Will there be a military pension reform? They are trying to deprive the military of preferential pensions

Rumors that the second pension for military personnel will be canceled from January 1, 2019 arose after the Ministry of Finance carried out an analysis of this benefit. It was decided to freeze the pensions of retired defenders of the homeland until the end of 2018. The measures, according to the Government, are related to the deterioration of the economy due to a new wave of sanctions.

Indexation and receipt of a “second” pension benefit

Military personnel expect indexation of their second pensions at the beginning of 2019. The government has postponed the decision on indexing basic military benefits until the beginning of the second half of the economic half of 2019. It is known that only certain categories of military personnel will be able to receive the second pension benefit.

Many military personnel, after entering civilian life at the age of 45, find employment. A military pensioner participates in the compulsory pension system, transfers contributions to the Pension Fund through the official employer, and therefore has the right to a second pension, in addition to deductions from the Ministry of Defense. This is enshrined in Federal Law No. 400.

Military personnel who fulfill a number of conditions can count on the second benefit.

1. Registration with the Pension Fund of Russia.
2. Availability of insurance experience obtained in official work. From 2019, the mandatory length of service will increase from 9 to 10 years, and by 2024 it will be 15 years. The length of service may be less if the citizen worked in dangerous conditions or in the Far North.
3. Reaching retirement age. The indicator changes taking into account working conditions.
4. Accumulation of individual pension points. In 2019, the minimum will increase from 13.8 to 16.2 points. Until 2025, the required number will be 30 points.

If a citizen receives a disability or long-service allowance from the Ministry of Defense and earns a “civilian” pension, then the amount of financial income will double. Beneficial conditions are provided for military personnel who have been exposed to man-made harmful effects or have become disabled in service. Such people will receive subsidies before the age of 55 and 60.

The procedure for calculating the second pension of a military personnel

The second pension has been accrued since 2015, after the release of the law “On Insurance Pensions”. To calculate the benefit, the formula is used:

The cost of one point in 2018 was 81.49 rubles. The more points accumulated by a former military man, the higher the amount of pension benefits will be. To increase the amount of points, you can extend your insurance period or strive for a salary increase.

The military insurance pension differs from the civilian benefit: it does not include a fixed payment ( 4 982,90 rub.). The system is not entirely fair, since with an equal amount of points, a civilian will receive a larger insurance pension than a former military man due to the presence of a fixed increase.

Despite this, many citizens express dissatisfaction with the double benefits provided to military pensioners. However, it must be remembered that military personnel protected in war and peacetime. In fact, the payment turns out to be small and deserved by length of service and work activity.

What will happen to military pensions from January 1, 2019?

Officials have postponed the resolution of the issue until the beginning of the second half of the economic half of 2019. But it is known that they are planning to change the accrual principle: instead of "length of service" introduce "social package" . This is perceived negatively by citizens. After the introduction of the social package, they promise to pay severance pay to military personnel who retired while young.

Under the current system, a pension is due after 20 years of service. The introduction of a social package will allow those citizens who, due to health or circumstances, were forced to end their military career to receive a pension.

The abolition of pensions threatens that retired military personnel will have to look for civilian work. Adaptation to ordinary life after several years of service is difficult. Citizens will receive a one-time payment, but this will not solve the problem. Some of them will find work at universities and undergo professional retraining.

Long service pensions from January 1, 2019

Officials planned an increase in military pensions based on length of service from 2012 to 2023.

For example, it was planned to increase the pension of a regiment commander to 35,769 rubles, a lieutenant colonel to 24,897 rubles, and a warrant officer to 14,079 rubles. This calculation was made with stable GDP growth.

Now sanctions have come into effect, the cost of energy resources is not growing. According to economists, GDP growth in 2019 will fall short of forecasts and amount to only 1.4%. Foreign investors who want to invest in opening production in Russia do not have the opportunity to do so. Thus, the government loses the opportunity to fulfill promises.

Thus, military personnel will have to be content with the assigned benefit, since workers in other fields will receive a pension only upon reaching a specified age.

What did the president say about military pensions?

