out
of the last five years. Higher rates are paid for work years past the
usual retirement age. Pensions are payable to dependents after the death
of the pensioner. Dependents also receive life insurance payments.
Cooperative farm members are entitled to pensions after twenty years of
work for women and twenty-five years of work for men provided they
worked 100 to 135 days each year. In 1972 it was suggested that 200 to
250 days of work per year should be required for pensions in exchange
for higher pension payments to cooperative farm members.

Pensions are collectible even if a person continues working. This system
was criticized by Zhivkov in late 1972. He suggested that persons who
continued to work after being eligible for a pension should be
encouraged to do so without drawing a pension but should, instead,
accumulate additional increments to their pension for each year worked.

In addition to old-age pensions there are pensions for special merit
payable to persons who have made an exceptional contribution to national
life and national pensions payable to fighters against fascism and
capitalism. All minimum pension payments were increased in 1972.

Under new provisions announced in March 1973, employed women will be
entitled to four months of fully paid maternity leave and six months of
leave at minimum wages for the first child; five and seven months,
respectively, for the second child; six and eight months for the third
child; and four and six months for each subsequent child. Mothers who
are students or who do not work for some valid reason will receive
minimum wages for corresponding periods. Mothers of children under the
age of ten are entitled to special annual leave. All mothers receive a
cash payment at the birth of a child; the payments are sharply
differentiated to encourage larger families. In early 1973 the payments
were 20 leva for the first child, 200 leva for the second child, and 500
leva for the third child. It was planned, however to raise these
payments to 100 leva, 250 leva, and 500 leva, respectively.

Another inducement for larger families is a system of monthly family
allowance payments for children up to the age of sixteen or until they
complete secondary school. Allowances are payable to all families
regardless of whether or not the parents work. A variety of other social
assistance benefits are available to indigents, persons disabled from
childhood, orphans, and the aged with no inco