Equal standards of social support have been established for families of fallen and missing defenders

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted a law introducing unified and fair standards of state support for the families of service members, emergency responders, and police officers. The primary objective of these changes is to ensure social justice for all families who lost loved ones or whose relatives went missing while defending the Homeland.

The law establishes a guaranteed standard of state support in the amount of UAH 15 million for each family of a fallen defender.

Until now, disparities had existed. Families of those officially recognized as fallen were paid a fixed UAH 15 million in one-time financial assistance (OFA), whereas families of missing persons received service remuneration throughout the search period and later the full OFA amount as well. As a result, this created disparities in payments for families who endured the same loss.

A transparent mechanism is now introduced under which, if a defender previously deemed missing is confirmed deceased, the UAH 15 million one-time financial assistance (OFA) will be paid with due consideration of the service remuneration already received by the family during the search period.

This approach ensures that the total amount of state support for each family is equal and fair.

The law will apply to all families whose relatives went missing while defending the Homeland. This will ensure a fair approach to all service members and their families.

It is important to note that the state will not discontinue support for defenders’ families after they receive the maximum amount of UAH 15 million. If the amount of service remuneration received reaches UAH 15 million, the family, upon legally establishing the fact of death, becomes eligible for survivor’s pensions and the relevant state benefits.

The law removes disparities and the perception of injustice among families who have suffered the same loss. The state is establishing transparent and clear conditions, guaranteeing that each family receives the appropriate level of assistance, regardless of the duration of the search for the defender.