Preferential Pension for Healthcare Professionals in Ukraine
Under Ukrainian legislation, an old-age pension on preferential terms is granted to employees engaged in work involving particularly harmful and difficult working conditions covered by List No. 1 or List No. 2. Healthcare professionals may qualify for a preferential pension if they worked in relevant positions and specialties specified by Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 909 dated 4 November 1993 “On the List of Educational, Healthcare and Social Protection Institutions and Establishments”.
It should be noted that the form of ownership of the healthcare institution where the medical professional worked — whether public or private — does not matter, nor does the duration of their working day. A preferential pension for healthcare professionals may be granted provided that the person has the required length of service in the medical field and has reached the applicable retirement age stipulated by the Final Provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On Compulsory State Pension Insurance”.
For a pension under List No. 1, the required insurance record for male healthcare professionals is 25 years, of which at least 10 years must have been spent working under particularly harmful and particularly difficult working conditions. For women, the required insurance record is 20 years, of which at least 7.5 years must have been spent in comparable harmful working conditions. If these requirements are met, healthcare professionals may qualify for a preferential pension from the age of 50.
A pension for healthcare professionals under List No. 2, applicable to persons employed full-time in other jobs involving harmful and difficult working conditions, provides the right to retire at the age of 55. Men must have at least 30 years of insurance record, including at least 12.5 years in the relevant jobs, while women must have at least 25 years of insurance record, including at least 10 years in the relevant jobs.
Every healthcare professional seeking a pension should know how to apply for a preferential pension and which documents must be submitted to the Pension Fund of Ukraine. The standard documents required for a preferential pension for healthcare professionals include:
- an application for the granting of a pension;
- passport;
- tax identification number;
- employment record book;
- diploma.
The primary document confirming the length of employment is the employment record book. However, it should be remembered that if the employment record book contains errors or deficiencies, the Pension Fund of Ukraine may require additional documents confirming preferential service in the healthcare sector. These most commonly include archival certificates confirming employment and salary in healthcare institutions, certificates concerning working conditions, documents on workplace certification for healthcare professionals, and other relevant records.
Court practice concerning pensions for healthcare professionals demonstrates that even in the absence of an employment record book or some of its entries, a healthcare professional’s pension, including a nurse’s pension, may be granted on the basis of alternative evidence.
For example, case No. 200/31/25 concerned the inclusion of periods of employment in the insurance record of a nurse whose employment record book had been destroyed in a fire during hostilities, leaving only a copy. Despite the submission of all available documents confirming her employment record, including her military and trade union membership cards, the Pension Fund refused to grant her pension due to an allegedly insufficient employment record.
Having examined the case materials and the reasoned arguments of the parties, the Donetsk District Administrative Court, in its decision dated 7 March 2025 in case No. 200/31/25, ordered the Pension Fund to reconsider the application and include in the employment record all available periods reflected in the claimant’s employment record book.
Therefore, refusals to grant preferential pensions to healthcare professionals are not uncommon, but such a refusal does not necessarily mean that the right to a pension has been lost. If you encounter difficulties in obtaining a preferential pension due to work under harmful conditions in the healthcare sector, the Pension Center is ready to provide qualified legal assistance. We will help confirm the preferential service record of healthcare professionals, prepare the necessary documents for submission to the Pension Fund and, in the event of a refusal, provide professional legal representation in court proceedings.
We strive to ensure that every healthcare professional who has worked under difficult and harmful conditions receives proper recognition for their work. Our goal is to make the process of obtaining a preferential pension as straightforward and effective as possible, because healthcare professionals should be able to exercise their pension rights without unnecessary obstacles.
