Old age chunks for social welfare: Aargau communities loot old age assets of people in poverty

“Kassensturz / Espresso” shows: Aargau municipalities are systematically sinking the old-age assets of social assistance recipients.

EB, a welfare recipient, has lost trust in her Beinwil community in Freiamt, Aargau. This summer, the community attracted early retirement so that he could move away from welfare. Later, the municipality decreed that EB must use the money from the pension fund to pay off welfare debts. That ripped the ground from under my feet. I had incredible existential fears, even suicidal thoughts, ”says the 61-year-old former secretary.

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The municipalities of Aargau fill their coffers with pension credits

What Beinwil does is not an isolated case: “Kassensturz” and “Espresso” are documents that prove that various municipalities in Aargau require people in need to cancel their occupational pension plans at the time of early retirement and thus reimburse assistance social received. In other words: what has been saved for the rest of your life, the community sucks shortly before retirement.

Supervision complaint filed

The municipality of Wettingen even demands the entire retirement assets of around 180,000 francs from a person without listing the extent to which this person received material aid. On the basis of this judgment, a supervisory complaint against Wettingen was submitted to the canton. “We don’t discuss individual procedures in public,” says the Wettingen community.

Experts criticize: “illegal” and “inappropriate”

For lawyer Tobias Hobi from the Independent Specialized Office for Social Welfare Law (UFS), the approach of the municipalities is unacceptable. “It was never thought that the money from the pension funds would be needed in this way. The money is intended and serves as a guarantee in old age. If the municipalities try to cover their social expenses with money from the pension funds of those affected, it is inappropriate. “

Michael Meier, senior assistant for social security law at the University of Zurich, said twice: “This approach is also inappropriate from a social welfare point of view. The goal of social assistance is to help people regain their independence. If you take away the retirement assets of those affected by poverty shortly before retirement, these people will never be able to live independently. “

The Aargau government must act

What happens in Aargau is explicitly prohibited in other cantons such as Zurich. The municipalities of Aargau take the position: What the cantonal law and ordinance do not expressly prohibit will be done. The controversial approach is supported by a 2016 administrative court ruling.

For social security expert Michael Meier it is clear: “Aargau urgently needs improvement. The governing council must clarify the regulations to make it clear that acquired benefit accounts cannot be used to pay social assistance debts. “