Case: Appealed the Pension Fund’s refusal to grant an old-age pension with the inclusion of work experience

Client: Female pensioner, 60 years old

Region: Kyiv

Case (problem): her pension application was denied due to a lack of 30 years of work experience, and the Pension Fund (PFU) noted a discrepancy between her permanent residence permit and other documents provided.

Desired outcome: recognition of work experience acquired in belarus and assignment of an old-age pension.

Responsible lawyer: Liubomyr Kozhukhov

A pensioner contacted “Prikhodko&Partners” Law Firm, whose pension application had been denied due to a lack of 32 years of service.

The pension denial indicated that the Pension Fund of Ukraine (PFU) had not counted her work and insurance experience, as the Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Belarus on Guarantees of Citizens’ Rights in the Field of Pension Provision, concluded on December 14, 1995, had terminated for Ukraine on December 23, 2023. Therefore, the PFU refused to count the work experience acquired in belarus.

During the consultation, the lawyer provided clarifications citing legislative provisions and the Supreme Court’s case law, which determined that the termination of the Agreement does not apply to periods of the plaintiff’s employment that occurred during the Agreement’s term.

Since the Pension Fund of Ukraine (PFU) had unlawfully failed to recognize her work and insurance experience and therefore denied her an old-age pension, it was proposed that the issue of both the recognition of her work experience and the pension be resolved in court.

“Prikhodko&Partners” Law Firm and the pensioner entered into an agreement to provide legal assistance in the legal proceedings to recognize her work experience and assign her an old-age pension.

We prepared and filed a statement of claim with the court.

By the decision of the Dnipropetrovsk District Administrative Court dated July 28, 2025, in case № 160/12652/25, the claim was satisfied, the court:

1. the court found unlawful and overturned the decision of the Main Directorate of the Pension Fund of Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast dated April 8, 2025, № 262540018813, which denied the pensioner an old-age pension.
2. it ordered the Main Directorate of the Pension Fund of Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to include periods of work in belarus in the pensioner’s insurance record and to re-examine the pensioner’s application for an old-age pension dated April 1, 2025, taking into account the court’s findings set out in this decision. It also ordered the decision to be made in accordance with legal requirements.

After the court’s decision entered into legal force, the LF filed a request for the Pension Fund’s (PFU) agency to comply with the court’s decision.

In response to the request, the PFU agency provided a letter of voluntary compliance with the court’s decision, stating that the Client had been assigned a pension effective April 1, 2025.

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