Answers to frequently asked questions

Application and financing

The regulations governing the financing of assistive products are complex. The decisive factors are the insurance and individual requirements, the cause of the disability and the purpose of the assistive products. You can find out more in the "Costs & procedure" section.

Costs and procedure

Depending on the individual case, the health insurance fund will also cover the costs of an assistive product that does not have an assistive product number. The assistive product must either ensure the success of medical treatment, prevent an impending disability or compensate for a disability and must not be an everyday object.

The Statuatory Health Insurance's Medical Technical Aids Register is for guidance only and is not a binding positive list. Consequently, assistive products not listed therein may also be covered by the health insurance fund's obligation to provide benefits in accordance with Section 33 SGB V if the relevant eligibility requirements are met. However, an assistive product number is no guarantee that the costs will be covered by the health insurance companies. For each treatment, it is checked whether the above-mentioned requirements are met by the requested assistive products and whether it is satisfactory, appropriate and economical.

There are several court rulings that deal with specific circumstances and confirm that an assistive product cannot be rejected simply because it does not have an assistive product number.

If your application has been unjustifiably rejected, you can lodge an opposition in writing within a certain period of time.

opposition proceedings and legal action

The REHADAT team can answer general questions, but cannot assist with the application process. For this, you can contact, for example, medical, therapeutic or educational specialists, the contact points of the rehabilitation providers, the supplementary independent participation advice centers (EUTB), the technical advisory services of the Integration Office/Inclusion Office or the Employment Agency, self-help associations, social associations or the company agents (e.g. severely disabled persons' representatives).

You can find out more about the advice centers in the individual sections on costs and procedures.

Costs and procedure

Differentiation between REHADAT-Assistive Products and Statuatory Health Insurance's Medical Technical Aids Register

REHADAT-Assistive Products documents a wide range of assistive products from real life areas for people with disabilities. An assistive product number is not necessary for our documentation. Therefore, you will also find work aids, household aids or leisure aids that are not listed in the Statuatory Health Insurance's Medical Technical Aids Register.

In contrast, the GKV list of assistive products and nursing aids is compiled by the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds, the governing body of the statutory health insurance funds in Berlin. This official directory lists products that are in principle covered by the statutory health or long-term care insurance and therefore have a SHI-assistive product number.

REHADAT merely maps the Statuatory Health Insurance's Medical Technical Aids Register and is not responsible for its content.

REHADAT Statuatory Health Insurance's Medical Technical Aids Register

The assistive product number (also known as the HMV number or Statuatory Health Insurance's Medical Technical Aids Register number) defines a specific product in the Statutory Health Insurance (GKV) medical technical aids register. This number always has ten digits and contains information on the classification of the product in the Statuatory Health Insurance's Medical Technical Aids Register.

The first two digits determine the product group, the next two the place of use, the following two the product subgroup, the next the product type and the last three digits a consecutive numbering. The individual areas are separated by a period. Only the last two areas are combined, resulting in the following spelling, for example: 12.34.56.7890

Product group 12.
Application location 12.34.
Product subgroup 12.34.56.
Product Type 12.34.56.7
Consecutive number 12.34.56.7890

The assistive product number is used for the provision of (care) assistive products by statutory health insurance companies. Every product with an assistive product number is covered by the statutory health and long-term care insurance companies. However, an assistive product number is not always mandatory for the provision of care.

REHADAT Statuatory Health Insurance's Medical Technical Aids Register

The REHADAT-Assistive Products portal

REHADAT-Assistive Products collects and describes exemplary assistive products and technical work aids for everyday life and the job. The aim is to provide a neutral overview of the German market in order to make products comparable and to support the selection of assistive devices. However, the product overview does not represent the entire market and does not constitute a ranking.

In addition, the portal offers practical information on the care process, application proceedings and funding in order to promote self-determination, rehabilitation and participation for people with disabilities.

Use of the portal is free of charge.

Depending on people's previous knowledge or preferences, different search options are suitable for finding the right assistive products. For a better overview, all search options have been combined on one page.

Search and find products
The search options are explained here

Apps are software programs for mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. Many apps can be used as inexpensive assistive products for everyday life and jobs.
As the market for apps is growing rapidly, REHADAT only documents selected apps for people with disabilities. Alternatively, you can use our special app search to search the stores (for iOS, Android).

To the apps

REHADAT does not sell any products. To do so, you must contact the manufacturers or distributors whose addresses are listed in the respective product descriptions.

REHADAT-Assistive Products is an online range of information with no sales purpose. Product catalogs can only be requested from the individual manufacturers or distributors. The contact details can be found in the respective product description in the Manufacturer/Distributor tab.

The ISO numbers (e.g. rollator: ISO 12 06 06) in the individual product descriptions are part of the international classification ISO 9999 "Assistive products classification and terminology". ISO 9999 is a health-related classification of the World Health Organization (WHO). For Germany, the German Institute for Standardization publishes the valid version as a DIN standard (DIN EN ISO 9999). All products in REHADAT are structured on the basis of ISO 9999.

The ISO numbers are not the same as the SHI-assistive product numbers (e.g. rollator: GKV-HMV 10.46.02.3027).

DIN EN ISO 9999

REHADAT-Assistive Products focuses on documenting assistive products and technical work aids that are available from German distributors. However, interested parties also have the opportunity to search for products from abroad in the international assistive technology network EASTIN. All REHADAT products are also included in this network.

EASTIN
Global network for information on technical assistive products

Manufacturers and distributors can report their assistive products and technical work aids online via the company section and update them independently. This service is free of charge.

company section

You are welcome to send us interesting and well tried and tested assistive products or prototypes that we have not yet documented. Simply use our contact form!

Contact form

We are a team of three within REHADAT, supported by student employees, colleagues from IT and external documentation centers:

  • Mareike Decker is team leader and a specialist in the area of mobility and private provision of assistive products.
  • Patricia Traub is an expert in technical work aids and vehicle adaptations.
  • ??? supports companies with product updates and manages the REHADAT Statuatory Health Insurance's Medical Technical Aids Register.

The assistive technology team is part of REHADAT. The employees responsible for technology, social media, portal content and databases provide up-to-date information on participation in working life and inclusion.
Get to know our REHADAT team here.