The yellow, sometimes pink sick note will soon be obsolete. From 2023, companies must electronically request proof of incapacity for their staff from the cash registers. But the new system is worrying.
Erfurt (dpa/th) – Health insurance companies in Thuringia are expecting initial problems in companies when using the digital health insurance certificate. A large part of the companies are poorly prepared for the electronic query of the proof of incapacity for work, said a spokeswoman for AOK Plus on request. The test phase, which has been running since the beginning of 2022, has unfortunately not been used sufficiently by many. From January 1, 2023, employees no longer have to present a paper sickness certificate in the event of illness.
Employers must then individually request proof of sick leave from the respective health insurance company. Among other things, they have to create the technical prerequisites for this. The health insurers have been providing information on this for months on their websites, in web seminars and in consultations. AOK Plus alone works with around 42,000 companies in Thuringia, including around 500 companies with more than 100 employees each.
A spokeswoman for Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) in Thuringia said that corporate customer advisors have been receiving increasing inquiries on this topic since around October. “But not nearly as many as we would have expected.” TK also observes that only a fraction of employers use the test phase. “Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that some companies have not yet dealt with the topic.” This will probably only become acute as soon as the first employees call in sick in January and the companies then missed the sickness certificate.
According to previous information, the Thuringian state administration with around 47,000 staff positions is technically prepared for the changeover. Since last summer there has been a digital interface between the state data network and the data center of the statutory health insurance companies, via which the state employees can access the certificate of incapacity for work.
Even after the changeover, employees are still obliged to report their incapacity to work in the company and have it diagnosed by a doctor. Medical practices have usually had to send sick notes electronically to the health insurance companies since July.
