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WJRO wishes to inform Holocaust victims who were Polish citizens at the time of the Holocaust that they may be eligible for monthly payments of about PLN 400 (approximately $130) from the Polish government.
The Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression is the Polish government body that administers the payments. The office’s website has information about the payment program. In particular, the office has posted information for applicants from abroad, including an application.
The WJRO will update this website as it obtains more information from the Polish government about how individuals can apply for these payments.
Background
The Legislation on War Veterans and Victims of War and Post-War Oppression provides for monthly payments for individuals who:
- were detained by the Nazis in ghettos, prisons, concentration camps, extermination camps, or similar places of detention;
- were forcibly deported to the Soviet Union;
- served in the Polish military, the Polish units of the Allied militaries, or in the Polish underground during the Second World War; or
- otherwise are considered a veteran or a victim of oppression.
On March 14, 2014, Poland passed legislation removing an obstacle that had previously made it difficult for eligible survivors currently living outside of Poland to qualify for the monthly payments. The President of Poland signed the legislation on April 4, 2014, and the legislation was published and passed into law on May 18, 2014.
Previously, recipients were required to have a Polish bank account, which made it difficult for claimants living abroad to receive payments. Under the new law, the monthly payments can be deposited into bank accounts outside of Poland.
The changes took effect on October 18, 2014, for people living in European Union member states, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, South Korea, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United States of America.
The changes became effective on April 18, 2015, for people living in all other countries, including Israel.
WJRO is working with the worldwide network of social service agencies and others to help provide information to Holocaust victims of Polish origin who may be eligible.
Application Materials and Resources
To review application materials and resources, click here.
How to Apply
For information on how to apply, click here.
Help
For help with your application, click here.