Municipal job centers master change of legal status for Ukrainian refugees

"Unprecedented" is how Prof. Dr. Jan Hilligardt, Managing Director, describes the challenges that the Ukraine crisis has presented to the providers of basic income support in Hesse. "Never before has it been necessary to transfer such a large number of people to the legal systems of SGB II and SGB XII in such a short space of time." In Hesse, a total of 16,102 people1 are affected by this change in legal status.

Since June 1, 2022, the job centers throughout Germany have been responsible for refugees from Ukraine together with the municipal and district social welfare offices. The legislator only decided on this transition on May 27, 2022. "There was no blueprint for this scenario that we could have used as a guide," says Hilligardt - accordingly, a high degree of flexibility, improvisation and commitment was required on the ground in the districts and independent cities in order to achieve the most important goal - "no affected person should fall into a benefit gap - the seamless receipt of benefits across legal entities had and has the highest priority."

In addition to unresolved legal and financial issues, the employees of the Hessian municipal job centers are currently faced with communication challenges. "The change in legal status is a complex process that people don't grasp intuitively," explains Hilligardt. As a result, adapted applications and information services were created on site within a very short space of time. Tens of thousands of one-to-one meetings were held to explain, support and often reassure people.

On behalf of the Hessischer Landkreistag, Managing Director Prof. Dr. Hilligardt paid tribute to the employees involved: "You often don't see in public how much overtime and extra shifts are worked in the job centers. I would like to say a big thank you for this commitment," said the top municipal representative, who also asked refugees, local authorities, volunteer carers, employers, landlords and other stakeholders for their understanding if some things are currently taking longer or have not yet settled in. He is convinced that all those responsible throughout Hesse are working hard to find good solutions. Prof. Dr. Hilligardt sees the special structure of the municipal job centers as a success factor for this. "Flat hierarchies, strong local networks and a pronounced 'hands on' mentality are making the difference in this crisis!" The fact that the change in legal status could be carried out under these conditions and in this form and will continue to be carried out is primarily due to the exchange between the Hessian municipal job centers and the networking with all those involved as well as the strong commitment and high flexibility of the employees on site.

This is also confirmed by Martin Wilhelm, Head of Social Affairs in Offenbach: "From the very beginning, we have been in close contact within our city group - meaning the city administration, the municipal enterprises and SOH - in a so-called Ukraine team and have jointly found solutions to the many issues. When responsibility was transferred from the Social Welfare Office to MainArbeit. Kommunales Jobcenter Offenbach, it was possible to build on this."

The Citizens' Office, the Immigration Office, the Social Welfare Office and MainArbeit coordinated their processes. For example, the Ukrainian customers were informed about the next steps as soon as they arrived at the Citizens' Office and the appointment was booked at the Foreigners' Registration Office. There, the necessary entries were made in the Central Register of Foreigners and those affected received a certificate of the application submitted, a so-called fictitious certificate. The social welfare office issued the benefits in accordance with the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act and sent MainArbeit lists with the names of 331 families or single people in May. On June 1, 2022, MainArbeit made the benefits payable on June 1, 2022 in 305 cases. "In 26 cases, there were no account details for the transfer or no corresponding residence, so we were unable to make the transfer," says Nicole Sendelbach, Head of Benefits. "We have published a short application form in Ukrainian and bilingual instructions for choosing a health insurance fund on our website. Our customer portal is frequently used to send us documents and applications. You can tell that the Ukrainian refugees are not afraid to use our digital services," she adds.

In the meantime, 379 cases involving 708 people have been recorded, including 490 people with whom the personal contacts at MainArbeit have conducted consultations. They report that many Ukrainians speak a second language and often have school and vocational qualifications. "They are motivated to learn German and some have already registered for integration courses run by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) on their own. "Some are already attending integration courses. During the waiting period, we can offer others basic German courses that we have commissioned, including childcare. Our providers have quickly adapted to the additional demand," explains Charlotte Buri, Head of Counseling and Placement at MainArbeit. It is also pleasing that almost all of the Ukrainians who have come to Offenbach have vocational training.

"Behind every refugee is an individual fate. That's why it was and is all the more important to be able to offer people here early prospects. Early integration, immediate assistance and answers to many of the people's questions, as well as the rapid provision of financial resources, work and accommodation are very important elements in making it easier to arrive in a foreign environment," explains Martin Wilhelm, adding: "I have great respect for the work of the employees in the offices involved and at MainArbeit. At the same time, I am very pleased that we in Offenbach treat each other so collegially and support each other."