Hardship Fund Supplemental Payment: Frequently Asked Questions

Please see below for additional answers
to questions about the current payment.

1) Who is eligible for this payment?

Anyone who is alive and has been approved for a Hardship Fund Payment OR received a one-time payment from the BEG and does not receive a pension as compensation for persecution during the Holocaust. 

2) If I receive a pension from the Claims Conference (Article 2), the Israeli Authority for the Rights of Holocaust Survivors, or BEG, am I eligible?

You are not eligible for the Hardship Fund Supplemental Payment if you receive a pension as compensation for Nazi persecution. You are eligible if you received a one-time payment from the BEG, even if this payment was over 5,000 DM. 

3) Do I have to file a claims form to receive this payment?

Yes, you must submit an application form to be eligible for this payment. The Claims Conference mailed personalized pre-populated application forms to potentially eligible survivors. If you think you are eligible and did NOT receive an application form in the mail, please contact us at the Claims Conference office nearest you. https://www.claimscon.org/about/contact-us/

4) How can I send in my application form?

Applications can be sent by mail, fax, and email. We strongly encourage using email to submit your application form.

Please send your applications to one of the following fax numbers and emails:

Via Email:

Via Fax:

  • +1-646-536-9159 (New York)
  • +972-03-679-6281 (Tel Aviv)
  • +49-69-72-1104 (Frankfurt)

5) How much money will I receive?

In 2025, the one-time payment is  €1,300. Previously (2021-2024, the fund paid eligible claimants three supplemental payments, each in the amount of €1,200 and one supplemental payment in the amount of €1,250 for a total of €4,850. 

Eligibility for the first two HFS installments (2021-2022), required the receipt by the Claims Conference of an application form prior to December 31, 2022. Those who did not previously apply are not eligible retroactively for previous payments. Applicants who wish to apply must submit an application. If the application is received by December 31 and the applicant is found eligible, the applicant will be paid the current installment amount for the year in which the applicant applied. 

6) What if I moved since I last was in contact with the Claims Conference?

Please submit a written and signed address change request to the Claims Conference office nearest to you. https://www.claimscon.org/about/contact-us/

7) If I am an authorized representative, can I submit an address change for a claimant?

Yes, you need to mail us a copy of the following:

  • A photocopy of a document granting legal guardianship/power of attorney
  • A photocopy of the authorized representative’s government-issued ID
  • A copy of the claimant’s government-issued ID.

 8) Does my application need to be certified?

Your application will explicitly state the certification requirements. If you have any questions about your specific application after receiving it please contact us:

Via Phone:

  • 1-646-536-9100 (United States)
  • +972-(3)-519-4400 (Tel Aviv from outside Israel)
  • 03-519-4400 (Tel Aviv from within Israel)
  • +49 69 970 7010 (Frankfurt)

Via Email:

9) If I am a child or spouse of a Hardship Fund recipient or survivor, can I receive this supplemental payment?

No, the Supplemental Payment can only be paid to eligible survivors.

10) Are there any heir payments?

The current Hardship Fund Supplemental payment may only be made to Holocaust survivors who are alive at the time of payment. Heirs are not eligible for this payment.

However, if the survivor applied to the original payment prior to December 31, 2022 and was found eligible but passed away before the payment could be made, the surviving spouse may be entitled to that payment. If there is no surviving spouse, children may be eligible. No other heirs are eligible. Surviving spouses and children should contact the Claims Conference. 

* If the survivor passed away after submitting the proof of life via paper Life Certificate or electronically, using PANEEM, BUT BEFORE the payment was issued, the payment may not be made to the surviving spouse or children. Recipients of the Hardship Fund Supplemental payment must be alive as of the date the payment is issued to them, not the date on which they submitted their proof of life. The Hardship Fund Supplemental payment is not transferable nor inheritable and heirs are not eligible to receive it.

11) Is there a deadline for applying?

Yes. The application deadline to receive the first two installments was December 31, 2022.

Those who missed the December 31, 2022 deadline may still apply to receive the current installment and any future installments, if applicable, of the payment in the year in which they apply. 

