The right to a proper pension: the story of a pensioner from the Sumy region

Ostap, an internally displaced person who moved from the city of Vorozhba in the Bilopillia community to Sumy, contacted the legal aid hotline of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC). Ostap had worked on the railway in Sumy region for many years and was entitled to benefits and a decent pension. Upon reaching retirement age, he applied to the Pension Fund of Ukraine, but when his pension was calculated, its amount was significantly understated.

The man tried to resolve the issue on his own, but the cost of private legal services turned out to be too high for him, as it was twice the amount of his pension. This placed him in a difficult situation. He regained hope of restoring justice when he learned about the possibility of receiving free legal aid from the Danish Refugee Council (DRC).

A DRC lawyer carefully analysed the documents and concluded that the Pension Fund had applied an incorrect indicator when calculating the pension. After the lawyer applied to the court, which ordered the Pension Fund to recalculate the pension, the man began receiving his pension in a fair amount.

DRC provides free legal aid in Sumy region thanks to funding by the European Union.