New VdK district chairman Thorsten Henkel focuses on member integration!

New VdK district chairman Thorsten Henkel focuses on member integration!

Thorsten Henkel has taken over the reins of the VdK Ammerland district association and is bringing a breath of fresh air to the management team. The new chairman succeeds Bernd Kossendey, who held the office for over twelve years. The district association, which currently has 6,184 members and ten local associations, is therefore ready to face the challenges of the future under new management. Henkel can look back on over 30 years of experience in the association, most recently he was a district treasurer for twelve years and joined the VdK at the age of 18.

In his new role, Henkel would like to listen to members' concerns and plans to strengthen transparency and cohesion within the VdK local associations through joint activities and digitalization. “I want all members to be heard and I think it’s important that we try out new things,” says Henkel.

Advice and support

The activities of the VdK district association are diverse. A total of 1,923 consultations were held at the district office between December 2024 and December 2025. The focus was on:

• 701 Rechtsberatungen zur gesetzlichen Rentensicherung
• 516 Beratungen zur Rehabilitation und Teilhabe behinderter Menschen
• 154 Beratungen zur gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung

In total, claims of around 784,000 euros were made for members, which underlines the relevance of the association's social support. One of Henkel's goals is to better integrate new members, as Stephanie Vrey, the district manager, emphasizes. The VdK offers over 400 branches nationwide where members can receive qualified advice on social law issues. These include pensions, care, disability and basic security. Support with applications and objections is also part of the services offered.

Innovations and citizen participation

But it's not just member support that's on the agenda. The VdK district association also keeps an eye on observations on the topic of renewable energies. According to the Lower Saxony Wind Act, operators of wind turbines and solar parks must provide financial support to the affected municipality. An example of this is the solar park on Brombeerweg, which has already completed a land use planning process with the operator Greenovative. Citizen participation can take place here starting from 1000 euros with an annual return. The official start date of the solar park in Edewecht is still open, as coordination with the district office and grid expansion measures are currently necessary.

With Thorsten Henkel at the head of the VdK Ammerland district association, it is clear that the association not only takes care of the legal concerns of its members, but also wants to actively participate in shaping the regional framework - a good hand that has everyone's concerns in mind.