[Employment Grants Support Return to Work: Recipients' Perspectives on a New Intervention]

People with health impairments often face significant barriers to participation in the labor market, which increases the risk of long-term unemployment, social exclusion, and deteriorating health. In response, the German Pension Insurance launched a pilot project in two regions to test an Entry Incentive Payment (Einstiegsprämie, ESP). The ESP is an unconditional financial benefit granted to insured individuals re-entering the workforce. The accompanying survey study aimed to evaluate this innovative intervention from the recipients' perspective and to complement administrative analyses of reintegration outcomes with a person-centered view.During the intervention period (January 2020 to March 2023), 485 individuals received the ESP. Survey data were available for 310 participants (response rate: 63.9%). In total, 279 questionnaires from time point t1 (1st-3rd month of ESP receipt) and 205 from time point t2 (9th-13th month) were included in the analysis.Participants had a mean age of 48.2 years (t1), and approximately one-third were female. Somatic diagnoses were reported by 93.4% and psychological diagnoses by 36.9% of respondents. Based on the Work Ability Index, 77.2% had only moderate to critical work ability. The ESP was rated as helpful for job entry by 95% of women and 84% of men, with no significant differences between subgroups defined by gender, region, age, or diagnosis type. Regarding job retention, women rated the ESP significantly more positively than men (Mann-Whitney U test: U=3844.5; p=0.026; r=0.15). Overall health-related quality of life did not change significantly over the first year of employment; however, significant declines in individual domains were observed in some subgroups.The ESP is largely perceived as an effective measure to support (re)integration into employment among individuals with health limitations. The findings highlight the potential relevance of employment grants in return-to-work strategies. Furthermore, the data illustrate the vulnerability of this population with regard to health stability and work ability.