The government has approved new rules for Soviet work experience: what has changed for pensioners.

According to inkorr.com: The Government of Ukraine has introduced new rules for , which relate to the appointment of pensions. They cover the period of work up to January 1992 in the republics of the former USSR. This is reported by Novyny.LIVE.

From 2023, Ukraine, similar to Russia, has withdrawn from the agreement on mutual pension provision for citizens of the former USSR. This has created a need for a new mechanism that accounts for Soviet work experience, provided there are documents available, even if issued in other countries.

New rules for those with Soviet work experience

According to the decisions of the Cabinet of Ministers, the following key rules will apply when appointing pensions:

• if another country, such as Russia or Belarus, did not pay a pension for the Soviet period, those years will be credited to the experience in Ukraine;

• it is necessary to provide documents confirming work in any republic of the former USSR before January 1992;

• documents must be officially certified to avoid double counting or errors.

How to confirm lost or inaccurate work experience

These innovations are particularly useful for those who have lost their work record book or have inaccurate entries. In such cases, the Pension Fund allows confirmation of experience through other means. Among them are:

• data from the register of insured persons of the State Register of Social Insurance;

• certificates or extracts from the archives of enterprises, institutions, or organizations;

• information about salaries, personal accounts;

• trade union tickets, labor contracts, certificates, or references with information about work.

What to do if the enterprise was in the occupied territory

The Pension Fund notes that even if the work record book exists but contains corrections or inaccuracies, its data can be confirmed through special commissions on experience confirmation. This is especially important for those who worked at enterprises in Crimea, Donetsk, or Luhansk regions, where it is currently difficult to access archives.

“If the entries in the work record book raise doubts or the enterprise is located in a temporarily occupied territory, the work experience is confirmed by the decision of the commission of the Pension Fund,” the agency noted.

The new system aims to simplify the procedure and help Ukrainians who worked during the Soviet era to receive a fair pension. The government also emphasizes that all experience confirmations must be documented to avoid abuse and double payments.

Earlier, it was reported that mothers caring for sick children under the age of six without disabilities can - after 50 years with 15 years of experience. This is provided for by Ukrainian legislation.