This Teacher’s Been on Sick Leave for 16 Years—Now She’s Suing for Being Asked to Prove It

For 16 years, a German teacher has stayed home on full salary, skipping work but not payday. Now, after finally being asked to prove she’s sick, she’s taken legal action against her employer.

The teacher, who has not been publicly named, worked at a vocational college in Wesel, North Rhine-Westphalia. Or at least she used to. Since 2009, she has remained on sick leave, collecting an estimated €1 million (approximately $1.17 million) while submitting monthly medical certificates that were never supported by an official medical evaluation.

That changed earlier this year, when a new school administrator ordered an audit. The inquiry revealed a serious procedural gap: while the teacher had continuously turned in documentation, no one had ever actually required her to undergo a formal medical