Living at the MDC and Berlin-Buch

7 Social Security and Accident Insurance Seite 29 von 36
unemployment benefit in Germany you have to register with the local job center (Arbeitsamt)
three months before your contract ends and be at its disposal for arranging employment,
which means that you should be willing to take up any reasonable job and that you have to
report to the office regularly. In case these requirements are fulfilled, you will receive 60% of
your last net salary if you do not have children and 67% if you have children
(Arbeitslosengeld I).
You will receive earnings-related unemployment benefit for at least 180 days depending on
the contributions you’ve paid. After that you can apply for unemployment assistance
(Arbeitslosengeld II) the amount of which is related to your needs, which means that your
savings and the income of your spouse will be taken into account. Of course, you can only
apply for unemployment benefit in Germany if you have a valid residence and work permit.
But after the end of the fellowship this usually only applies to EU- and EEA-citizens.
Under certain circumstances you can transfer your claims for unemployment benefit to
another EU or EEA member state (or a country with social security agreement): For that you
must have been registered with the German job center for at least 4 weeks prior to your
departure. After your arrival in the country of your destination, you have to register with the
local job center within 7 days. After fulfilling these requirements you will get German
unemployment benefit for another three months (ask for form number E 303 at the German
job center).
Depending on the respective country, the contributions you made in Germany may be taken
into account by the country's unemployment insurance. If you return to a country that does not
have a social security agreement with Germany, it is not possible to receive German
unemployment payments there. The contributions cannot be refunded either.
7.4 VBL
VBL (Versorungsanstalt des Bundes und der Länder) provides a supplementary occupational
pension for public sector employees in Germany. The contributions amount to 4% of your
gross salary. Your employer pays half. Basicly, VBLklassik is compulsory for all employees
of the Federal Government and Länder and a large number of municipal and church
employers, and also for MDC staff. Alternatively, employees working in scientific positions
in academia or research can be exempted fro the compulsory VBLklassik insurance if they are
expected to work less then 60 months in German public service sector. If this applies to you
and you have declared the exemption form VBLklassik (forms will be handed out by the
personnel department) you will be automatically enrolled in the voluntary VBLextra instead.
Conditions are the same but you do not have to have accrued 60 months of contributions to
get benefit of it once you will retire.
Contact: www.vbl.de
7.5 Accident Insurance
Accident insurance is paid by the employer and covers accidents that occur at work or on your
way from and to work. Even if you have no contract with the MDC and are just registered as a
guest you are covered by the accident insurance of the MDC.
Any such accident has to be reported to the responsible for foreign guests, Sylvia
Sibilak or to our security engineer, Dr. Regina Dietl, MDH, room 5025, 3797
immediately.
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