The law on further deployment (EinsatzWVG) simply explained
When the soul is wounded after deployment, the fear of the future is often great. In addition to the health burden caused by PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), many of those affected and their relatives are plagued by existential worries: "What will happen to my job?", "How will I feed my family?", "Will I be made redundant?".
This is where the most important protection mechanism that the legislator has created for soldiers who have suffered operational injuries comes into play: The Act on the Further Utilisation of Deployments (EinsatzWVG).
In this article, we explain clearly what rights those affected have, why the hurdles for this protection are lower than many people think (GdS 30!) and what relatives need to know.
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Here you will find:
What is the law on further deployment (EinsatzWVG)?
Put simply, the EinsatzWVG is a job guarantee for soldiers who have suffered damage to their health during deployment. It was created to prevent soldiers who have sacrificed their health for their country from becoming unemployed.
For comrades with (PTSD) this law is an anchor. It takes the financial and professional pressure off so that the focus can be fully on recovery.
The 3 pillars of the EinsatzWVG
The law essentially offers three decisive advantages for those affected:
1. the protection period
Once an operational injury (WDB) has been determined and during medical treatment, the service relationship may not simply end. Even regular soldiers (SaZ) whose term of service would actually expire remain in service (special type of military service relationship). This guarantees continuous salary and Free military medical care.
2. the right to continued use (the 30 limit)
The primary goal is reintegration. However, if your ability to work is permanently restricted, you have a Legal entitlement to further use, if your earning capacity has been reduced by at least 30 per cent (GdS 30) is reduced.
3. status as a professional soldier (BS)
This is the most important goal for long-term protection: If you fulfil the requirements (occupational accident & GdS min. 30) and are not expected to recover, you are entitled to be taken on as an employee. Professional soldiers (or a civil servant position). This secures you and your family for life.
For relatives:
Why you should know this law
As the partner or parent of a soldier affected by PTSD, you are doing a lot of hard work. You are often the one who has to manage the bureaucratic hurdles when the person affected is powerless to do so.
- Security: Knowing that an income can be permanently secured from a GdS of 30 takes pressure off the family system.
- Argumentation aid: If the affected soldier is afraid to seek help ("Then my career is over"), you can argue with the EinsatzWVG: Reporting the illness is the only way to get statutory cover.
- Long-term perspective: The law is not aimed at a quick "sorting out", but at rehabilitation and social security.
The path to the claim:
Compensation for military service (WDB)
The EinsatzWVG does not apply automatically. It requires a formal procedure.
- Message: The most important step is the medical documentation and reporting of the injury (WDB report).
- Causality: It must be proven that the PTSD is a consequence of the deployment (in the case of deployments, there is often an easing of the burden of proof through so-called deployment care).
- Application: An application for further use must be submitted.
Further information from the Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr provides detailed information and contacts for the procedure. In particular, there are specialised bodies for the recognition of PTSD and the resulting entitlements to care.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Yes, according to § 7 EinsatzWVG, there is an entitlement to continued service (and thus often the transfer to the BS) if the ability to work is reduced by at least 30 per cent as a result of the operational accident and a restoration of the ability to work is not to be expected.
Yes, the law also applies in principle to reservists who were injured during deployment. However, special transitional regulations apply here for acceptance into a military service relationship.