From Individual Appeals to Systemic Solutions: Results of the Meeting of Civil Society Organizations with the Management of the Pension Fund of Ukraine

The National Assembly of People with Disabilities of Ukraine held an online meeting of public organizations of people with disabilities with representatives of the Pension Fund of Ukraine. The event was held as part of the Rehabilitation in Ukraine (Rehab4U) project.

The conversation was attended by Iryna Kovpashko, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Pension Fund of Ukraine, Olena Okhrymenko, Director of the Department of Pensions, Insurance Payments, Social Services, Housing Subsidies and Benefits of the Fund, and her deputy, Aliona Krasnova. About a hundred people with disabilities, their family members, civil society activists, and others joined the discussion.

Valeriy Sushkevych, the head of the NAPD, spoke about appeals to the Assembly concerning pensions and social benefits. According to him, people with disabilities report to the NAIA's lawyers cases of termination of benefits without prior notification. They also complain about the complicated verification procedure for pensioners living abroad or in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. In addition, there are difficulties with obtaining paper certificates, etc.

The event's attendees were able to ask individual questions to the Pension Fund's management. They mainly concerned the accessibility of PFU services, refusal to index pensions, enforcement of court decisions to change the amount of pensions, and the specifics of payments to demobilized soldiers. Residents of the frontline communities suggested making adjustments to the procedure for reviewing documents provided by social security authorities in cases of emergency response.

The NAIU lawyers suggested that the Fund's representatives develop ways to inform pensioners and recipients of social benefits about changes in the rules for receiving funds that would be convenient for people with disabilities, as well as improve the work of the Pension Fund's electronic office.

Given the significant interest in the meeting and the importance of the topics discussed, the participants and invitees agreed to hold such events on a regular basis.

More details are available on our YouTube channel.

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