The Social Fund and Rossotrudnichestvo have signed an agreement to provide support for Russian nationals abroad when it comes to pension and social welfare issues. Sergey Chirkov, Chairman of the Social Fund and Head of Rossotrudnichestvo Igor Chaika put their signatures under the Agreement.
The parties agreed to extend a systemic joint outreach effort pertaining to the pension and welfare procedures and conditions. The relevant information will be forwarded to individuals of retirement and pre-retirement age, as well as those entitled to welfare benefits.
Rossotrudnichestvo platforms, online resources, partner entities and the 'Rodina Card' service will be used as channels for that outreach.
Providing advice to citizens is a key focus of the project. The Social Fund staff will be able to do that at Rossotrudnichestvo offices, both in person and remotely, over video calls, for instance.
According to Sergey Chirkov, Chairman of the Social Fund of Russia, accessibility of social welfare today depends not only on legislation, but on how quickly and readily the required information and advice is provided.
"Our goal is to ensure that a person abroad does not feel disconnected from the social welfare system, so that they have a clear understanding where they should apply and who is going to help them if they face any issues," he said.
Mr. Chirkov also pointed out that not only will the Fund answer any requests that may arise, but proactively reach our compatriots abroad, including setting up meetings, round tables, webinars to preventively solve the most topical issues. That would help make pension and welfare support more accessible for Russian citizens residing abroad and provide them with clear and convenient channels for receiving advice and up-to-date information.
Head of Rossotrudnichestvo Igor Chaika, in turn, said that his Agency maintains their efforts to improve the quality of their services abroad.
"Russian Houses abroad are becoming spaces where social issues are solved. It is vital for our compatriots residing abroad to maintain ties with their Motherland and have guarantees that their rights to pensions and social benefits are protected just the same as inside Russia," Igor Chaika said.
"That is how, together with Rossotrudnichestvo, we are now building a transparent and convenient system for public outreach and advice, so that Russians abroad are not left to face pensions and social welfare issues alone. This 'information bridge' with our compatriots abroad will be, among other things, a feedback channel for us. We are creating interdepartmental task forces to coordinate that effort and help resolve any emerging issues quickly and with the individual's interest in mind," Mr. Chirkov said.