When Can a Citizen's Pension Payments Be Suspended and In What Cases Are They Resumed?

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs informs that a citizen's pension payments can be suspended in cases defined by law, which are presented below:

• The pension payment can be suspended if receiving it in a non-cash manner and the citizen has not signed a declaration of their presence in Armenia. (It should be noted that a pensioner receiving their pension in a non-cash manner is obligated to present themselves to the bank or the National Operator at least once a year to sign a declaration of their presence in Armenia, no later than the last working day of the twelfth month following the month they were last present.)
• If receiving the pension in cash, it can be suspended after the pensioner has not received any payments for twelve consecutive months.
• If the pension is received via a power of attorney, payments can be suspended upon expiration of the power of attorney or if the pension has been paid via power of attorney for twelve consecutive months or the twelfth month following the date of granting the power of attorney.
• If the pension is paid to the legal representative of a minor or a ward (parent, guardian), payments can be suspended if the pensioner has been absent from Armenia for twelve consecutive months.

Suspended pension payments can be resumed in the following cases:

• If the pension payment was suspended due to not signing a declaration of presence in Armenia, the concerned individual must visit a bank or the National Operator within twelve months from the date of the suspension and sign the declaration. If more than twelve months have passed since the suspension, it is necessary to personally apply to any territorial center of the Unified Social Service.
• If the pension was received in cash and was suspended due to not receiving payments for twelve consecutive months, a personal visit to any territorial center of the Unified Social Service is required.
• If the pension was paid via power of attorney, it should be noted that pension payments via power of attorney do not resume unless the pensioner is in a correctional institution, a mental health facility, or studying at a military educational institution. To resume pension payments, it is necessary to personally visit any territorial center of the Unified Social Service.
• If the pension was paid to the legal representative of a pensioner who is a minor or a ward, and the payments were suspended due to the pensioner being absent from Armenia for twelve consecutive months, then the legal representative must personally visit any territorial center of the Unified Social Service, provided that the pensioner is present in Armenia.