Social protection of the elderly in Pridnestrovie

The history of the holiday

Every year on October 1, we celebrate the International Day of Older Persons that was proclaimed in 1990 at the 45th session of the UN General Assembly. Researchers who have dealt with the aging of the world's population and studied the impact of older people on the economy have thought about creating a holiday for the elderly for the first time.

The very date of the day of the elderly person was not chosen by chance. After all, poets and writers have always sang autumn as a golden time, old age is also called a golden time.

In 1991, the UN General Assembly defined a set of principles that are designed to make the life of the elderly full-blooded. The International Plan of Action on Aging was also adopted. The main purpose of this document is to provide the elderly with guarantees of economic and social security.

The older generation began to be honored in 1992 - after the appearance of the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Coundil of the Russian Federation "On the problems of older people" in Pridnestrovie, as well as in the Russian Federation.

Social protection of the elderly in Pridnestrovie

Support for the elderly is one of the priority areas of the state's social policy in Pridnestrovie. The economy of the republic is constantly in a difficult situation. The state is trying to support the elderly Pridnestrovians. The Supreme Council of the PMR responds promptly to appeals, makes amendments and additions to laws.

Deputies of the Supreme Council of the VI convocation have developed and adopted dozens of amendments and additions to laws, which are designed to facilitate and improve the life of the elderly Pridnestrovians for five years. They relate to economic support, social assistance, and medical care.

The Supreme Council introduced amendments to the law on pension provision of citizens in 2016. They gave the right to pensioners who moved to permanent residence in the PMR to receive pensions at the place of residence on the basis of the relevant documents.

Combatants in the Great Patriotic War and their spouses in 2017 were completely exempted from paying utility bills within the established social norms, and for other family members of the combatant living with him, a 75% discount was provided on utility bills. These changes were made to the law "On social security for veterans and persons of retirement age".

Law-in-draft was also passed that established for all lonely pensioners a 100% discount on the payment of 1000 cubic meters of natural gas per year (167 cubic meters per month), which is used to heat a house or apartment.

Pridnestrovian pensioners and elderly people enjoy benefits in paying for utilities and travel in public transport; there is a program for preferential dental prosthetics. The banks of Pridnestrovie have developed special projects for pensioners who can receive pensions by bank transfer. There is a choice, they can still receive cash retirement benefits at home.

The state supported the citizens of the older generation during the period of the state of emergency and quarantine, when most state and municipal organizations worked in the remote mode, and the elderly were advised not to visit public places for health reasons. A number of norms for registration of pensions developed in a short time and adopted by the Supreme Council in the law "On measures of state support in connection with the introduction of a state of emergency and (or) restrictive measures (quarantine) aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus infection caused by a new type of COVID-19 virus in 2020" determined:

- the procedure for assigning a pension, the right to which came during the period of the state of emergency, was determined;

- the period of payments of previously assigned pensions, benefits, compensations and other payments, issued upon registration at the place of residence or at the place of stay, which expired during the period of the state of emergency, was extended;

- the term for re-registration of citizens entitled to the appointment and payment of monthly child benefits extended;

- banks with state participation - residents can provide interest-free loans to individuals - residents of the PMR, who are pensioners receiving a pension under the state pension provision of the Russian Federation;

- the term of powers of attorney issued for receiving a pension has been extended, the term for accepting an inheritance has been extended, if the expiry date of the power of attorney, the term for accepting the inheritance occurs during the period of the state of emergency.

In 2019, despite the difficulties with filling the republican budget and the budget of the Unified Social Insurance Fund, the pension allowance for citizens of Pridnestrovie was increased by 7%. More than 100 thousand people receive pensions from the state budget in the republic. 2020 became economically unstable for a number of reasons: an unprecedented drought and a pandemic, which had to be spent heavily to combat. Deputies of the PMR Supreme Council consider that in the law on the budget for 2021 it is imperative to find an opportunity to increase pensions and adopt appropriate norms.

Every year, a large amount of funding is allocated to the republican budget for the provision of high-tech medical care outside the state to citizens of the PMR, including the elderly. Since 2019, treatment of cardiovascular pathology - acute coronary syndrome has been added to this list. 300 people were sent outside the PMR for the treatment of this pathology over the past year.

Among the new initiatives there is provision by the state of wheelchairs and other assistive devices not only for disabled people, but also for elderly Pridnestrovians, as well as the opportunity to conclude a special agreement with social workers. In the document, according to the law-in-draft, an elderly person in need of care can indicate the type, mechanism of assistance and its frequency. Such a rule will help to prescribe in detail the rights and obligations of the parties and at the same time to legally protect them.