So far, only around 550 people with lost claims from the GDR era have received money from the hardship fund for needy pensioners. However, around 2,800 applications were rejected. Both figures are as of the end of February. In total, tens of thousands of applications were submitted.
This emerges from the federal government’s response to a query from left-wing MP Sören Pellmann, which was submitted to the German Press Agency. The Leipzig resident was sharply critical. In his view, up to 500,000 former GDR citizens would have to be compensated.
The fund with 500 million euros was set up for three different groups: late repatriates, so-called Jewish quota refugees from the former Soviet Union and people with certain pension entitlements from the GDR era who were not taken over into the Federal German system in 1991. This refers to additional pensions, for example for former employees of the Reichsbahn or Post, as well as claims from women who were divorced during the GDR era.
167,000 applications in total
One-off payments of 2,500 euros or 5,000 euros are possible in federal states that participate in the fund. However, the prerequisite is need, i.e. a pension close to basic security. Only a few seem to meet the conditions.
According to figures from the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, 167,256 applications were received. A total of 33,198 came from the eastern federal states of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. By February 23, 3,364 applications from the “East-West pension transfer” group had been decided, it said. These include 552 acceptances and 2,812 rejections because requirements were not met.
At the start of the fund in 2023, the federal government assumed that there would be 180,000 to 190,000 people with legitimate claims, including 50,000 to 70,000 East German pensioners. At the end of January, the ministry announced that a total of 13,483 applications had been approved by then. The majority of successful applicants apparently came from the groups of late repatriates and quota refugees.
Pellmann: “Criteria must be relaxed”
Pellmann, recently chairman of the Left Bundestag group, called the hardship fund a mockery. “He is letting down many East German pensioners who have worked in the GDR for decades and now have to make do with a low pension. The criteria for approval must be relaxed so that the failed hardship fund can finally be turned into a justice fund.” He accused the federal government of having no interest in compensating for injustices arising from the pension transfer between East and West. “It is delaying and refusing to solve this problem that has existed for 30 years,” criticized Pellmann.
