Retirees on Alert! Lifetime Review at the STF: Urgent Impact and Your Rights!

Currently, one of the issues that most mobilizes the community of retirees and pensioners in Brazil is the famous “life review”, which is being debated in the Federal Supreme Court (STF). Representing a topic of vital importance for many Brazilians, is the search for a fair recalculation of pensions, based on all contributions made over the years of work. In the midst of this dispute, the Institute of Social Security Studies (Ieprev), acting as amicus curiae, asked the STF for an urgent measure: limiting the effects of the decision on this type of review of social security benefits.

The major obstacle involves an appeal from the INSS that challenges the viability of this review, which has not yet had its judgment finalized by the STF. The social security authority warns of the need to cautiously establish parameters, given the significant financial repercussions that such a measure would bring to Social Security accounts, already marked by a history of deficits.

Urgency of the INSS Whole Life Review in the STF

Ieprev emphasizes the urgency in resolving this issue, pointing out that the delay in publishing the STF ruling puts the rights of retirees and pensioners who have already sought justice at risk. There are more than 100 thousand actions related to the “whole life review” being processed in various judicial instances, according to data from the National Council of Justice (CNJ). The continuation of this uncertainty directly harms the lives of countless Brazilians who depend on its benefits to live.

Who would benefit from the Whole Life Review?

Eligibility for the “lifetime review” is not automatic and follows specific criteria. Those who retired in the last ten years and between November 29, 1999 and November 12, 2019, the period before the last pension reform, benefit. Essentially, the individual must have started contributing to the INSS before July 1994, before the implementation of the Real Plan.

• Retirees and pensioners who retired between November 29, 1999 and November 12, 2019.
• Who started contributing to the INSS before July 1994.

Impact and Expectations Surrounding the STF Decision

The pending decision by the STF could radically change the way retirement calculations are carried out in Brazil. Originally, the calculation only considered remunerations after July 1994. The inclusion of contributions prior to this date in the “whole life review” promises to increase the value of benefits for many retirees, representing an act of pension justice longed for by many. However, this change also represents a considerable financial challenge for the Social Security system, which estimates savings of R$480 billion by not implementing this review.

While the debate continues, Ieprev’s position highlights the importance of protecting the rights of retirees and pensioners who seek a review of their benefits in court. The outcome of this dispute is still open, and many Brazilians are eagerly awaiting a decision that brings equity and justice to the review of their social security benefits.