No trial: the IDP’s work experience at the collective farm, which remained in the temporarily occupied territory, was taken into account

Publication date: May 28, 2024

Mykhailo*, an internally displaced person (IDP) from Kherson oblast, approached the lawyers of the NGO STEP with a question about transferring his pension. Because of the war, the man left his native village, which russians occupied, and now he could not confirm the years of his work experience.

The pensioner wondered how to include the time he worked on the collective farm in his work experience. After all, his work record book remained in the temporarily occupied territory, and the lack of recorded work experience affected the amount of his pension.

Anton Stasik, a lawyer with the Zaporizhzhia-based NGO STEP, explained to Mykhailo the algorithm of further actions, helped him obtain an archive certificate confirming that he had indeed worked on one of the collective farms in Kherson oblast, and drafted an application to the Pension Fund asking for a recalculation of his benefits.

At the same time, Mykhailo managed to find photocopies of his work record book, which had been left at home.

• “Pensions may be recalculated based on a claim or a court decision. In this case, a claim for recalculation should be filed with the administrative court of the plaintiff’s place of residence or with the administrative court of the competent pension fund body that refused to recalculate the pension within six months from the date of receipt of the refusal,” the lawyer explains.

Within the next two weeks, Mykhailo was given credit for his work experience on the collective farm and received an increased pension.

*Name changed for ethical reasons.

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