How to Confirm Employment Record for a Pension if Your Employment Record Book Was Lost During the War

Due to the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine, the process of applying for a pension has become significantly more complicated. This is partly because Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory have damaged or completely destroyed the premises of companies and institutions where employees’ records were stored. As a result, prospective pensioners may be unable to confirm their employment history and may face difficulties obtaining a pension because the original employment record book or other supporting documents have been lost or destroyed.

Viktoriia Karapetian faced a similar situation. Due to the hostilities in Ukraine, the original of her employment record book was lost. Pursuant to an order issued by her employer, a duplicate employment record book was prepared. All employment entries were restored on the basis of Viktoriia Karapetian’s personnel records.

However, the Pension Fund refused to include the periods of employment recorded in the duplicate employment record book in her insurance record. The Pension Fund justified its refusal by stating that the duplicate had been issued in 2023, while the employment entries dated back to 1979.

The lawyers of the Pension Center sent formal attorney requests to all of Viktoriia Karapetian’s former employers in order to obtain certificates confirming the relevant periods of employment. They also challenged the Pension Fund’s refusal to grant her a pension in court.

The court agreed with the arguments presented by our lawyers and ordered the Pension Fund to include all disputed periods of employment in Viktoriia Karapetian’s insurance record and reconsider her application for a pension. As a result, she was granted a pension from the date of her original application, taking into account the periods of employment specified in the court judgment.