How the pension fund in Crimea calculates payments
Due to the special status of entities located on the territory of the Crimean Peninsula, issues related to pension provision are regulated by a separate federal law. This is explained by the fact that for a long time these regions were part of another state, having different legislative norms from Russian ones.
Thus, this federal law prescribes the complete transition of Crimea to the pension system adopted throughout the country. Moreover, if the right to a pension for certain categories of citizens under Ukrainian legislation arose earlier than provided for by the laws of the Russian Federation, then the previous payments are preserved.
One of the problems that arose was that when recalculating the amount of pension payments, some citizens were accrued less in absolute terms than they received during the peninsula’s stay as part of Ukraine. With the adoption of the relevant law, it was officially established that the size of pensions in connection with recalculation cannot be less than it was before.
To confirm their length of service and the right to a pension, citizens can present any documents that are relevant for this, including in Ukrainian without the need for translation into Russian.
About additional pension supplements
In addition to the fact that Crimean pensioners receive completely different pensions in Russia, social support measures are guaranteed for them:
1. A new type of state assistance is the awarding of the title “Veteran of Labor,” which will entail monetary additional payments.
2. In addition to the indexation of pensions throughout the country, the amount of other cash payments was indexed by 7%. This increase affected more than 130 thousand residents of the peninsula: disabled people, veterans, Heroes of the Soviet Union, Socialist Labor. The amount of this benefit is determined by law for each category separately.
If the pension amount does not reach the subsistence level (8,948 rubles for pensioners), then from 01/01/16 they are entitled to a federal social supplement. Its amount should bring the size of the pension to the level of the consumer basket. This measure applies only to non-working pensioners.
3. Children are not forgotten in the legislation. An allowance of 500 rubles is provided for one child up to the age of majority if:
- Family income is below the subsistence level.
- There are no citizens in the family who do not study, do not serve, or do not work.
- Large families with three children, where the third child was born from 2015 to 2020, are entitled to a cash benefit of 9,474 rubles. The subsidy is made until the children reach the age of three.
4. Benefits for single mothers are provided for by a separate law. If the mother’s average monthly income does not reach the subsistence level, she is assigned a state subsidy from 01/01/16 in the amount of 1,500 rubles.
5. The social contract is an innovation in the law on pensions. It can be concluded with the social protection authorities of the Republic of Crimea. Citizens must have an income below the subsistence level in Crimea. The total amount of payments per year will be 90,000 rubles.
The spending of this money will be controlled by social services; it must be used for its intended purpose, for example, to open a business.
6. Regional subsidy - a special payment for the purchase of bread - 100 rubles per month. Recipients of the subsidy are low-income families with income below the level of the consumer basket.
7. Compensation for the purchase of a car in the amount of 150,000 rubles for disabled people of the Second World War, with work-related injuries, groups I, II from among the liquidators of the Chernobyl accident, and other beneficiaries. The Russian Federation is thus fulfilling the long-standing unfulfilled promise of the Ukrainian government to provide transportation for disabled people.
What types of pension payments exist?
In 2020, residents of Crimea and Sevastopol can claim all pension payments provided for by Russian legislation, since the period of integration of the regions into the Russian legal and economic space has taken place in full.
In Russia there are several types of them, such as:
- insurance;
- cumulative;
- voluntary pension;
- state pension provision.
Insurance pensions
Insurance pensions are divided into types. Let's look at each separately.
Old age insurance pension
These payments, in essence, represent compensation to citizens due to disability, which, in turn, occurs upon reaching old age.
Attention! The retirement age in Crimea, as throughout Russia, is gradually increasing and in 2020 it is 55.5 years for women and 60.5 years for men.
The amount of the insurance pension depends on the amount of insurance contributions transferred for the employee to the Pension Fund. However, in order to qualify for it, you must not only reach retirement age, but also have the required number of pension points and minimum work experience, the values of which also increase every year. Certain categories of workers (medics, doctors, for example) can be granted an insurance pension early.
Disability insurance pension
This payment is assigned to persons recognized as disabled in accordance with the established procedure and who have work experience, the duration of which does not matter.
Survivor's pension
This type of pension provision is assigned, as a rule, to persons dependent on a deceased breadwinner who has an insurance record and, accordingly, for whom insurance contributions were made to the Pension Fund.
