How STEP NGO helped an IDP to receive a well-deserved pension

Kateryna*, a 76-year-old displaced person from Crimea, turned to the STEP NGO for legal support because she was unable to receive her pension after moving to Zaporizhzhia. After the start of the full-scale invasion, she was forced to leave her native Crimea and seek refuge in Zaporizhzhia. The only assistance she received was a living allowance issued in September 2022, but her pension payments remained unavailable. Despite numerous appeals to the local branch of the Pension Fund of Ukraine, she was denied every time.

In the spring of 2024, Kateryna turned to a lawyer from the NGO STEP with a request to help solve this problem. Given the risk of termination of accommodation payments, the situation was becoming critical. The team decided to collect all the necessary documents, prepare an electronic signature and apply for a pension through the Pension Fund's electronic portal. However, ten days later, she received a rejection due to the lack of a document confirming that she was not receiving a pension in the territory occupied by the Russian Federation. It was almost impossible to obtain this document, which only led to more worries.

The situation changed in September 2024, when the pension application procedure was simplified for pensioners from the occupied territories, including Crimea. From now on, it was possible to submit an application by providing personal confirmation of the absence of pension payments from the Russian Federation, without the need for additional certificates. In October, Kateryna applied again, this time in person at the local Pension Fund office. STEP specialists accompanied her to support her and help answer questions as she was very nervous.

At the end of October, Kateryna received the long-awaited decision to grant her an old-age pension, as well as confirmation of her 33 years of service. In November, she started receiving her pension on a bank card, which provides her with stable financial support. After many months of effort, she finally received her well-deserved lifetime pension. Now Kateryna is free from the fear of losing her IDP benefits and can focus on her future, free from financial hardship.

STEP provides free legal aid to war victims in cooperation with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) thanks to the support of the American people through the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

*Name changed.