Before the elections, the president emphasized that people defending their Motherland should receive special support from the state so as not to need anything. Vladimir Putin spoke about representatives of security forces in general. But, despite the promises, the planned annual indexation of benefits paid to the military was suspended. The basic coefficient, which has been used to calculate pensions since 2017, remains at 72.23%.

Opinion of deputies on payments to military pensioners

The relevant Duma committee responsible for defense actively opposed the freeze. To maintain correct payments, it was necessary to index by 5.2% within the framework of real indicators. Some committee members openly stated that the government completely ignored the decree on increasing payments to military personnel.

But the bill still made it to the Duma. The discussion was active, the project was sent for revision several times. The number of votes required for adoption was reached after 3 readings. The document came into force.

Will the changes affect working military pensioners?

There was no information about changes in tariffs for working military pensioners. Today they receive government benefits and wages. But, according to Dmitry Medvedev, the state will not be able to pay pensions to citizens receiving income. Therefore, working military personnel may soon have to choose either benefits or wages.

What can post-retirement retirees expect?

Benefits will not be canceled for current pensioners; even if the planned law is adopted, it will not affect them. Of course, the state will not deprive citizens who have reached the age of 65 of benefits and then send them to work.

In case of cancellation, all concerns about the employment of former military personnel will be entrusted to the state. There are no jobs available for this category of citizens. The education of most military personnel is specific. At the same time, they lack skills in pedagogy, economics, finance and other areas. Professional retraining and obtaining new education will become very problematic if there is a shortage of places in educational institutions.

Consequences of Government decisions

Reducing the amount of state support for military personnel lowers the authority of the Russian army and reduces the attractiveness of military professions.

Military pensions are paid to employees of the Ministry of Defense, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the FSB and other “siloviki”. If early pensions are cancelled, the proposed “severance” pay may be enough for 1-2 years, but most likely less. During this time, you will have to adapt to life in civilian life and find another job.

The government plans to save about 500-700 billion rubles a year on the reform. What do experts say about innovations?

• According to some experts, the abolition of pensions will not happen, since it is unprofitable for the state, and a crisis will arise in the security forces. Military units, criminal authorities, and employees of the internal affairs department have great weight in the structure and politics of Russia. They will not support the new law.
• A number of experts believe that the wave of talk about the complete abolition of benefits was provoked so that employees would calmly make the decision to “freeze” pensions.

The possible abolition of pensions is a pressing issue.

For example, in India only civil servants receive pensions. In Russia, one should not expect the abolition of military pensions, so the Government proposes to carry out indexation by increasing length of service.

It should also be taken into account that the procedure for calculating the second payment to military pensioners involves excluding the following periods:

• service, work and other periods of work taken into account when determining the amount of a military pension for long service;
• service that occurred before the disability payment was awarded.

Indexation of insurance pension provision

The second pension for the military, like that assigned to ordinary citizens, is subject to the state. The size of the increase is set at the rate of inflation of the previous year in accordance with clause 10, art. 18 law “About insurance pensions”.

In 2019, insurance payments were indexed by 7.05% - this increase exceeds the inflation of the previous year. In addition, the indexation itself has been moved from February 1st to January 1st. The cost of the IPC is currently 87.24 rubles.

A further increase in the second pension for military personnel () may occur in August of this year and it will be associated with an increase for those pensioners who worked last year. The time for such recalculation is August 1. But do not forget that the maximum increase in this case will be limited to three points, expressed in monetary terms.

When should you apply for a civil pension?

Military pensioners can apply for Anytime without any time limit, but not before the emergence of the right at her.

It should be remembered that the right to a second payment arises if all requirements for assigning an insurance pension are met. In 2019 The general requirements are as follows:

• reaching the age of 60.5 years for men and 55.5 years for women;
• the minimum insurance period not taken into account when assigning a military pension must be 10 years;
• the minimum sum of individual points must be 16.2;
• the fact of granting a pension through the law enforcement agencies.

The general procedure for applying for an insurance pension, which is also applicable in this case, involves a written request for payment.

According to paragraph 1, art. 22 Federal Law No. 400 “About insurance pensions” civil payment is assigned from the day you apply for it provided that the right arises by that time.