Funded pension
This type of security is formed from a portion of insurance premiums directed to the accounts of non-state pension funds. NPFs, in turn, invest them in various assets, thereby ensuring the profitability of pension savings.
Important! It was possible to choose this type of formation of a future pension until the end of 2020 for persons born in 1967.
Voluntary pension
Every citizen of the Russian Federation has the right to enter into an agreement with a non-state pension fund and make additional contributions from their own funds to form a “second” non-state pension.
State pension provision
There are 5 types of this payment.
Social payments
They can be assigned to elderly people who cannot qualify for an insurance pension due to lack of experience and points.
Long service payments
Benefits for length of service are assigned to former military personnel, civil servants and some other categories of citizens.
By disability
Persons who have become disabled from among the military, victims of man-made disasters, and participants in the Second World War can count on this type of support.
State survivor's pension
Paid to persons who were dependent on deceased military personnel and certain other categories of citizens.
State old age pension
It is received by persons exposed to man-made disasters.
Peculiarities of pension calculation in Crimea
Despite the end of the transition period, pensions in Crimea today are also assigned with some peculiarities. First of all, it is necessary to explain what a saved pension is in Crimea.
At the time of the transition to the all-Russian security system, the total amount of payments that was established for citizens living on the peninsula was fixed. The legislation provides that when switching to new payment rules, their size was maintained if its amount exceeds the newly assigned payment.
In addition, the minimum pension in Crimea is determined taking into account the following features:
- the executive authorities of the peninsula annually determine the cost of living;
- if the total payment (with all allowances) does not exceed the subsistence level, the citizen is assigned a regional surcharge;
- If the approved cost of living in the republic does not exceed the same value at the level of the Russian Federation, pensioners are assigned a federal supplement.
Minimum pension in 2020
For the insurance payment, the fixed part will be
5334.19 rubles.
If, when calculating the amount of the pension, taking into account the length of service and the number of pension points, the final amount is less than the minimum subsistence level, an additional payment will be made.
The minimum pension in Sevastopol will be calculated in a similar way. Pension payments assigned to residents of the peninsula are equally subject to all types of indexation provided for by federal legislation. In particular, the February and April indexation, which is carried out in the pension system of the Russian Federation, fully concerns residents of Crimea and Sevastopol.
Benefits for Crimean pensioners
Crimean pensioners are entitled to the same benefits as others. However, it should be taken into account that the volume of their provision depends on the status of the pensioner himself. For example, WWII participants have significantly more preferences than a person simply receiving an old-age insurance pension.
All benefits can be divided into federal and regional. The first, among others, include:
- exemption from property tax if it is the only one and is not used for commercial purposes;
- benefits regarding the provision of medicines and medical care;
- improvement of living conditions in case of need.
The most significant regional benefits are provided to certain categories of Crimean pensioners:
- compensation for housing and communal services;
- the right to take advantage of reduced prices for public transport.
How do pensioners live in Crimea?
Is it true that Crimean pensioners have the highest pensions?
The Republic of Crimea has been a subject of the Russian Federation for only a few years and, accordingly, the newest region. During this time, we all witnessed historical processes that completely changed the life of the peninsula and Crimeans in the legislative, judicial, economic, political and social spheres of activity.
Changing all legislative norms, tax, legal, and pension systems from Ukrainian to Russian was labor-intensive, inconvenient, and, to be honest, the entire success of the entire transition period depended not only on federal financial injections and personnel assistance with which the Kremlin pampered its new citizens, but also on the level of patriotism of the regional government, all its ministries and departments, as well as ordinary citizens. The latter lived in euphoria for several years after the fateful referendum.
Minimum payment amount for pensioners
Every year, each region of Russia calculates the so-called subsistence minimum (LM). This is the average amount of money per person per month needed to meet basic needs. Each region has its own cost of living, which depends on the level of prices and tariffs, as well as their growth. PM is an important indicator from which the size of the minimum pension is determined.
Now for the Republic of Crimea in 2020 it is:
- old age insurance – 8146 rubles;
- social – 5034 rubles;
- for disability – 2144 rubles (for group III);
- for loss of a breadwinner – 5034 rubles.
Reference! The average pension in Crimea in 2019 is 12,261 rubles.
