Pensioners connected to the mountainous territories of Ukraine can expect a significant increase in their monthly benefit: under current legislation, they are entitled to a supplement of 20% of their pension. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the Law of Ukraine "On the Status of Mountainous Settlements in Ukraine." It is important to clarify right away: the right to the additional payment does not arise automatically for everyone simply registered in a mountainous area — there are a number of conditions that must be taken into account when applying to the Pension Fund.
How the 20% Supplement Is Calculated
The amount of the additional payment is exactly 20% of the pension amount received by the individual. As a clear example, the publication provides the following calculation: if a pensioner's monthly benefit is 5,000 hryvnias, then taking the supplement into account, it will increase by a further 1,000 hryvnias. Thus, the supplement is directly proportional to the base pension amount and has no fixed "ceiling" in hryvnias, unlike a number of other social top-ups.
Who Is Entitled to the Additional Payment and What Documents Are Required
The key condition is that the settlement must be officially included in the special list of mountainous territories. Registration in a mountainous area in itself does not grant the right to the supplement. Such settlements are located predominantly in the western regions of Ukraine, where the Carpathians are situated. The Pension Fund of Ukraine grants the supplement on the basis of documents confirming the person's status, as well as their residence, work, or studies in the relevant mountainous settlement.
The practical part depends on what information is already contained in the pension file. If the necessary information about the place of residence is already recorded, the additional payment may be credited without any further application from the pensioner. However, if a person has changed their address or the file lacks confirming data, they must personally contact a Pension Fund service center and submit documents confirming their place of residence.
Context: The Law on Internally Displaced Persons and the Supplement for Excess Insurance Seniority
The topic of pension payments in Ukraine has recently been actively developing at the legislative level. Thus, on July 21, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the law on ensuring the rights and freedoms of internally displaced persons. The document, in particular, guarantees displaced persons the assignment, payment, and recalculation of pensions on general terms without additional restrictions. Separately, on August 19, it became known that some Ukrainian pensioners may receive an additional payment for excess insurance seniority: for each full year of seniority beyond the established norm, 1% of the subsistence minimum is added to the pension, and the maximum amount of such a supplement may exceed 519 hryvnias per month.