In order not to miss the appointment of the second pension, documents can be submitted earlier than the date of entitlement to it, but no more than a month before the age of sixty.

Where to apply for a civil pension?

The civil pension should to the territorial administration of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation:

• at the place of registration;
• at the place of residence (in the absence of a place of residence confirmed by registration);
• at the place of actual residence (in the absence of a registered place of residence and place of stay in our country).

An application for a second pension is strictly of an application nature, that is, it must be issued in the form of a written notification.

You can apply in several ways:

• independently or through a legal representative to the client service of the PFR district office;
• through your employer's HR department;
• by sending the necessary documents by mail;
• personally or through a representative by contacting MFC specialists.

In addition, recently it has become increasingly popular new way submission of documents electronic. This can be done using an Internet system such as the Unified Portal of Public Services. This will require preliminary registration in the system, but in the future the ability to use the portal will save wasted effort and time.

What documents are needed to apply for a second pension for a military pensioner?

To apply in writing for a second pension, a military pensioner will need to prepare. The general requirements for them are practically no different from the rules for submitting the necessary papers for an ordinary citizen.

TO mandatory documents when assigning the second payment, the following apply:

1. passport (or other registration document);
2. insurance certificate (SNILS);
3. a document confirming the fact of assignment of a military pension;
4. employment history;
5. certificates of length of service not recorded in the work book before the date of registration (from the employer, and in case of its liquidation from the archive);
6. salary certificate for 60 consecutive months of employment (if there are periods of work before 2002);
7. information about the presence of dependents (children under 18 years of age, and if they are full-time students, this age is extended to 23 years of age).

In addition, due to certain circumstances, military retirees may need to additional documents, For example:

1. documents confirming the change of surname (or other personal data);
2. data on the presence of disability (extract from the expert commission’s conclusion indicating the validity period);
3. preferential clarifying certificates indicating the special nature of the work performed, in the presence of preferential length of service;
4. documents confirming the identity of the legal representative, if the application is submitted through him.

The procedure for receiving a second pension payment for military personnel upon reaching 60 years of age

Delivery the second accrued pension payment to military personnel is carried out according to the general rules for the current month. A military pensioner chooses the method of receiving a pension independently when submitting a written application for appointment.

Among them are the following:

• Russian Post (at the cash desk of the institution itself or received at home);
• bank (at the cash desk of one of the bank branches or making a payment to a bank card)
• an organization engaged in the delivery of pensions (a complete list of such institutions is available from the Pension Fund specialists and is presented to the military pensioner when choosing this method; here you can also arrange a payment at the organization’s cash desk or at home).

It should be remembered that once selected method of obtaining insurance coverage you can always change in case of inconvenience after the expiration of time. To do this, the serviceman will need to re-apply to the PFR district office at the location of his payment file and submit an application to change the delivery method.

Recently, the Government has been increasingly talking about the abolition of pensions for military personnel in 2019. Information about the cancellation began to appear when the NIFI under the Ministry of Finance was given instructions to analyze how the pension is formed and how it is calculated.

At the moment, the key factor for calculating pensions is length of service. The size of the pension will depend on the number of years worked. Now the statements of the Ministry of Finance and the Government of the Russian Federation are used instead of length of service “Social package”. This causes a lot of negativity on the part of citizens and reduces confidence that the state will not abandon its citizens in old age.

Some may think that then the motivation and attractiveness of a military career for young people will decrease. But, on the other hand, with the introduction of social packages, military personnel retiring at a young age will also receive payments - weekend benefits. Currently, a pension is accrued if the length of service is at least 20 years. Or 25 years when the military age is 45. Half of this period should be devoted to the army. If the long-service pension is replaced with a social package - even if you end your career early for any reason (health, family circumstances, and so on), the military man will still receive something.

Will pensions be cancelled?

The main reason for the possible cancellation is the difficult, unstable economic and political situation, due to which the state is abandoning some social programs.

