Job centers must reimburse Hartz IV recipients for the cost of textbooks. This emerges from two judgments of the Federal Social Court (BSG). Two families from Lower Saxony had sued. In the state, upper secondary students must acquire textbooks themselves.
According to the Kassel judges is in the standard rate, ie the money for the monthly living, while an amount of three euros per month for textbooks included. However, this was "too low for countries where students have to pay their own learning resources". All in all, recipients of Unemployment Benefit II are provided with a subsidy of up to € 100 per person per year for the provision of personal school supplies via the so-called "education package".
The complaining families from the counties of Celle and Hildesheim had obtained unemployment benefit II and had to buy school books for 180 and 200 euros. The job centers had refused a reimbursement - textbooks were already covered by the rule set, the purchase of used materials was just as reasonable as a saving of the necessary amounts.
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The Landessozialgericht Niedersachsen-Bremen had already given the plaintiffs right and seen a hardship increase. The regulation is intended for special situations in which a higher demand occurs and the regular requirement is insufficient. However, a case from Celle, the judge referred back to the National Social Court, because the amount of the refund amount is disputed.
Whether and which learning materials students have to acquire themselves, varies according to the Federal Social Court from state to state. The education union GEW have no overview, said a GEW spokeswoman for the news agency dpa. However, the union wants to commission a study to investigate the situation and discrimination of pupils.