The impartials

The impartial chair represents the G-BA judicially and extra-judicially, chairs the plenary sessions, and works with the other impartial members to prepare the sessions. Along with the management board, the chair is also responsible for ensuring adherence to the budget and staffing plan of the G-BA.

In addition to their responsibilities in the plenum, the three impartials chair the sub-committees of the G-BA. Based on proposals submitted by the impartials, the plenum appoints the chairs and proxies for each subcommittee.

Each impartial has a primary and secondary deputy to fulfil his or her responsibilities and exercise his or her rights if the impartial is prevented from doing so.

As a rule the impartials are salaried, unlike their proxies and the members appointed by the pillar organizations. They are employed by the G-BA for their term of office. A term of office is six years.

The impartials are appointed based on mutually agreed nominations by the G-BA pillar organizations. Persons who have worked for one of the pillar organizations, as a contracted doctor, or in a hospital can be nominated only if at least one year has passed since they have stopped such work. At least six weeks before the end of a term of office, the pillar organizations of the G-BA must submit their nominations for suitable candidates for impartials to the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG). The BMG then forwards the nominations to the health committee of the German Bundestag (the lower house of federal parliament). If the committee has doubts concerning the autonomy or impartiality of one of the candidates, it can reject that person's candidacy with a two-thirds majority vote. The pillar organizations of the G-BA must then agree on and nominate a new candidate within six weeks. If the committee rejects that candidate as well, the BMG appoints a candidate of its choosing.​