If the pension is nevertheless cancelled, then the military will have no choice: work in civilian life or live on a pension. The payment will be a one-time payment and for further survival, you will still have to look for work. Military personnel will be able to receive free professional retraining opportunities. Some of them go to work in universities and other organizations to pass on their experience to young people. But adapting to civilian life after several years of service is still difficult. And if to this is added the need to work in a completely different field, the serviceman is unlikely to be happy with such changes.

Consequences

Not only the attractiveness of military professions, but also the authority of the Russian army will decrease. Military pensions are received by employees of the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Emergency Situations, FSB and other security forces. If there is any innovation. The post-career payment should provide the military man with a comfortable year or two of life. During this time, he will rest and get used to a “free” life without a military regime.

Savings due to the proposed innovation could amount to 500-700 billion rubles annually. Experts are inclined to believe that the abolition of pensions will not happen. In the Russian government system and politics, the greatest weight is given to military units, criminal enforcement bodies, internal affairs bodies, and so on. They are unlikely to support the new law and it is extremely difficult to resist such a large number of employees. In addition, there will be a personnel crisis in the security sectors.

According to some other experts, talk about cancellation is being inflated on purpose - the freezing of the main part of the pension caused a lot of negativity, information about its cancellation will cause a lot of excitement, and when this does not happen, people will treat the freeze calmly. The hypothesis applies here: to make a person happy, take everything from him. And then return at least a quarter.

The abolition of military pensions will excite everyone, because then it is likely that the pension may be abolished altogether. In many countries, pensions do not exist at all. People work as long as they can. Lump-sum old-age benefits are also not paid in all countries where there is no pension.

Which countries do not have pensions:

• China
• Thailand
• India
• Iraq
• Afghanistan

Latest news on military pensions

The latest news today focuses attention not on cancellation, but on increasing indexation. That is, the amount of the pension paid should increase with inflation. The increase in expenses for essentials should not exceed the increase in pensions. There was also talk about increasing military service from 20 to 25 years.

On the one hand, with an increase in indexation, costs will increase, but with an increase in service life, costs will decrease. If the length of service is a quarter longer than it was before, then the need for new personnel will be reduced by a quarter. This means that the average amount of payments will increase, but the number of payments itself will decrease.

At the same time, the period of 20 years of service will remain for disabled people, for employees who have reached the maximum age for service, as well as in connection with organizational and staffing measures. For now, one can only guess what the pension reform of 2019 will consist of. The forecasts for it are quite contradictory.

What to expect for those who have already retired?

The abolition of military pensions does not pose a threat to current retirees. The proposed new law will not affect them, even if the pension is cancelled. After all, if a pensioner, for example, is already 65 years old, then giving him a lump sum benefit and then sending him to work would be stupid. In case of cancellation, the state will deal with the employment of former military personnel, and no one will employ those who have not worked for a long time and receive a pension. No one will be able to engage in professional retraining or send them to get another education.

Should we expect an increase in military pensions from October 1, 2019? Military pensions in Russia are indexed following the salaries of active military personnel. They are tied to army income using a special reduction factor. October is usually the traditional month when salaries are indexed in the army, so military retirees are naturally interested in whether they will receive an increase in the fall. Should we expect an increase in military pensions from October 1, 2019 in Russia - the latest news about what is happening with the pensions of retired military personnel in our country.

How military pensions depend on salaries in the army

The reform of the army in Russia at one time also affected the provision of military pensioners. Military pensions at that time lagged quite far behind salaries in the army, and a serviceman, upon retirement, experienced a sharp loss in income and standard of living.

The state has set as a goal in reforming military pensions the achievement of complete equality of salaries in the army and pensions for retired military personnel. That is, the task that needed to be solved was that the pension should fully correspond to the salary that a person in the army of the same rank in the same position from which the recipient retired received in the army.

This goal was to be achieved gradually. For this purpose, a special reduction coefficient was introduced, which was supposed to grow every year so that the pension would be closer to salaries in the army by two percentage points every year.

That is, if in one year military retirees received 70 percent of the salary of an active military man, then the next year it should be 72 percent, then 74 percent, etc.

