Rights of HVO members and their family members

Members of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) may be entitled to a disability pension, and their family members may be entitled to a survivor’s pension

If you are a member of the HVO, as of 1 January 2019, under the Act on Croatian Homeland War Veterans and their Family Members (OG 121/17) you may be entitled to a disability pension:
 

• if you are a member of the HVO whose status as a group I-IV disabled war veteran on the basis of illness and injury was recognised by a decision issued in Bosnia and Herzegovina 
• if you are a member of the HVO whose status as a disabled war veteran on the basis of wounding or detainment was recognised by a decision issued in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but so far you have not exercised the right to disability pension under the Agreement between the Republic of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the cooperation regarding victims of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina who were members of the Croatian Defence Council and their family members because you did not submit the application in time.

As an HVO member’s family member, as of 1 January 2019, under the Act on Croatian Homeland War Veterans and their Family Members (OG 121/17) you may be entitled to a survivor’s pension:

• if you are an HVO member’s family member who has been granted the status of a family member of a deceased or killed HVO member by a decision issued in Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the basis of death as a result of wounding, injury, illness or suicide 
• if you are a spouse or extramarital partner of a deceased disabled war veteran-HVO member who was a beneficiary of a disability pension under the Act on the Rights of Croatian Homeland War Veterans and their Family Members, you may be entitled to a survivor’s pension when you reach the age of 50 if you had reached the age of 40 by the time the HVO member died, and if you are a child of a disabled war veteran-HVO member who was a beneficiary of a disability pension under the Act on the Rights of Croatian Homeland War Veterans and their Family Members, you are entitled to a survivor’s pension during full-time schooling and after the completion or termination of full-time schooling if you are not employed or a beneficiary of a vocational work-related training measure without establishing an employment relationship, for a period of no more than 12 months after the completion or termination of full-time schooling, i.e. until the day you reach the age of 26
• if you are a parent, spouse or extramarital partner or a child of a deceased or killed HVO whose individual family members have previously exercised the right to a survivor’s pension on the basis of a decision on the recognised right to family disability allowance.

Forms of applications for exercising pension insurance rights (Croatian and foreign) and applications for payment of pensions and for the issuance of a certificate of paid pension are available for download on the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute’s website.