Shortly after World War II, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) began to make a number of individual settlements to compensate victims of Nazi persecution. In 1956, Germany’s Federal Law for the Compensation of the Victims of National Socialist Persecution (“German Restitution Act”) provided for reparations payments to certain survivors of the Holocaust. The German Reunification Act of 1990 provided for additional reparations payments to Nazi persecution victims through programs administered by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (“Claims Conference”).

Since 1997, under the German Law for the Payment of Pensions for Periods of Employment in a Ghetto (German acronym, ZRBG), the German government has granted credits toward a pension under its social insurance program to victims of Nazi persecution who performed non-forced work during their confinement in a ghetto during World War II.

Other countries have provided benefits to victims of Nazi persecution. The Austrian government grants special wage credits under its social insurance program to certain individuals who were victims of persecution during the period March 1933 to May 1945.

Since 1973, under the Netherlands Act on Benefits for Victims of Persecution, 1940-1945 (Dutch acronym, WUV), the Dutch government has made payments to victims of German and Japanese persecution during World War II.

Enacted August 1, 1994, the Nazi Persecution Victims Eligibility Act (P.L. 103-286) excludes from income and resources any payments made to individuals because of their status as victims of Nazi persecution.

This provision supersedes previous provisions for the exclusion of certain payments made by the governments of Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands because they are made to victims of Nazi persecution.

Effective on or after August 1, 1994 exclude from income and resources payments individuals receive from any source before, on, or after that date because of their status as victims of Nazi persecution.

NOTE: Prior to August 1, 1994, we excluded from income and resources payments made to victims of Nazi persecution from the German, Austrian, and Dutch governments.

Exclude from income, any interest earned on retained payments to victims of Nazi persecution, see SI 00830.500.

For instructions on identifying and documenting Austrian social insurance payments based on wage credits to victims of persecution, see SI 00830.715 and SI 01130.615.

For instructions on identifying and documenting Netherlands WUV payments, see SI 00830.725C and SI 01130.605.

For instructions on identifying and documenting German ZRBG “Ghetto Pension” payments, see SI 00830.711 and SI 01130.611.

If an individual reports receiving payments because they are a victim of Nazi persecution, obtain the individual's statement, either signed or recorded on a locked Report of Contact page, of the amount(s) involved and the date(s) they received these payments. No further development or documentation is required.