At the same time, military salaries also increased. It turned out that pension payments for retired military personnel, firstly, constituted an ever-increasing percentage of salaries in the army, and secondly, the salaries themselves, as the basis of pensions, grew. Thus, the growth rate of pensions was quite significant.

Unfortunately, quite serious problems with the economy began in Russia, and the growth of pensions stopped.

Thus, in the army, for several years in a row (namely, from 2012 to the end of 2017), salaries did not grow at all. The reduction factor for military pensioners was also frozen. In 2019, this is the same 72.23% of army salaries as before.

Should we expect an increase in military pensions from October 1, 2019?

No, there is no need to expect that military pensions will increase in October 2019 following military salaries. The fact is that there will be no increase in salaries in the army in the fall.

In 2019, military salaries were indexed at an unusual time - in January. Firstly, there was no indexation for military personnel not only in 2017, but also in several previous years - the last revision of the amount of payments took place back in 2012. Secondly, on the eve of the presidential election, the current government had to buy the loyalty of the population. In January, military salaries increased, at the same time civil old-age pensions were indexed ahead of schedule, the price of gasoline was stable, etc.

The indexation of salaries in the army by 4% in January is the only one in 2019. The government, however, introduced similar indexations in the preliminary version of the budget for 2019-2020 in the next two years. And now they will take place in October, as they were used to in the army.

Thus, the next increase in military pensions in Russia will most likely occur only from October 1, 2019, when pensions will increase following military salaries.

There is a small chance that the reduction factor will be revised from the beginning of 2019, and pensions will increase due to this. But such a scenario is unlikely. It is obvious that the problems in the economy are not going away, and the crisis has become stagnant. The budget is set up with a deficit, and the government saves on everything it can, including on pensioners.

Military pensions: the increase for working pensioners will not be so significant

If the pensioner continues to work, then a recalculation of his insurance pension may be due to an increase in the size of the IPC (that is, pension points). Pension points can be increased due to insurance premiums paid for the employee by the employer.

In this regard, from August 1, 2019, working pensioners for whom policyholders (employers) paid insurance premiums in 2017 will receive an increased pension. However, the increase will only affect recipients of old-age and disability insurance pensions.

The territorial body of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation recalculates the old-age insurance pension or disability insurance pension from August 1, 2019, without an application (Clause 3, Part 2, Part 4, Article 18 of Law No. 400-FZ). Thus, working pensioners do not need to contact the Pension Fund and write an application for recalculation, the Ros-Register website reports. If insurance premiums have been paid for a pensioner, his pension will increase automatically. Pensioners should really feel the increase in September 2019.

Latest news on indexation of military pensions from October 1, 2019

We all know that the amount of funding for military pensions changes over time. However, whether there will be changes for the better this year remains to be seen.

Let's look at some factors and see how the situation has changed in 2019, based on the legislation and the intentions of what the President of the Russian Federation said.

In the article we will look at the indexation of military pensions from October 1, 2019 and what else is planned to be added to the system. We will also find out how you can get funds and what unpleasant moments may await the military on the way to receiving money.

Important aspects

What does the pension amount depend on:

If a person has received a degree of disability, then the calculation will be made somewhat differently. Factors that will be taken into account are:

• the amount of money secured by the main document recently;
• fixed reduction factor;
• coefficient depending on the disability group.

What the latest news says

The last time the amount of pensions for military personnel increased was in 2012, as a result of which the prestige of the army increased.

After 6 years, prices increased by 40%, which made the results of the military reform less tangible. Based on this, the issue of indexation is now acute and is already reflected in the adopted budget.

The legislation also establishes an annual 5% indexation of monetary regulations for military personnel and other persons in this area. If the Government of the Russian Federation had implemented these standards by January 1, 2019, then the volume would have increased 5 times from the current indexation. The previous project had a plan for 2018-2020, where indexation was not taken into account. However, this criterion was later changed, as the president said that there was now enough money.

In connection with the presidential decree, this issue was addressed at the beginning of 2019. Indexation of finances has already been implemented for all military personnel, and as a result, the amount of payments for former colleagues has been changed.

In this regard, some changes were made:

• tariff rates for working military personnel;
• money for those transferred to the reserve, as well as military invalids.

