The Russian Pension Fund has extended a number of temporary measures in the assignment of pensions enacted in April-June due to the complicated epidemiological situation. The PFR will continue the online assignment of certain types of pensions and allowances, the provision of necessary information, the proactive extension and update of benefits assigned earlier through July.
Online assignment of pension via personal account
Nowadays, most pensions are assigned on the basis of online applications filed via the personal account section on the Russian Pension Fund website es.pfrf.ru and the Public Services Portal. The share of such applications currently exceeds 70%. In most cases, pensions are assigned completely in the online mode with the consent of the applicant on the basis of information supplied by employers to the Pension Fund’s information system.
The information about pre-retirees’ employment record, salary and non-insured periods, which are also taken into account in the assignment of pensions, appears on their personal accounts thanks to the proactive work of Pension Fund territorial bodies. As a result, most pensions were assigned online from April till July and did not require visiting a PFR client service.
Pension assignment by phone
Whenever a person is unable to file for the assignment of pension online, PFR territorial bodies use contact information to make a phone call and to receive consent with the assignment of pension, which is registered in a special act. This document is used as a basis for the assignment of pension and the launch of the assignment process.
Notably, Pension Fund specialists never ask for personal data, SNILS, bank card number or PIN code, as well as the account password. Whenever such information is requested in a phone call, this is a fraudulent call. The Pension Fund strongly advises that suspicious calls or letters be distrusted and such communication be stopped immediately.
Assistance in information collection and automatic benefit update
Territorial bodies of the Pension Fund always assist citizens in collecting information necessary for the assignment of pension, including the provision of documents that a person is compelled to present personally in accordance with the law.
Whenever responses to PFR requests for information are either late or are not sent by employers, archives and other organizations, the Fund’s territorial bodies rely on the available information and use it to assign the payments with the applicant’s consent.
If additional information essential for pension entitlements is received, the pension is automatically updated for all previous months without an additional application being filed by the pensioner.
Pro-active raise of payments to pensioners older than 80
As known, pensioners older than 80 are entitled to a higher fixed rate included in the old-age insurance pension. This year, the rate stands at 11 372.5 rubles. In the period from April till late July, PFR territorial bodies pro-actively identified recipients of survivor pensions older than 80 to automatically assign an old-age pension with a higher fixed rate. The decision requires the pension’s consent received remotely.
Assignment and extension of disability pensions
All types of disability pensions and some social benefits are assigned by the Pension Fund on the basis of information from the Federal Register of Disabled Persons. A disabled person just needs to file an application with the PFR, and the Fund will obtain the rest of information from the register. A disabled person can file the application online to avoid in-person appearance in the pension assignment process.
Besides, in the period from March 1 till October 1, 2020, there is a temporary procedure for the attestation of disability, according to which the procedure is based exclusively on documents from medical institutions, and the disabled person does not need to visit medical-social examination bureaus.
The extension of disability is also done remotely. Upon the expiration of period of the attested disability, it is automatically extended for six months, same as the entitlement to pension and other benefits.
Extension of survivor pension entitlement
Survivor pension recipients do not need to apply to the Pension Fund upon reaching the age of 18 to attest the fact of their studies and to extend the pension entitlement. They are deemed to be studying by default till the end of July. The same procedure is used to extend the entitlement to a higher fixed rate of the pension for those who provide for students receiving the survivor pension.
PFR territorial bodies rely on information from educational establishments and employers in their decision to extend the payment of pensions to students and higher pensions to their family members and guardians.
Assignment of higher pensions to north residents
All pensioners residing in northern areas receive a higher fixed rate of the insurance pension. Its amount depends on the place of residence, and the pension is assigned on the basis of residence registration documents. The actual place of residence is confirmed by the personal application of the pensioner that needs to be presented to the Pension Fund once a year in order to confirm the entitlement.
Till the end of July, the applications do not need to be filed with PFR territorial bodies, considering that the place of residence will be verified by Fund specialists through interagency cooperation with the Interior Ministry, employer information or in phone calls with the relevant pensioners.
Extension of pension entitlement by power of attorney
The law compels the pensioner who tasks another person with receiving one’s pension by the power of attorney must visit a client service of the Pension Fund or the delivering organization once a year in order to confirm the receipt of the pension. The requirement is suspended till the end of July, and the reception of pension is implied by default, which means that the payment of pension by the power of attorney continues after the expiry of the payment period.
Extension of payments to pensioners without residence registration
Pensioners who have no permanent place of residence in Russia receive social pension. By law, it is assigned on the basis of a personal application from the pensioner confirming the actual place of residence. Once the pension is assigned, the application must be filed once a year in order not to lose the entitlement. The confirmation of the place of residence is suspended till the end of July, and pensioners do not need to file their applications with the PFR in order to continue to receive their pensions.
Extension of monthly payments from maternity capital
Families receiving monthly payments from maternity capital will not need to apply to the Pension Fund in the coming months to confirm their income and, therefore the entitlement to this benefit. If the payment period expires on October 1, the provision of funds will be extended automatically.