How Klara works
Klara helps you prepare for the German Pflegegrad assessment step by step — with a quick check, care diary, full preparation, and a structured report.
Klara helps you prepare. The official decision is made by the care insurance fund after the assessment.
How Klara helps, step by step
Start with a quick orientation, then collect concrete everyday examples before the assessment appointment.
1 · Take the quick check
Answer 10 plain-language questions and receive non-binding orientation. Free and no signup required.
2 · Start the care diary
Record concrete everyday situations: help, prompting, reminders, supervision, night-time support, and recurring burdens.
3 · Complete the full preparation
Work through the most important Pflegegrad areas step by step and collect concrete examples for the assessment.
4 · Create a preparation report
Klara creates a structured summary from your entries, which you can review, save, print, and bring to the assessment appointment.
Important to know
Klara provides preparation and orientation only. It does not replace an official assessment, care advice, or legal advice.
What is a Pflegegrad?
A Pflegegrad describes how much a person’s independence is affected in daily life. It is important for long-term care insurance benefits, such as Pflegegeld, home-care services, day care, residential care, care aids, or relief services.
The Pflegegrad is decided after an assessment by the Medizinischer Dienst, often still called MDK. The assessment is based on the Neues Begutachtungsassessment (NBA). Six areas of daily life are reviewed and weighted. Klara helps you prepare these areas more clearly — but the final decision is always made by the care insurance fund.
The 6 Pflegegrad areas
The assessment looks at how independent a person is in different areas of daily life and what support is regularly needed.
1 · Mobility
Changing position, sitting, standing up, moving around inside the home, and climbing stairs.
2 · Cognitive & communicative abilities
Orientation, recognising people, remembering, making decisions, understanding information, and communicating.
3 · Behaviour & psychological symptoms
Restlessness, anxiety, aggression, resistance to care, night-time burden, or situations that require supervision and calming.
4 · Self-care
Washing, dressing, toileting, eating, drinking, and continence. This area has especially strong weighting.
5 · Illness & therapy
Medication, injections, doctor appointments, therapy, wound care, monitoring body values, or disease-related rules.
6 · Everyday life & social contacts
Daily structure, rest and sleep, activities, planning, social contact, and participation.
* Modules 2 and 3 share a weighted contribution — the higher result is counted.
The assessment process
This is how the path to a Pflegegrad often works. Individual steps and timelines can vary depending on the situation.
- 1
1 · Apply to the care insurance fund
The application can usually be made in writing, by phone, or online. Benefits may generally become relevant from the application date.
- 2
2 · Assessment appointment
The care insurance fund usually commissions the Medizinischer Dienst or another assessment service. The appointment often takes place at home or in the care facility.
- 3
3 · Collect preparation notes
Before the appointment, it helps to write down concrete everyday situations, support needs, night-time help, medication, appointments, and special burdens.
- 4
4 · Assessment conversation
The assessor asks questions about the Pflegegrad areas. The duration can vary; the everyday situation may also be observed.
- 5
5 · Evaluation of independence
The information is assigned to the six areas and weighted. What matters is the support that is regularly needed.
- 6
6 · Decision letter from the care insurance fund
The care insurance fund sends the decision in writing. The letter states whether a Pflegegrad was recognised and which one.
- 7
7 · Review objection options if needed
If the decision does not match the everyday situation, an objection may be possible. Deadlines should be checked, and independent advice or legal help should be sought if you are unsure.
What each Pflegegrad roughly means
The higher the Pflegegrad, the higher the recognised support need. Actual benefits depend on the official decision letter and the individual situation.
€131 / month relief amount
Minor impairment of independence
Some help is needed in daily life, but the person is still independent in many areas. Support often focuses on advice, relief, and smaller support services.
€347 cash · €796 care services / month
Significant impairment of independence
There is regular support need in daily life, for example with personal care, mobility, orientation, daily structure, or illness-related tasks.
€599 cash · €1,497 care services / month
Severe impairment of independence
The person needs noticeably more help, prompting, supervision, or task takeover across several areas of daily life.
€800 cash · €1,859 care services / month
Most severe impairment of independence
Support needs are very high and affect many basic areas of daily life.
€990 cash · €2,299 care services / month
Most severe impairment with special demands
There is a very high care and support need, often with special demands for supervision, care, or medical support.
The figures are general orientation based on statutory benefit rates. Which benefits are actually possible depends on the official Pflegegrad, the care setting, and the individual situation.
Examples of possible benefits by Pflegegrad
The following overview shows general benefit rates as background information. It does not replace advice from the care insurance fund, a local care support point, or another advice service.
| Pflegegrad | Pflegegeld (cash benefit, family care) | Pflegesachleistung (home-care services) | Entlastungsbetrag (relief amount) | Kurzzeitpflege (short-term care, /year) | Verhinderungspflege (respite care, /year) | Vollstationäre Pflege (residential care) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pflegegrad 1 | — | — | €131 / mo | — | — | €131 / mo |
| Pflegegrad 2 | €347 / mo | €796 / mo | €131 / mo | €1,854 | €1,685 | €805 / mo |
| Pflegegrad 3 | €599 / mo | €1,497 / mo | €131 / mo | €1,854 | €1,685 | €1,319 / mo |
| Pflegegrad 4 | €800 / mo | €1,859 / mo | €131 / mo | €1,854 | €1,685 | €1,855 / mo |
| Pflegegrad 5 | €990 / mo | €2,299 / mo | €131 / mo | €1,854 | €1,685 | €2,096 / mo |
Depending on the situation, further support may also be possible, such as care aids, home modifications, day care, or combined benefits. Please check current details with the care insurance fund or an independent advice service.
Special notes for autism, development, or behaviour
Some support needs are very clear in daily life, but may not be immediately visible in a short assessment. It helps to document concrete examples:
- How much prompting, structure, and supervision is needed in daily life
- Which situations lead to overwhelm, meltdowns, shutdowns, or refusal
- Which sensory burdens, routines, or adaptations are important
- What support is needed for communication, transitions, and social situations
- Which safety risks or recurring burdens happen regularly
Special notes for older relatives
Support needs in older people can be underestimated when help is provided out of habit or not mentioned during the conversation. Concrete examples are important for:
- Falls, near-falls, unsteady walking, or difficulty with stairs
- Night-time help, toileting, restlessness, pain, or confusion
- Medication, doctor appointments, monitoring body values, or therapy
- Orientation, memory, repeated questions, or unsafe decisions
- Meals, drinking, personal care, clothing, toileting, and household tasks
Start with a quick orientation
The quick check takes only a few minutes. After that, Klara can help you prepare the full Pflegegrad areas and collect concrete everyday examples.
Note: Klara is for preparation and orientation. It does not replace an official assessment, care advice, or legal advice. The care insurance fund makes the final Pflegegrad decision based on the assessment.