Austria demands Ukrainian pensioners return hundreds of thousands of euros in social assistance

Austria is demanding that Ukrainian pensioners who received refugee status return the hundreds of thousands of euros in social assistance paid to them.

This is reported by the local newspaper Kronen Zeitung.

The obligation to return money received from the Austrian state is being imposed on persons who did not declare the pension they receive from Ukraine when applying for basic assistance for refugees, Grundversorgung.

At the end of September, the Provincial Administrative Court of Lower Austria ruled that a Ukrainian pension counts as income and must be taken into account when granting assistance. If it turns out that a person was simultaneously receiving a pension and social payments, the authorities may demand the overpayment be returned.

The total amount of the clawback claims already stands at no less than 445,000 euros.

Austria’s social services are urging Ukrainians to report any income from abroad on their own initiative. Those who have already received a demand to return the money are advised to seek legal help — in some cases it is possible to obtain installment payments or an exemption from returning the money if there is a risk of falling below the poverty line.

We previously reported on double taxes for refugees stipulated in new draft laws. In Germany, the rules for payments to the unemployed and refugees have changed — “Strana” listed what you need to know.