Pension in focus: 1,472 Saxony-Anhalters benefit from the hardship fund!

Pension in focus: 1,472 Saxony-Anhalters benefit from the hardship fund!

There is a positive picture in Saxony-Anhalt: almost 1,500 people, specifically 1,472, have received money from the new hardship fund for needy pensioners. The one-off payment of 2,500 euros provides a small ray of hope in financial bottlenecks and is primarily intended for those whose statutory pensions are close to basic security. Among the recipients are 436 pensioners with entitlements from the GDR era who were not transferred to the German pension system. This also includes late repatriates and Jewish quota refugees from the former Soviet Union, who can now look forward to support.

The fund is taking an important step towards alleviating personal hardship cases. In Saxony-Anhalt, the recipients also include many former employees of the Reichsbahn and the post office who, according to GDR regulations, should have received certain additional pensions. Divorced women from the GDR who were not entitled to pension compensation also benefit from this one-off support. A total of around 700,000 euros went to needy pensioners in Saxony-Anhalt. However, Monika Hohmann, deputy of the left-wing faction, criticizes the low number of recipients and criticizes the number of hurdles that have to be overcome when submitting the application. The Left is therefore calling for a minimum pension of 1,400 euros to ensure the financial survival of low-income pensioners.

Background and objectives of the hardship fund

The Federal Council decided to set up the foundation to mitigate cases of hardship that resulted from the East-West pension transfer. Responsibility lies with the federal government and the federal states, which were able to join the hardship fund by March 31, 2023. The target group includes various professional and personal groups from the former GDR as well as repatriates and Jewish immigrants from the Soviet Union. The federal government has budgeted a total of 500 million euros for this project, and the first payments will begin in the next few days.

The legal basis for the foundation was created in November 2022 and the office is based in Cottbus. It is responsible for reviewing applications and making the appropriate payments. Applications can be submitted until September 30, 2023. It is hoped that a larger number of those affected can benefit from this one-off support. The foundation also offers various contact options for questions, such as a free telephone number where you can get information Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you would like to find out more, you can find all the details on the foundation's website.

Overall, the hardship fund is an important initiative to help people in financial emergencies, especially in Saxony-Anhalt. The focus on the special needs of former GDR citizens and other affected groups shows that they have a good hand here and are trying to improve the social network to some extent. Even if the number of recipients is still low, it is to be hoped that this will change soon.

For further information and applications, interested parties can contact the office at gst@stiftung-haertefallfonds.de or contact us by phone at 0800/7241634.

The information comes from, among others stern.de, deutsche-rentenversicherung.de and bmas.de.