Criticism of the eAU procedure: Crafts demand change

Since the introduction of electronic sickness reports, many companies have been struggling with increased costs. Retrieving data from health insurance companies is bureaucratic and doesn't always run smoothly. A Bavarian initiative is now calling for automated data transfer.

This article is part of the special feature on bureaucratic madness in the skilled trades.

Since January 1, 2023, employees no longer need to forward their certificate of incapacity for work (AU) to their employer. It is sufficient for them to have their incapacity for work certified by a doctor and inform their employer. However, the information is not then automatically transferred from the health insurance funds to the companies. Instead, employers must retrieve the data directly from the health insurance funds (a so-called pull procedure).

The new regulation for electronic sick leave certificates (i.e., the eAUB procedure ) has been causing problems, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, because even after almost two years the process is anything but smooth. If it works well, it takes at least four working days and requires several steps from the employer.

Many companies are required to request additional information from their employees regarding sick leave. When retrieving data from health insurance providers, precise details – such as the start and expected end of the incapacity for work – must be provided, which is not always the same as the date the employee first reported sick. Some employers report utter chaos, claiming it has nothing to do with digitalization or reducing workload.

The Free State of Bavaria has therefore launched a Bundesrat initiative to change the procedure . To make the process less bureaucratic, only a so- called "push procedure" can help, meaning the proactive, automated data transfer from health insurance funds directly to employers. Even if potential delays in data transmission from contracted physicians or hospitals to the health insurance funds cannot be completely eliminated, "replacing the retrieval procedure with a push procedure for data transfer between health insurance funds and employers is the only option," the initiative states.

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Goal: Automatic transmission of data by health insurance companies

The Bavarian skilled trades sector supports the proposal to amend the Social Code accordingly. They argue that the responsibility for employees to obtain sick notes has shifted to businesses . "This procedure is a prime example of unnecessary bureaucracy, disrupts company operations, and generates additional costs," says Franz Xaver Peteranderl, President of the Bavarian Association of Skilled Trades. "Proactive and automatic transmission of electronic sick notes to employers by health insurance companies would significantly relieve the burden on our businesses. Furthermore, legislators could quickly follow through on their promises to reduce bureaucracy."

The skilled trades sector in Baden-Württemberg also supports the demand, as the administrative burden on businesses has increased enormously in the past two years. "The goal of creating an efficient system through digitalization has not yet been achieved. The current eAUB procedure imposes an unacceptable workload and expense on businesses and causes disruptions to operations. Businesses don't want more bureaucracy when it comes to sick leave, they want less," emphasizes Peter Haas, Managing Director of Handwerk BW ( the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Skilled Crafts), who is calling on the Baden-Württemberg state government to support the proposal from Bavaria.

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