A German court has ruled that two men forced to work for the Nazis are entitled to pensions. The ruling could have an impact on tens of thousands of survivors, who may now finally receive German social security payments according to Gideon Taylor, executive vice president of the Claims Conference. Following the ruling a Claims Conference representative in Germany, said the next task would be to reach out to those aging survivors who might "still get the pension that was withheld from them for so long."
In this case, the two survivors of ghettos in Poland argued that they qualified for German pensions because they had actually been compensated for their work in the form of food and other amenities. According to Taylor, the court accepted the argument, and also decided that the survivors did not need to receive remuneration directly in order to qualify. The precedent-setting ruling will impact particularly survivors who applied for German social security pensions and were rejected, unable to show they had worked for remuneration. Taylor confirmed that more than 90 percent of some 70,000 ghetto laborers who applied for pensions in the past were rejected.
Those deemed eligible now may receive up to $214 per month, plus back payments based on when they first applied. Though most survivors have qualified for compensation under other categories, they also may apply for pension benefits, Taylor said. The two issues -- compensation and pensions -- are separate, he stressed.
