It is good news that the Hessian social courts have succeeded in significantly reducing the number of pending cases.
This shows how efficient and committed the staff is, which cannot be overestimated given the second year of the court's operations under pandemic conditions.
The fact that fewer new proceedings were received in 2021, at least in the first instance, is an equally welcome development in view of the previous record years.
But anyone who now believes that this will mean relaxed times in the social courts is wrong.
The truth is that the authorities' generous handling of unemployment benefit II during the pandemic has resulted in almost a third fewer cases being received.
It won't stop there.
And looking ahead shows that new challenges are coming.
Experience teaches that social developments are quickly reflected in the social courts.
This includes new aspects of the pandemic that are likely to be debated over the next few years - for example, when an accident in the home office is an accident at work, or what the consequences are if an unvaccinated worker is no longer allowed to work in the healthcare sector.
Not to be forgotten are possible vaccination damages.
With all the new things, it should not be forgotten that the number of cases still to be processed is still high and that it takes an average of 18 months for a lawsuit to be concluded in the first instance.
Changes in the law, such as the 2017 reduction in the statute of limitations for lawsuits by health insurance companies due to possibly inadequate hospital billing, have led to thousands more cases being filed all at once.
This will not work without sufficient staff who are not only qualified but also trained.
And 18 months of proceedings are a lot when it comes to existential questions.