence included too — with no duty to report
§§ 13 ff. SGB XIV
Social compensation
Four grounds since 1 January 2024
No deadline for applying
Vaccine injury
Responsibility lies with the federal state where the vaccination was given
§ 24 SGB XIV

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