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Halle / Nuremberg (dpa / sa) - In Saxony-Anhalt, the number of lawsuits and objections against Hartz IV notices has decreased.
According to the regional directorate of the Federal Employment Agency, just under 27,980 objections were filed in 2019 alone, the following year it was 22,920, i.e. around 5,000 fewer.
The number of lawsuits submitted has also decreased: in 2020 around 4,220 new lawsuits were filed, in 2019 the figure was around 5,490.
"With the first lockdown in spring 2020, the legislature has made it easier to access basic security," said Markus Behrens, managing director of the regional office for Saxony-Anhalt-Thuringia.
Accordingly, the actual costs of the accommodation are recognized in the first few months, even if they were too high according to the Hartz IV regulations - i.e. the apartment was too big or too expensive.
It is because of these disputes that the majority of lawsuits and disputes arose prior to the outbreak of the pandemic.
Another reason for the decline is that there are hardly any personal appointments in job centers to protect against infection with the virus.
Missed appointments were the main reason for sanctions on the part of the authority in the past, explained Behrens.
"Because these did not have to be pronounced, the reason for objection or complaint is no longer applicable in many cases," he said.
In December 2020, 172,960 people were registered in Saxony-Anhalt who were entitled to Hartz IV benefits.
According to the regional directorate, that was around 12,200 fewer people than in the same month last year.
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Demography played a key role in the decline, explained Behrens.
In a national comparison, there are more elderly and fewer young people in Saxony-Anhalt.
As a result, more Hartz IV beneficiaries are retiring and are no longer available for the labor market, as a spokesman for the authority explained.
In 2020, 511,400 objections and 79,000 lawsuits were filed nationwide.
According to the Federal Employment Agency, that was 65,700 contradictions and 16,300 lawsuits against Hartz IV fewer than in the previous year, although the number of those entitled had increased due to the pandemic.
Communication from the Federal Employment Agency
The labor market in Saxony-Anhalt in December 2020