About the Federal Office for Social Security
Tasks and duties
The Federal Office for Social Security is an autonomous higher federal authority within the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS). As a legal supervisory authority for statutory pension insurance and occupational accident insurance, the Federal Office for Social Security works closely with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs on matters relating to these areas. On issues concerning statutory health insurance and social care insurance, the Federal Office for Social Security collaborates with the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG). Around 630 people work at the Federal Office for Social Security. In addition to its main office in Bonn, the Federal Office for Social Security has branch offices in Berlin, Cloppenburg, Duisburg, Fulda and Ingolstadt.
Legal supervision
The Federal Office for Social Security is responsible for the legal supervision of statutory health, pension and occupational accident insurance institutions and social care insurance, all under direct federal government control. This involves institutions who are responsible for covering more than three federal states.
As part of its legal supervision duties, the Federal Office for Social Security monitors in particular the services delivered by social insurance providers. As well as the implementation of supervisory reviews, a significant part of the Federal Office for Social Security’s supervisory activities consists of dealing with petitions, applications and complaints. In addition, the Federal Office for Social Security reviews the business, accounting and operational management of health insurance institutions under direct federal control, as well as the budgets of social insurance providers under direct federal control. It makes decisions on the approval of service regulations, careers policy, statutes and risk scales. The Federal Office for Social Security also regularly reviews the financial investments of social insurance providers under direct federal control and approves real estate projects and loans.
Administrative tasks
In addition to the above, the Federal Office for Social Security performs a range of administrative tasks. For example, it implements the morbidity-based risk structure compensation scheme in the statutory health insurance system and administers the Health Fund, through which the financing of statutory health insurance is carried out.
Financial equalisation
The Federal Office for Social Security also operates the monthly financial equalisation in the social care insurance system and administers the compensation fund required for the security and implementation of the financial equalisation.
Other administrative duties carried out by the Federal Office for Social Security include approving structured treatment programmes for chronically ill patients (DMP), managing and paying out federal payments to social insurance (especially of more than 80 billion euros to pension insurance), implementing the burden-sharing procedure in occupational accident insurance, monitoring training for social insurance providers under direct federal control and paying maternity benefit to employees who are not members of a statutory health insurance scheme.
Complaints
Insured persons can complain to the Federal Office for Social Security if they do not agree with a decision made by a social insurance provider or otherwise suspect an error in a provider’s administrative actions. Only social insurance providers under direct federal control are subject to supervision by the Federal Office for Social Security.
The complaints form should be used to submit a complaint. First of all, the branch of social insurance and the social insurance provider about which the insured person wishes to complain can be selected. Then, the most frequent questions that have already been asked regarding the respective insurance field are presented.
The contact form can be used to submit questions, opinions and suggestions to the Federal Office for Social Security.