Half of pensioners received lower pensions in January than in December. This was announced in the parliament by the manager of the National Social Security Institute Ivaylo Ivanov.

People with disability pensions received about 50 stotinki (cents) less, and people with a social old-age pension, which was increased to BGN 170, received BGN 30 less.

The difference in pensions was due to the halving of the covid supplement on the one hand and the recalculation of pensions, which was not enough to guarantee the amount people received in December.

A mechanism to compensate the affected 1 million people is expected to be discussed in the Social Parliamentary Committee.

"The covid supplement is something completely different and it is a different kind of support, it has nothing to do with the pension system. What the National Assembly adopted was to multiply the length of service by 1.35 - each year of actual length of service, so in practice, it does not compensate the other. You know that this was adopted immediately, after which the parliament was dissolved and then, for example, some things could not be taken into account, such as which is 85%, a decree on the old-age pension had not yet been issued - these are all acts, which were then adopted," said NSSI Director Ivaylo Ivanov.

People will receive compensation for January with their pensions for February.

About BGN 17 million will be needed for compensations, it became clear from the words of the NSSI director.

GERB and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms suggested that in order to avoid such misunderstandings among pensioners, this covid supplement should not be paid by the National Social Security Institute, but should be transferred to the Social Assistance Agency.

/BNT