20,000 francs lost IV pensioner received too little money for ten years due to administrative error
An IV pensioner received too little money for almost ten years due to an administrative error. However, because the SVA only paid her back part of the money, the woman lost a total of around CHF 20,000.
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- For almost ten years, an IV pensioner was paid too little money due to an error by the Social Insurance Institution (SVA).
- The SVA is paying part of the money, but refuses to make a full payment, citing the statute of limitations.
- As a result, the woman lost a total of CHF 20,000, as reported by the SRF magazine "Kassensturz".
A small mistake with major financial consequences: Because the details of her divorce were not processed correctly, an IV pensioner received too little money from the social insurance institution over a period of almost ten years.
Although the Zurich Social Insurance Institution (SVA) acknowledges its own error, it only wants to make back payments for five years retroactively. The authority refers to the statute of limitations, as reported by the SRF magazine "Kassensturz" in its current issue. The woman thus lost a total of CHF 20,000 due to the undercalculation of her disability pension.
Divorce was not recorded
The case is about Sandra F., who has suffered from severe back pain for 25 years and therefore receives an IV pension. After an accident, she underwent several operations on her spine, and today numerous screws keep her vertebrae stable.
In 2015, Sandra F. divorced and reported the change in marital status to both the SVA and the disability insurance fund. However, the responsible IV office in the canton of Thurgau, where she lives, does not record the change, even after she asks again by email. The error persists and her IV pension remains too low for years.
Back payment only for five years
The discrepancy is only discovered at the beginning of 2025. In July, the insured person receives a new decision from the SVA Zurich: the pension is increased retroactively, but only for the past five years. The authority invokes the statutory limitation period.
Sandra F. thus receives a back payment of CHF 24,319. However, she is no longer entitled to an estimated 20,000 francs. "This is money that is due to me - and is now being withheld from me," she told "Kassensturz".
Omissions and errors admitted
Both the Thurgau IV office and the SVA Zurich admit to omissions. The IV office confirmed in a statement to "Kassensturz" that the notification of the divorce was received in 2016, but the changed marital status was not transferred to the system and was not forwarded to the compensation fund. The SVA Zurich speaks of a "processing error".
In a written statement to "Kassensturz", the Frauenfeld IV office clarifies: "The divorce was reported to us by the insured person in 2016. The name change was recorded in the system, but not the change in marital status. The compensation offices of the Canton of Zurich were not informed of the divorce at the time, which we regret."
"The fault lies with the IV and SVA"
The validity of the five-year limitation period cited is questioned by lawyer Kaspar Gehring in an interview with SRF: "The two safety mechanisms that are supposed to protect those affected - the duty to provide advice and the duty of the IV and SVA to clarify benefit claims - have failed here."
Despite the timely notification, this was not forwarded: "The fault lies with the DI and SVA, not with the person concerned," the lawyer is quoted as saying. Sandra F. confirms: "I did everything right and yet I am now being punished," the SRF magazine quotes the woman as saying.
The case and the assessment of experts will be discussed in detail in the program "Kassensturz" on Tuesday, 11 November, from 21:10 on SRF 1 and Play SRF.
