Jewish victims of Nazism living in the United States have until Nov. 30 to file for West German social security benefits, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany announced today in a “reminder” statement issued here. The Conference stressed that all applications for benefits must be submitted to the Bundesversicherungsanstalt Fuer Angestellte, Ruhrst 2, 1000 Berlin 31, “before the firm deadline of November 30, 1980.”
An agreement recently concluded between the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany provides for German social security benefits to certain U.S. citizens who were residents or employed in Germany. “The basic purpose of the agreement is to give former employes in either country a transferable credit for the social insurance contributions made in either Germany or the U.S.,” the Conference said.
The new agreement also “makes it possible for those whose employment in Germany was interrupted as a result of Nazi persecution to obtain old-age, widow or disability pensions, providing criteria of eligibility are met and certain retroactive payments are made,” the Conference reported.
Former German residents who made no prior payments into the German social insurance system because they were self-employed lawyers, physicians or housewives, may also qualify. Those whose education and potential employment was interrupted because of persecution may be entitled to “buy into” the German system, the Conference said. “It should also be noted that persons from the so-called ‘expulsion areas’ (Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Rumania, Yugoslavia, Poland, etc.) may be eligible if they belonged to the German ethnic group, ” according to the Conference. “Free monthly credits may be granted to certain applicants depending upon age and former employment, and certain rejected claims may be reopened.”
The rules governing eligibility and the amounts to be paid, as well as the size of the persons, are regulated by German laws, including a Law for the Reform of the Pension System, Law to Regulate Workers Social Insurance, and Law for Payments to Victims of National Socialist injustice, the Conference said. The requirements and computations of optional payments and benefits are highly technical and vary with each case. The Conference urged potential applicants to consult a qualified specialist dealing with German social insurance laws or claims of victims of Nazi persecution.
For further clarification the Conference suggested communication with:
The United Restitution Organization 570 Seventh Avenue New York, N.Y. 10018
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
