As of: January 29, 2024, 5:23 p.m
By: Lisa Mayerhofer
Comments
Press
Split
Pensioners only have a few days left to submit an application for payment from the hardship fund.
So far only around 13,500 people in need have received money.
Berlin – January 31st is the deadline for the hardship fund for needy pensioners from the former GDR and the ex-Soviet Union.
So far, more than 163,000 people have applied, but only around 13,500 people in need have received money.
The Federal Ministry of Social Affairs gave the figures at the request of the German Press Agency shortly before the application deadline on January 31st.
These are one-off payments of 2,500 euros to 5,000 euros.
Pension hardship fund: Who is entitled to apply?
The fund is intended for people in need with certain pension entitlements from the GDR era that were not incorporated into the federal German system in 1991.
This refers to additional pensions, for example for former employees of the Reichsbahn or Post, as well as claims for women who were divorced during the GDR era.
Late repatriates and so-called Jewish quota refugees from the former Soviet Union can also apply.
The prerequisite for the one-off payment is need, i.e. a pension close to basic security.
Pensioners only have a few days left to submit an application for payment from the hardship fund.
(Archive image) © Michael Gstettenbauer/IMAGO
Hundreds of thousands of applications: Deadline is January 31, 2024
Benefits from the hardship fund will only be granted upon application, which can be submitted by January 31, 2024.
The application forms are available on the Hardship Fund Foundation information portal.
You can also request the relevant application form by post from the foundation's office (postal address: Stiftung Härtefallfonds office, 44781 Bochum).
The payment of the benefit began - depending on when the application was submitted - at the end of June 2023.
When the fund was launched a year ago, the federal government assumed that there would be 180,000 to 190,000 people with legitimate claims, including 50,000 to 70,000 East German pensioners.
The ministry said 163,441 applications had been received by January 26 of this year.
By then, 48,543 applications had been finally processed, but only 13,483 applications had been approved.
Hardship fund: Extension of the application deadline is probably not planned
The federal government had budgeted 500 million euros for the fund, and the states were also able to participate.
Then those in need from the respective federal state receive double the amount: 5,000 instead of 2,500 euros.
These include Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Bremen, Hamburg and Thuringia.
The state of Berlin has announced its accession.
My news
British newspaper makes it clear: Anyone who looks at Germany sees an “accident in slow motion”.
Changes for pensioners: payment of pension and disability pension affected read
On Friday: Verdi is calling for warning strikes on public transport in almost all federal states
“Exorbitantly high rents”: Luxury department store KaDeWe is insolvent
Important change for pensioners: There is no longer any entitlement to a pension in the event of occupational disability
Good news for retirees?
Expert sees “mega increase” in rent reading
According to the Federal Ministry, around 35.7 million euros have been paid out so far.
The ministry expects that there will be money left over, which will then go back to the state treasury: “Based on the applications that have currently been received by the Hardship Fund Foundation office and have not yet been fully processed, the foundation's assets are unlikely to be exhausted,” it said.
There are no plans to extend the application deadline.
With material from dpa