Armenia is considering stricter eligibility requirements for special pensions granted to certain public officials, including the introduction of an age threshold for some future beneficiaries.
According to Iravaban.net, the changes are included in a draft amendment to the law regulating the activities, services and social guarantees of public officials. The Armenian government has approved the draft, which is to be submitted to the National Assembly.
What Does the Current Law Provide?
Under the current rules, certain former prosecutors, officials holding autonomous positions in the Anti-Corruption Committee and Investigative Committee, as well as officials of the Foreign Intelligence Service, may qualify for a special pension if they have accumulated at least 20 calendar years of professional service by the time they leave office.
The relevant provisions currently do not establish an age requirement. As a result, a person who entered the system at a relatively young age could potentially qualify for a pension while still of working age.
What Would Change From 2027?
Under the proposed amendments, the 20-year service requirement would be supplemented by a new condition.
To retain eligibility under the existing route without an age requirement, at least five calendar years of the required professional service must have been accumulated before January 1, 2027.
Those who have accumulated fewer than five years by that date would have to satisfy two conditions:
have at least 20 calendar years of qualifying professional service;
be at least 60 years old when applying for the pension.
In practice, this means the 60-year threshold would generally apply to people entering the relevant system after the cutoff or those who have not accumulated five qualifying years by January 1, 2027.
Pension Calculation Would Also Change
The draft also proposes changes to how these pensions are calculated.
Under the current rules, pensions for this group are generally calculated at 50% of the combined amount of the salary rate for the person’s last position and the applicable supplement, subject to statutory limits.
Under the proposed changes, if the supplement exceeds 30% of the official salary rate, only an amount up to that 30% threshold would be taken into account when calculating the pension.
Some Provisions Would Expand Eligibility
The draft also contains provisions that could benefit certain groups.
Changes to the relevant annex would replace separate references to the Prosecutor of Yerevan, regional prosecutors and military prosecutors of garrisons with the broader designation of “prosecutor.”
According to the explanation cited by Iravaban.net, this would extend eligibility under that particular provision to all prosecutorial positions. However, this route requires at least 10 calendar years in the relevant positions and reaching the age of 65.
Another change concerns family members of deceased public officials. The pension would be granted from the date of the official’s death rather than the date on which the death was registered.
What Happens to Applications Already Submitted?
The draft contains transitional provisions for people who submit pension applications before the amendments enter into force and become eligible as a result of the changes to the annex.
In such cases, the pension may be granted retroactively from the first day of the sixth month preceding the month in which the law enters into force, but not earlier than the date on which the person actually became eligible under the relevant provision.
When Would the New Rules Take Effect?
Most provisions would enter into force on the day following the law’s official publication.
However, the new requirements concerning professional service and the 60-year age threshold are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027.
The changes are currently part of a draft law. They will become legally applicable only if the National Assembly adopts the legislation and the required procedures for its entry into force are completed.
This material is provided for general legal information and does not constitute legal advice.
