Military personnel will be able to acquire pension rights after just one year of service – the Parliament wants to cancel the 25-year service requirement
As previously reported, the government presented to the members of parliament the concept of an updated pension system. Among the main innovations is the introduction of a professional pension model for servicemen and other employees with special status.
Currently, the parliament notes that the special military pension system is based on a requirement of at least 25 years of service. For mobilized personnel, this creates a problem: a soldier may spend two or three years at the front, face risks to life and health, but not gain the right even to minimal special pension provision.
The Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy states that the model proposed by the government is intended to change this approach. According to the Ministry of Social Policy's plan, the professional pension will allow pension rights to be formed after the first year of service. That is, even a short period of military experience will be taken into account in future provision.
Early retirement and an increased pension amount are planned to be ensured through additional contributions – approximately from 10% to 16%, depending on the conditions of service.
At the same time, the proposed model does not yet specify where exactly these accumulations will be directed, who will administer them, and what protection mechanisms will be applied. A separate emphasis is placed on the risk of losing transparency if funds are integrated into the solidarity system without a clear accounting model. As an example, previous experience with certain categories of employees is cited, for whom increased contributions did not lead to guaranteed growth of future pensions due to changes in the system's approach.
If the accumulative model is implemented, the reform must provide clear mechanisms for administration, investment, and protection of funds.
The issue of fairness regarding combatants is also raised. Currently, Ukraine applies an approach where the status of a combatant is the same regardless of the level of participation in combat, risks, and burdens. The presented concept foresees maintaining the current pension increase for this category.
At the same time, in the context of the reform, the need for a differentiated approach is raised. This concerns the possibility of considering not only the fact of service but also its conditions: the duration of stay in the combat zone, performing frontline tasks, level of risk, and health consequences.
The Parliament emphasizes that the overall approach to the reform assumes that the professional pension system for mobilized personnel should solve the problem of the absence of pension rights for a short period of service. Its effectiveness will depend on two key factors: protection of accumulations under conditions of war and inflation, and ensuring fair distribution among different categories of servicemen.
Subscribe to our Telegram channel t.me/sudua and to Google News SUD.UA, as well as to our VIBER and WhatsApp, our page on Facebook and on Instagram to stay informed about the most important events.