Climatic conditions
We actually live in the mountains, although the mountains are not high. From the north we have Mount Agamysh, 700 m high, from the south - the main ridge of the Crimean Mountains, which runs along the coast. We are in a valley, 300 m above sea level. Hence the peculiarities of our climate. Strong winds are rare, the mountains protect us. It's cooler here than in the rest of Crimea. Feodosia is only 20 km from Old Crimea, but it is always 3-4 degrees warmer there. Even in extreme heat, we breathe easier than on the coast or in the steppe, especially at night, when coolness descends from the mountains. But our winters are colder, this is already our third winter, and all of them have snow, with frosts up to 10-12 degrees at night. In general, I really like the old Crimean climate; as a person who has lived for a long time in the conditions of the central Russian climate, it is easier for me to acclimatize here.
The depth of wells and wells in Old Crimea depends on the location. Those who live in the upper part of the city, like us, for example, have water at a depth of 17 to 30 m - depending on your luck. And for those who live below, there are only 3-4 meters to the water, and there is a lot of water. When I came here as a tourist, I lived on Fontannaya Street, it was named that way because there is a lot of water there, the Greeks used to live there and they had many fountains.
Crimeans' reaction to pension reform
Pension reform is a forced and unpleasant measure, which even its initiators admit. For the most part, Crimeans are in solidarity with residents of other regions of Russia in their negative attitude towards the changes being carried out. However, there are many who understand the need to increase the retirement age.
Reviews from pensioners about raising the age
The majority of pensioners are against the reform. Raising the retirement age can only be done with an eye to life expectancy. In Crimea, as in the rest of Russia, it is very low, especially among men. It turns out that most workers simply will not live to see retirement. My opinion is a mockery
Saenko V. S., city of Kerch.
Of course, raising the retirement age will hit hard for those who were planning to retire in the coming years. But at the same time, the saved funds will be used to increase the pensions themselves in the future, and this is a direct path to improving the standard of living of pensioners.
Alekhina N.V. city of Armyansk.
Relations with locals
How do the locals feel about those who have come in large numbers? Yes, they treat you well, as if you were treating family and friends. Firstly, the Crimeans have always considered themselves Russians, and Crimea - Russia, so for them the migrants are not some kind of strangers, but their own people. Secondly, we can say that the overwhelming majority of Crimeans are migrants, in the first, second, third, fourth generations.
Authorities? What can I say, the usual bureaucracy, like everywhere else in Russia now, is neither bad nor good. I haven’t encountered much with them, well, just registration at the passport office, registering a car with the traffic police, transferring a pension from St. Petersburg to Crimea, registering a real estate purchase and sale transaction with the State Committee on Registration. Nothing unusual. There are nice and friendly people, and there are not so much. But there are no special local problems, I repeat, like everywhere else. The only difference is that the buildings and premises will be poorer than in Russia. However, I compare St. Petersburg with the deep Crimean province.
If we talk about my feelings of “dangerous/safe”, then I feel safer in Crimea, much safer than in St. Petersburg.
Sources of information for Crimean pensioners
For all questions related to current payments, as well as regarding the assignment of pensions, Crimeans and Sevastopol residents can contact the Pension Fund branches located in each municipality of the peninsula.
For greater convenience, multifunctional centers have been built in every city and district that provide a wide range of consulting services, including on issues of payment and assignment of pensions.
In addition, all the necessary information can be obtained via the Internet by going to the official website of the Russian Pension Fund , and thanks to the presence of a personal account, it is possible to submit various documents remotely.
Sanatorium "Zaporozhye" in the center of Yalta
At the heart of the recreation center is a park area near the Uchan-Su River. It has its own access to the sea (10 minutes to the beach). There is a summer cafe on the territory, in the neighborhood there are vegetable and fruit markets, shops, a shopping center, a bus stop, a pharmacy and a parking lot. The minimum daily room rate is 1416 rubles. per adult, includes two regular or dietary meals. Economy class rooms for 2 people. More information can be found on the website zaporozh.ru.
Races start early in the morning. There is no smoking in the buildings, but there are specialized areas. In parallel to the resort, you can visit the Chekhov House-Museum (1.1 km away), the Skazka Zoo, and the Yalta-Gorka cable car.
Medical areas:
- respiratory organs;
- circulation;
- ENT diseases.
At the resort they practice climate therapy, herbal and aromatherapy, physiotherapy, and do eucalyptus inhalations. Massage therapy can be ordered for an additional fee.
Photo gallery of the sanatorium “Zaporozhye”:
