More than 1.3 million IDP pensioners left without payments

More than 1.3 million IDP pensioners were left without payments in January due to additional identification

More than 1.3 million pensioners from among the internally displaced persons did not receive pension payments in January due to the suspension of accruals by the The Pension Fund of Ukraine. In order to resume payments, it was necessary to undergo additional identification and confirm that they had not received a pension from the Russian Federation.

The problem was reported by the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets.

Why payments were suspended

According to available information, IDP pensioners had to undergo an additional procedure to confirm their identity and status. In particular, they had to certify that they were not receiving pension payments from Russia.

The procedure involved identification through a personal account on the PFU portal using an electronic signature through the service Action..

Without this procedure, accruals were temporarily suspended.

Problems with access to services

According to the Ombudsman, a significant number of older people were not properly informed about the new requirements. Many pensioners do not have the technical ability to use electronic services or electronic signatures.

As a result, they learned about the need for identification only after the pension had not been credited to their account.

Appeal to resolve the situation

The Ombudsman's Office reported that it had appealed to the relevant authorities to resolve the situation and provide an accessible confirmation mechanism for older people who do not use digital tools.

It is noted that social benefits should not be made dependent on complex technical procedures without proper information and alternative offline mechanisms.

Social security benefit checks

Additional checks on the status of social benefit recipients are periodically introduced to update data and prevent double charges. At the same time, human rights activists emphasise that such changes should be accompanied by broad information and simplified procedures for vulnerable groups.