Users of proportional pensions can submit a request for the payment of the difference to reach the minimum pension amount in Montenegro next month or later, if they do not gather the necessary documentation by the end of February, the Pension and Disability Insurance Fund (PIO) announced.
“If users of proportional pensions, who are entitled to receive the difference, do not submit their requests with the required documentation by the end of February, they can do so in the following month or later, and the payment of the difference will be made on the first day of the following month after submitting the request,” PIO representatives told the Mina-business agency.
They added that for users of proportional pensions who submit their requests with the required documentation by the end of the month, the payment of the difference will take place starting from March 1, along with the payment of the March pension, which will be made on April 20.
“A new provision of the Law on Pension and Disability Insurance (PIO) stipulates that a pensioner who has acquired the right to a proportional pension with residence in Montenegro is entitled to the difference up to the minimum pension amount, if the pension amount determined by this law and foreign pensions calculated at the applicable exchange rate is less than the minimum pension in Montenegro,” PIO stated.
They also reminded that the provision of the law, which establishes the conditions for the payment of the difference to users of proportional pensions up to the minimum pension amount, came into effect on February 10 and is not time-limited.
The PIO Fund reminded that requests must be submitted to the relevant regional units of the fund and the Department for the Implementation of Foreign Insurance. Users of proportional pensions should submit a copy of their ID card, proof of residence, and a certificate or statement from the foreign pension provider about the last paid pension.
“If the user receives pensions from multiple countries, they must submit a certificate or statement from each of them,” PIO clarified.
Along with the request, users must also submit a copy of the decision on the recognition of pension rights with the foreign pension provider.
“If the user receives a pension from more than one country, they must submit a copy of the decision from each of them,” PIO representatives added.
Additionally, users are required to submit a notarized or court-certified statement in which they commit to reporting any changes in foreign pension amounts if they occur.
“To prevent abuse, users will submit a statement in which they will declare, under full material and criminal responsibility, that they will report changes in foreign pension amounts within 15 days of any change, as well as any changes that affect the entitlement or scope of the benefit,” PIO stated.
They also added that immediately after the changes and amendments to the Law on Pension and Disability Insurance came into effect, the PIO Fund posted all the necessary information regarding the application of the legal provision related to the payment of the difference on its website.
“The PIO Fund has provided all the necessary information regarding the application of this legal solution. If there are any uncertainties, parties can contact the relevant regional units of the Fund and the Department for the Implementation of Foreign Insurance to obtain additional information,” said the PIO Fund.