Changes in numbers:

What to Expect

In the future, it is planned to increase the amount of payments to military pensioners to the amount of two monthly pensions. This issue is still being discussed by higher authorities.

In addition, they are also thinking about increasing the amount to 2.5 PM if possible. Funding for disabled people who have served is now 16 thousand rubles.

They wanted to carry out indexation every year, depending on the level of inflation. Currently, 2% is added to military payments. However, indexation is still at a standstill due to the country's budget shortage.

The “Effective Army” program is currently being implemented. The main tasks include:

• maximization of beneficial characteristics, cost ratio;
• finding funds to maintain the financial situation of active and retired military personnel.

If we talk specifically about pensions for the military, information regarding the increase in autumn payments has not yet been confirmed.

Despite this, there is already data for subsequent years (2018-2020). The country's budget already includes general indexation of pensions. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov himself commented on this earlier.

Detailed information will be posted later. It has already been said before that pensions will continue to increase by 2% until their value is equal to the amount of military money received. However, this issue is also being processed.
In 2019, persons who receive pension payments can confidently count on receiving 24.5 thousand rubles. In addition, employees can purchase money from a second pension, which is supplied by the Russian Pension Fund.

In order to qualify for funds, you must meet all the requirements:

The change in the amount occurred in February, but inflation rates over the previous year decreased. The Law on the State Budget established serious indicators.

In this regard, indexing this year will be carried out a month earlier than it was established. All people who previously served and who were assigned the security in question will receive it in a larger amount.

All increases in military pensions in 2019

From January 1, 2019, the internal affairs and health insurance of military personnel was increased by 4% (Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1598). Military pension
automatically increased by the same 4% in rubles, according to Article 49 of Federal Law No. 4468-1. But as a percentage of the fully deserved pension, it decreased by 1.11%, because the CC remained the same 72.23%.

From February 1, 2019, the EDV increased by 2.5%. Disabled persons with military injuries, according to Federal Law No. 181. BD veterans, according to Federal Law No. 5. This is paid by the Pension Fund.

From April 1, 2019, the social pension will be increased by 2.9%. Additional payments to the military pension depend on it. BD veterans, in accordance with paragraph (d) of Article 45 of Federal Law No. 4468-1, disabled people with military injuries, in accordance with Article 16 of Federal Law No. 4468-1, persons with dependents and persons specified in Article 17 of Federal Law 4468-1.

From April 1, 2019, compensation for damage to health for disabled people with military injuries (VVZ Art. 13 Federal Law No. 306) will be increased by 4%, according to Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 238. This document states that the amount of this increase will be recalculated from January 1, 2018. and pay the recalculation from April 1, 2018.

Planned indexation in 2019 - 2020

The newspaper "Arguments and Facts" published an interview with Deputy Minister of Defense Tatyana Shevtsova. She says (quote): “From January 1, 2019, salaries of military personnel and pensions of military retirees will increase by 4%. From October 1, 2019 - by another 4%. From October 1, 2020 - for the same amount.

The Ministry of Finance announced its plans regarding what amounts will be allocated for defense over the next three years. So it is planned to spend more than 6 trillion rubles on this. The funds are planned to be spent on the maintenance of the country's Armed Forces; the most important item of expenditure was and remains the payment of allowances for the military. Read on for the latest news regarding the increase in pensions for military pensioners in 2019.

• Difficulties in resolving the issue
• Latest news regarding increased allowances for the military
• What is the size of indexation planned for 2019?
• Who should expect a raise?
• What can military retirees with insurance experience expect?
• Possibility of receiving a second pension
• Finally

Difficulties in resolving the issue

Today, those liable for military service are negative about the new decree of the country's president, according to which benefits for former military personnel will be increased in such a way that pensioners will ultimately receive 2% more than the current inflation rate in the country. And this attitude is completely justified - people believe that the amount is too small.
In 2019, the pension increase is planned at 4%; according to the authorities, this exceeds the current inflation rate. According to the latest news, the forecast is quite optimistic; the budget has already included the amount of indexation that will be carried out in the period from 2019 to 2020.
As Deputy Defense Ministry of the Russian Federation Shevtsova noted,

the next increase will occur on October 1, 2019 and October 1, 2020 - both times by 4%. The insurance pension of those military personnel who have sufficient civilian experience will be indexed in accordance with the general procedure. The last time this happened was on January 1, 2019 in the amount of 3.7%.

