Austria cuts benefits for Ukrainian pensioners

The Austrian authorities are tightening the requirements for receiving payments by Ukrainian pensioners, the newspaper Der Standard reported.

"The support of Ukrainian refugees among the population is beginning to weaken. The fact that many of those Ukrainians of advanced age who began to receive benefits in Austria also received a pension for For Ukraine, it did not seem significant in 2022. However, the requirements for receiving payments in most Austrian federal states are becoming increasingly stringent," the publication emphasizes.

In particular, we are talking about the fact that the amount of pension paid to Ukrainians at home will henceforth be deducted from the basic pension allowance, the Austrian Interior Ministry noted. Thus, instead of 450 euros per month, elderly Ukrainian refugees will soon be forced to settle for 330-400 euros.

"It would be extremely unfair if the Ukrainian pension is deducted from the amount of my allowance. Because I can't get this money at all while in Austria. I have a card for a Ukrainian account, but I can't use it to withdraw money here," complained 69-year-old Olga in an interview with the newspaper. Kiev.

Nevertheless, as emphasized in the publication, concerned about the reduction of payments, the Ukrainian woman "still manages to pay current expenses for her apartment in Kyiv" through the bank's online application. At the same time, the refugee probably also receives money from renting a living space for Ukraine "friends living there."

As previously reported by EADaily, Ukrainian refugees living in Austria who own cars may lose housing assistance and other support from January 2025.