The Austrian authorities have demanded that Ukrainian grantees return hundreds of thousands of euros in social assistance, the Keter newspaper reported.
The requirements concern people who failed to declare their pension when applying for basic refugee assistance under the Grundversorgung scheme. The total amount claimed is at least €445,000.
At the end of September, the Administrative Affairs Court of Lower Austria ruled that a Ukrainian pension is considered income and therefore must be taken into account when determining eligibility for assistance, the newspaper reports.
Therefore, if it turns out that a person received both an allowance and welfare payments at the same time, the authorities may demand the return of the allowances that were paid in excess.