Minister of Social Policy Maryna Lazebna said that in 2022 the Ministry of Social Policy proposes to include pensioners aged 70 to 75 in the program of targeted benefits for the elderly initiated by the President.

She noted that this presidential program is an effective tool for reducing the poverty of older people who cannot provide for themselves.

During 2020 and 2021, pensioners aged over 80 will receive a targeted supplement to pensions in the amount of UAH 500 per month. Meanwhile, their pensions cannot be under UAH 2,600. These measures will allow the incomes of another 1.4 million retirees to increase.

This year, retirees aged 75 to 80 were included in the program. From October 1, they will receive a monthly compensation payment of UAH 400. The pension payment for them will be at least UAH 2,500. This expansion of the program will allow to up the income of more than 1 million retirees.

In the case of inclusion in the program of pensioners aged 70 to 75, the income of an additional 1.5 million pensioners will be increased.

As part of the preparation of the draft State Budget for 2022, the Ministry of Social Policy is working on other proposals to the calendar of pension increases in 2022.

In particular, it is proposed to provide:

∙ increase from January 1 of pensions for people with disabilities from among the liquidators of the Chornobyl disaster;

∙ indexation from March 1 of insurance pensions for about 10 million pensioners and compensation payments for pensioners aged over 80 and for pensioners aged from 75 to 80;

∙ recalculation from July 1 and from December 1 of pension payments in connection with the increase of the subsistence level for disabled people;

∙ recalculation from October 1 of the minimum old-age pension in connection with the projected increase in the minimum wage.

Proposals for differentiation of social guarantees for pensioners taking into account the length of insurance are also being worked out.

These proposals, as well as the approval by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the government bill № 4668, will allow for the first time since 2014 to cover all categories of pensioners with an emphasis on the most vulnerable groups.