The fact that the introduction of the electronic parent-child booklet is now set to be delayed by a further year is, in itself, a cause for serious concern. “However, this lends new weight to the Austrian Ombudsman Board’s call for an interim solution,” says Ombudsperson Bernhard Achitz: “For years, the Austrian Ombudsman Board has criticised the fact that parents lose 1,300 euros in childcare allowance if they have the required medical examinations carried out but forget to send in the confirmation. Or if the confirmation is lost in the post or at the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK).”
The problem would have been avoided if the submission of examination certificates were to take place automatically within the system. “Until the electronic parent-child booklet is finally up and running, an interim solution is needed so that parents are not penalised so severely, even though they have had all the mandatory check-ups carried out. Unfortunately, Family Minister Claudia Bauer has so far rejected such an interim solution,” said Achitz.
From the Austrian Ombudsman Board’s report for the year 2024
“The AOB's efforts to achieve an improvement in the mother-child booklet penalties were successful insofar as the introduction of the electronic parent-child booklet was decided last year (Parent-Child Booklet Act Federal Law Gazette I No. 82/2023). This means that the health insurance carriers can be provided with fully automatic proof that the necessary examinations of pregnant women and children have been carried out. However, this new electronic verification method will not come into force until 2026. Until then, parents must submit the proof of examinations to the health insurance carrier in paper form by the child's 18th month of life at the latest. If they miss this deadline, the childcare allowance will be reduced by 1,300 euros (see also Annual Report 2023, volume "Monitoring public administration", p. 86). In 2024, some affected families also turned to the AOB. They had all carried out the examinations properly, they just had missed the deadline for submission and had not received the reminder letters sent by the health insurance carriers due to various circumstances. One father claimed that he was only able to take care of his son's medical examination certificates relatively late for health reasons. He then missed the grace period by just one day. The AOB had recommended the creation of a transitional provision in the Parent-Child Booklet Act until 2026 to avoid such hardship cases. However, the Minister for Family Affairs rejected this as unnecessary.”
Annual Report 2024 - Monitoring Public Administration, page 89.
Photo: Pixabay/tungart7 (Tung Lam)