As for the increase in length of service that a serviceman requires in order to be able to retire, at the moment analysts believe that this is inevitable. The length of service will definitely be increased from 20 to 25 years, while this bill is just being developed. There has been no official news on this matter, so it is too early to worry.

Having learned that there are no expected increases in pay in 2018, defenders of the Motherland and law enforcement officers on well-deserved retirement decided to find out how military pensions will change from January 1, 2019. But officials, members of the government and others involved in the process showed unanimity and unanimously said that this is not the time for such questions.

Last news

The latest news from the pro-government offices that reached society turned out to be not very pleasant. It was decided to freeze the increase in pensions for retired defenders of the Motherland until the end of this year. Even the Defense Committee of the State Duma could not influence the situation. The government voiced its intentions in firm terms, explaining this move by the complicated economic situation due to additional sanctions. Whether military pensions will rise from January 1, 2019 is also still in question. Officials ask not to ask about this at least until mid-summer, when the economic results of the six months will be summed up.

What should the pension of military personnel be - the president’s opinion

In his election statements, President Vladimir Putin said that people who defend the Motherland should be especially encouraged: “We have no right to forget about the military, rescuers and other representatives of law enforcement agencies who repeatedly risked their lives so that the whole country could live in peace. And even when they retire, we are obliged to provide them with the opportunity not to need anything.”

But, despite such loud statements and promises from the head of state, the government took an unpopular measure and developed a bill to temporarily suspend the planned annual two percent indexation of benefits for the military.

The basic coefficient for calculating pensions also remained unchanged. By the decree that came into force on the first day of 2018, it was fixed at the level of 72.23%, which is also valid in 2017.

How much will a military pensioner receive - what deputies say

The relevant committee responsible for defense in the Duma categorically resisted the freeze on payments. Its representatives reported that for the payment to be correct, it was necessary to recalculate benefits according to real indicators and index them not by 2%, but by 5.2%, but the Cabinet of Ministers remained unconvinced.

Some members of the Duma Defense Committee made a number of loud statements, claiming that the government is brutally ignoring the presidential decree on increasing payments to the military and postponing indexation for the fifth time. But the government ignored this performance and introduced a bill to the State Duma.

Deputies actively discussed the proposed documents and repeatedly sent them for revision. But after the third reading, the required number of votes was gained and the document came into force, completely destroying the military’s hopes of improving living conditions in the near future.

What to expect for working military retirees

Nothing is known yet about changes in tariffs for payment of benefits to working military pensioners. Now there are two options for cash support for them, namely:

• salary at the place of work;
• state pension benefit.

A military retiree must choose for himself which of these two positions he will receive. It is not possible to use both amounts at the same time. According to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, the state is simply unable to support people who are still able to provide for themselves.

Will the military pension be increased from January 1, 2019 and by how much?

There is no clear answer to the question whether the level of pensions for the military will change from January 1 next year. The government is persistently trying to reassure citizens with good prospects for the future and the imminent stabilization of the situation in the main sectors of budget-generating industries. Additionally, officials invite retired security officials to familiarize themselves with the table below.

It details the planned growth in long-service payments for military personnel for the period from 2012 to 2023. True, the figures indicated there do not look optimistic enough. The calculation was made at a time of strong GDP growth, with the high cost of energy resources and the presence of a whole host of foreign investors who wanted to start a business in the Russian expanses.

Now a set of sanctions has been imposed on the Russian Federation, oil and gas prices are not rising, and foreigners who want to promote their own production in promising federal districts do not have the physical opportunity to do so.

These components seriously complicate the lives of government officials at the highest level, almost completely depriving them of the opportunity not only to make new promises, but also to fulfill old ones. As a result, the military has to be content with what they are already paid, motivating themselves with the thought that other old people do not even have this.