170 kilometers away

62-Year-Old Wonders: “How Do I Get to Rehab?”

Gerhard Koller underwent shoulder surgery in April, and his rehab is set to begin in mid-July. However, it will take place in distant Baden, and the man from the Waldviertel must handle the difficult journey himself—both financially and logistically.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/zVg)

He can’t go privately, and he can’t use public transportation: Even the roughly 170-kilometer trip to rehab is a major challenge for a 62-year-old man from Lower Austria.

It was in June 2025 when a workplace accident suddenly changed the life of Gerhard Koller, now 62, from Gmünd in the Waldviertel region. His shoulder was severely injured, and ligaments were torn. Months of pain, therapy, and hope for recovery followed. In April 2026, the man from the Waldviertel region finally underwent surgery, and his rehabilitation is scheduled to begin in mid-July. However, instead of the nearby Moorbad Harbach, he was assigned a spot in Baden—about 170 kilometers away—due to capacity constraints.

Travel by Car Not Recommended
It is precisely this long journey that poses a major problem for the 62-year-old. The reason: he’s not supposed to make the trip on his own in the first place. On the one hand, for medical reasons; on the other, parking options on site are limited and, moreover, subject to a fee. “Unfortunately, my wife can’t drive me there for health reasons,” Koller explains. So, should he take public transportation by train? “I’m afraid I can’t manage that with my shoulder. After all, there’s a lot of luggage to carry,” he explains.

I worked at Agrana for 42 years and always paid my contributions. Now that I need something, I have to pay for it out of my own pocket.

Gerhard Koller

Gerhard Koller had shoulder surgery in April, and his rehab begins in mid-July. However, it’s taking place in distant Baden, and the Waldviertel resident has to handle the difficult trip himself—both financially and logistically.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/zVg)

400 euros in additional costs
That leaves the medical transport. “The trip will cost me 400 euros,” Koller found out. So he applied to the Pension Insurance Institution (PVA) to have the costs covered. But his request was denied. “I worked at Agrana for 42 years and always paid my contributions. Now that I need something for once, I have to pay out of my own pocket,” says the Gmünd resident.

No Approval
For the PVA, however, the case is clear. Approval from a chief physician is required for the travel costs to be covered. “In Mr. Koller’s case, the referring physician explicitly stated on the application that he is capable of traveling on his own,” a PVA spokesperson explained in response to a query from *Krone*. “My family doctor even helped me with the application. He apparently sees it differently.” Richard Punz, health spokesperson for the FPÖ in Lower Austria, also voiced criticism: “It’s unacceptable that people who have worked their whole lives are being let down.”

Help from the Neighboring State
Koller then looked for alternatives among his personal contacts—and finally found a solution. “My brother-in-law is making a special trip from Upper Austria, staying with us, and taking me to Baden the next day,” Koller reports. The total one-way distance for him is 250 kilometers. At least the trip there is taken care of. The question of how he’s supposed to get back to the Waldviertel after his rehab stay, however, remains unanswered.