Pensioners who do not notify within the 9-month period are not retroactively refunded

The pensioners who benefit from the monthly payment have raised the concern that due to the non-notification within the allowed period, which also includes the quarterly period of temporary suspension from the payment, the means are not returned to them retroactively. In the pensioners' association, they say that they are harmed by the administrative instruction of 2015.

A couple of pensioners who, due to health problems, did not notify the respective pension offices in time, have lost about 1 euros in pension, which will not be returned even retroactively.

Under the condition of anonymity, they indicate that when they went to be notified after a month of the allowed deadline, the request was considered a re-application.

"We have not been notified for almost a year, we have moved, we have changed our place of residence, we have also had health problems. When we were notified, they told us that we should reapply from the beginning, without telling us that the payment is not made retroactively even for the months when we were suspended. We realized this only when the request for reapplying was accepted and the payments resumed. This is a violation of human rights, it does not give its money to a contributory pensioner, based on an instruction that is discriminatory, even though it is proven that he is alive. The state does not give you your means, for which you have contributed, the means that belong to you", said a pensioner.

They call this decision discriminatory and demand that the administrative instruction that regulates this issue be changed.

"The state has other mechanisms to verify if a pensioner is alive, this mistreatment must be stopped and the money that has been withheld from pensioners on this discriminatory legal basis must be returned," he added.

This instruction is considered discriminatory by the representatives of pensioners' associations.

"That money is not returned, we don't know where that money goes, who uses it, so it would be good if it were returned to the pensioners and not lost. I had a request to be made as in other countries, not to be notified every month, but to be notified either less often or through electronic means. When it is known that the technology has reached the level that they can, I was informed by the country that ie. to remove the notification for every six months. There are many cases... I am worried, even if I am poor, I take away 200 euros, 120 euros for him is a debacle because he waits every end of the month as satisfaction for his life, said Sherif Kastrati, secretary of the League of Pensioners.

Muhamet Qyqalla, chairman of the Association of Disabled Persons of Pristina, said that this is discrimination. 

"This is discrimination against disabled pensioners and elderly pensioners and all. Why were we notified every six months? When I die, for example, there is evidence and there is no need to go and abuse someone, every 6 out of the month, that this is abuse... They even lost their pensions, they did not receive their pensions for three or four months because they did not know. that we are elderly, we don't know when I was notified, it exceeds, after the new year I will lose everything, they don't even compensate me, the pensioner is still being harmed"

Since December 5, KOHA has started asking the Ministry of Finance, Labor and Transfers whether the administrative instruction will be changed, but has not received an answer.

The 2015 administrative guidance on notification procedures and suspension of payment requires pension beneficiaries to notify the pension department every six months.

If they are not notified within this period, they are temporarily suspended from payment and have another three months to notify in order to return the funds.

But in case the pensioner is not notified within 3 months from the date of suspension, his request is considered as a re-application and the payment starts separately from the date of application.

In Kosovo, there are estimated to be over 300 pensioners.

The contributory pension is 318 euros, depending on the level of education, while the basic or old age pension is 120 euros.