The Office of Veterans and Victims of Oppression (known by the Polish acronym “UdSKiOR”) offers financial assistance to Polish pension beneficiaries apart from the quarterly payment. While there are eligibility requirements, UdSKiOR does not hold to them strictly, and adopts a holistic approach, taking in to account such factors as living situation (alone or with family), health condition, medications needed, age, etc.
Please see the FAQs below.
One must first be a recipient of the Polish pension. Then, one must demonstrate true financial need, demonstrated by burdensome medical, cost-of-living or emergency expenses. The applicant does not have to be impoverished but must show that the expenses cause hardship and that he or she has limited financial and social support to assist in meeting them.
The current income limits as of this writing are:
- An applicant living alone does not have income higher than 5,737.62 zloty* (approximately $1,593 USD) per month.
- An applicant living with family members does not have income higher than 4,352.68 zloty* (approx. $1,208 USD) per month.
*To determine this amount in another currency or on another date, you may use our currency converter here.
As of the date of this writing, the maximum amount is 2,967.74 zloty, which as of this writing is approximately $825 USD. See our currency calculator to convert this amount in zloty into a different currency or to find out how much it is as of today’s date.
A Polish pension beneficiary can apply twice per calendar year.
The applicant needs to complete a form and submit the following documents:
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- proof of expenses (e.g., utilities, rent or mortgage payments, phone or internet, medical or prescription costs, etc.)
- proof of income (e.g., Social Security if in the US, other reparations, retirement benefits, interest from investments, etc.)
- a letter from a healthcare provider attesting to his or her medical issues
The form is here. Once completed, you can send the form and the accompanying documents mentioned above to us at contact@polishpensionhelp.org. We will have the documents annotated in Polish and then will send them to UdSKiOR.
A decision should be made in 2-3 months.
Yes. Please see the accompanying case study of an approved applicant. The client’s name has been redacted.
If approved, UdSKiOR will send a bank form to complete and return to them. The money will be sent via wire transfer to your account.
No. Only Polish pension beneficiaries can apply for financial assistance, and any payments will be sent to the beneficiaries’ bank account.
Updated April 21, 2026