New applications for the current installment and any future installments, if applicable, must be received by December 31 of the year in which an application is submitted. For example, to be eligible to receive the 2025 installment, an application must be received by December 31, 2025. This rule also applies for the 2026 and 2027 HFS installments.

12) Can the Supplemental Payment be sent to me by a check?

No, we are not able to send checks, you must have a bank account opened in your name.

13) Do you need my bank information?

Yes, payment will be wired to your bank account. Please fill out the bank details in the personalized application. For survivors residing in Europe, the application form will specify the payment methods available.

14) Do I need to provide proof of life to get the Hardship Fund Supplemental Payment?

Yes, Proof of Life verification is required to receive the HFS payments

15) Do I need a lawyer?

You do not need a lawyer to apply for the Hardship Fund Supplemental Payment.

16) Is there a fee to obtain an application?

There is no fee to apply for the Hardship Fund Supplemental Payment.

17) I think I’m eligible, but I never applied to the Claims Conference before?

Please fill out the Universal Application Form found on our website, https://www.claimscon.org/what-we-do/compensation/apply-for-compensation/, and we will notify you if you are eligible for the Hardship Fund and the Hardship Fund Supplemental Payment.

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the Current Payment

1) Who will receive this payment?

Anyone who received the any installments of the Hardship Fund Supplemental payment and has not  begun receiving a pension from the Article 2, CEEF, or RSP Fund.

However, recipients of any prior installment must complete the proof of life requirement prior to receiving the current payment. 

2) Do I have to provide proof of life to receive this payment?

Yes, proof of life will need to be provided. 

3) How much will the current installment be?

The current installment of the Hardship Fund Supplemental Payment will be €1,300.

4) I have recently moved, after the receipt of the first installments. Do I need to do anything?

Please submit a written and signed address change request to the Claims Conference office nearest to you. Please find contact information for the office nearest you at https://www.claimscon.org/about/contact-us/

5) What if I closed the bank account that was used for the first installments?

We will attempt to wire the funds to the bank account that we have on file. If you did not inform us of the change in your bank details, please let us know immediately. Contact information for the appropriate office can be found here. We require a written and signed notification on the bank details change.

6) If I am a child or spouse of a Survivor who received the first installments, can I receive the subsequent installments of this payment?

No, in this scenario, heirs are not eligible to receive subsequent installments. Please also read the response to FAQ #10 “Are there any heir payments?” for more information as to when heirs may receive a payment.

7) I received the first Hardship Fund Supplemental Payment but I have since applied to the new Regional Specific Persecution (RSP) Fund. What happens now?

If you are approved for the RSP payment, you will only be eligible for the first Hardship Fund Supplemental payment. If the subsequent installments were made prior to approval for the RSP pension, we will deduct those Hardship Fund Supplemental payments from the RSP pension payments.

8) I applied for the Hardship Fund Supplemental Payment but have yet to receive any payment.

Please be assured that we are working diligently towards fully processing all pending cases. Once approved, you will receive all installments you are eligible for.

9) I have yet to apply, can I still apply to receive this payment?

If you think that you are eligible, please contact us as soon as possible at the Claims Conference office nearest to you. Please note that there is a deadline of December 31 for first-time applicants who wish to receive the current installment of the Hardship Fund Supplemental payment.

Via phone:

  • 1-646-536-9100 (United States)
  • +972-(3)-519-4400 (Tel Aviv from outside Israel)
  • 03-519-4400 (Tel Aviv from within Israel)
  • +49 69 970 7010 (Frankfurt)

Or by email at:

10) Is there a deadline for applying?

To be eligible for the first two installments, applications had to be postdated before December 31, 2022.

First-time applicants have until December 31 of the year in which they submit their application (applications must be received by December 31) to apply for the current installment.

11) Can this Supplemental Payment installment be sent to me by a check?

Unfortunately, the Claims Conference is not able to send checks. We will wire transfer the funds to the same bank account we used for the first installments of the Hardship Fund Supplemental Payment.

12) When may I expect my money?

We will start making the third installment to those who have met the proof of life requirement starting April 2023.

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