Most Ukrainians receive a modest state pension, and the country's laws prevent citizens from claiming both disability and old age benefits simultaneously.
Under Article 10 of Law No. 1058, residents who qualify for multiple state payments must select just one, the Pension Fund of Ukraine said.
People younger than 60 only qualify for disability payments. When they reach retirement age, they must calculate which of the two types of financial support will pay more, based on their length of service and their assigned disability group.
Disability group percentages
The state calculates disability payments as a percentage of the old age pension a person would earn based on their employment history.
People assigned to Group 1 receive 100 percent of that figure. Group 2 recipients receive 90 percent, and Group 3 receives 50 percent.
For example, a person entitled to a 5,000 hryvnia old age pension would receive the full 5,000 hryvnias under Group 1. A Group 2 recipient would receive 4,500 hryvnias, and a Group 3 claimant would receive 2,500 hryvnias.
In the Group 3 example, the government would increase the payment to 2,595 hryvnias. The law requires all pensions to meet the state subsistence minimum for incapacitated people.
The hryvnia is the national currency of Ukraine.
Calculating length of service
While the percentages might suggest old age pensions are always higher for Groups 2 and 3, the Pension Fund said this is not always true.
The fund calculates disability service time from the date the medical status is established. A person who becomes disabled at a young age and experiences periods of unemployment might have a high disability service record but a short professional work history. In that scenario, an old age pension based solely on their employment record would be significantly lower.
Old age benefits are generally higher if the person was assigned a Group 3 disability or became disabled close to their 60th birthday.
Citizens who continue working and paying the Single Social Contribution after turning 60 can also receive a higher old age pension. The state recalculates their total payments to include the additional work history.
Ukrainians can change their benefit type by submitting an application to the Pension Fund.
