HIGHLIGHTS
• Inconsistent Government pronouncements add to confusion and fear among IDP pensioners residing in non-Government controlled areas
• Closure of checkpoints forces thousands to make arduous and dangerous detours
• Life-saving health activities risk to come to a halt because of lack of funding
• Mines and explosive remnants of war hamper access to agricultural land
IDPs struggling to reinstate payments
The suspension of social payments and pensions to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian citizens registered as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) continues to be a major humanitarian concern. In March, the Government of Ukraine suspended payments to an estimated 600,000 IDPs from five eastern Ukrainian oblasts (Dnipropetrovska, Kharkivska, Zaporizka, Donetska and Luhanska) and started a procedure to verify their IDP certificates. According to the Government, the campaign is aimed at fighting fraud schemes. However, lists have not been made public and there was no individual notification prior to the suspension of payments.
In recent weeks, tens of thousands of IDPs have been struggling to have their benefits reinstated. While some have undergone the verification successfully, many more are still waiting for the local Departments of Social Protection and Pension Funds to process the paperwork or have not been able to start the procedure yet. In order to reinstate payments, pensioners need to visit both the Department of Social Protection and the Pension Fund due to the lack of systematic exchange of information between these state bodies. According to the Luhanska oblast Pension Fund, 87,000 pensioners have seen their payments suspended in March and only 18,200 of these have had their payments resumed by the end of April.
The procedure of verification is unclear and varies in different oblasts, leading to delays and loss of means of survival for those affected. For instance, in Kharkivska oblast reinstatement can take up to two months because documents are being sent from one Department of Social Protection to another within the region. This is of particular concern as the pensions (on average US$ 60) or IDP payments (US$ 17 for an able-bodied IDP or US$ 34 for IDP pensioners and children) are often the only source of income for the people affected. Many IDPs who have had their social benefits and pensions suspended cannot pay their rent and have received eviction notices. Others cannot afford to buy food or pay public transport costs and have to walk to and from administration offices to have their IDP certificates verified.
A number of amendments to existing Cabinet of Minister Resolutions dealing with IDP registration and payments have further complicated the situation. According to Resolution No. 167 passed on 14 March, IDPs cannot register their address at “non-residential premises” anymore. As a result, thousands of IDPs whose current IDP certificates are linked to state institutions’ address (e.g. Department of Social Protection) are forced to reregister with a new address. Moreover, all IDPs receiving regular pensions are required to obtain a pension ID card from Oschadbank, the only bank that is entitled to process pensions and social benefits. IDPs need to present themselves physically at a branch of the bank to obtain the card and have to visit the bank regularly for renewal.
As of 25 April, the Ministry of Social Policy has registered 1,78 million IDPs. Yet, this number comprises hundreds of thousands of people who are not permanently displaced by the conflict but stayed in their homes in NGCAs and are forced to register as IDPs since the current law links payment of pensions to the IDP status.