A drastic cap on the number of unpaid pensions, government announcements to zero applications for a basic pension by the end of 2022, as well as new procedures for issuing accelerated pensions as well as trust pensions are part of a bold plan by the leadership of the Ministry of Labor and EFKA aimed at solving the problem that has plagued the Greek society for many years. But they are also causing uncertainty and anxiety for those on hold, as well as new retirees, as the number of cases increases – reports of both errors in new pensions and pension claims that were not processed even though they were filed. even before 2019. The Ministry of Labor emphasizes that since 2021, there are about 9,500 “problem cases” in the field of applying for a basic pension. Of these, 270 are with objections and legal issues, 730 are without a medical opinion, 600 are with over-debt limits, and 7,900 are not establishing pension eligibility based on EFKA’s computerized data. As for the errors, he clarifies that the discrepancies in the amounts were even before the accelerated pension, he agrees with the discrepancy of 20% and notes that, as always in such cases, they are issued with reservations. In cases where the deviations are large, the employees inspect them as a matter of priority and eliminate them in a short time. The rest of the cases will be dealt with gradually in the coming months.

K, with the help of well-known pension and insurance lawyer Dimitris Burlow, today presents a mini guide on what to do for future and current retirees who are worried about their pension.

According to the Ministry of Labor, starting from 2021, there are about 9,500 “problem cases” waiting to receive the basic pension.

The first such large group of insured people are those who applied for a pension before 2022, even as early as 2019, and have not yet made a decision. These are mainly cases of successive insurance, mainly in the state and OAEE or ETAA (doctors, engineers, lawyers) or in the state and IKA, or also in IKA and one of the self-employed funds, but also in some cases for which recognition is requested fictitious years. For all of them, it is emphasized that they should not worry about falling under the category of “inflexible”, i.e. applications that will eventually be rejected by EFKA. They must first inquire about the progress of their application at 1555, and if there is no timely or satisfactory response, they must make an electronic appointment and be informed by the appropriate department of the progress of their application.

Another large group of concerned pensioners are those who received a pension in recent months, as the number of cases for which the total insurance period is not calculated is growing. In particular, in cases of successive insurance, the time of insurance of the remaining funds was not calculated. Errors and omissions were revealed in the recognition of fictitious years, such as days of military service, days of regular unemployment, ransom in connection with studies, children or passes. These are pensions issued under the accelerated process (new applications) or under the “trust pension” process (old pensions). In fact, the new regulations indicate that there is a reservation for their future revision. If there is an indication that not all insurance years have been calculated, or the time declared by the insured himself has not been included, he must file an objection. In fact, it is emphasized that the reasons are of a formal nature, since the ministry declares in all tones that all cases submitted with reservations will be considered.

Training

In order to prevent a new backlog from forming in the near future, insured persons must take three steps when they are immediately before establishing pension rights: The first and most basic is to request a pre-pension decision for the insurance period from EFKA. They must do this two years before establishing their right, as its issuance is significantly delayed. Secondly, if they have insurance in the self-employment or self-employment fund (formerly OAEE or ETAA), ask for a certificate of their insurance record, because this will also check whether they have debts or not. And the third step is to apply for the recognition of fictitious years earlier than the application for a pension (although you can apply at the same time), since in this way fictitious years will be recognized first, and then a decision will be made.