One-time financial assistance in the event of a service member’s death: Key information

In the event of a service member’s death during the period of martial law, their family is entitled to receive one-time financial assistance (OFA) in the amount of UAH 15 million. 

This assistance is also payable if a service member dies within one year from a wound, trauma, or permanent disability sustained in defense of the homeland.

Who is eligible to receive one-time financial assistance (OFA) in the event of a service member’s death?

The right to receive OFA is held by persons defined by applicable legislation. 

However, persons designated in the service member’s personal directive, if one exists, have priority in receiving OFA. The directive sets out the recipients of the OFA and the shares in which it should be distributed. 

Regardless of the contents of a personal directive, the following categories of individuals are entitled to the assignment and receipt of the OFA:

• minor children and incapacitated adult children;
• incapacitated widowed spouse;
• incapacitated parents of the deceased service member.

Each of these categories of individuals is entitled to a share equal to 50% of the amount they would have received if the OFA were paid in the absence of a personal directive.

If no personal directive exists, or if it does not cover the full amount, the remaining OFA shall be distributed in equal shares among:  

• children, including adopted children, children conceived during the service member’s lifetime and born after death (posthumous children), as well as children in respect of whom the deceased had been deprived of parental rights during the lifetime;
• widow or widower;
• parents, including adoptive parents, unless deprived of parental rights, or where such rights have been reinstated;
• grandchildren of the deceased, in cases where their parents had already died at the time of the service member’s death;
• a person who cohabited with the deceased without being married, provided this fact is confirmed by a court;
• dependents as defined by the Law of Ukraine ‘On Pension Provision for Individuals Discharged from Military Service and Certain Other Categories of Individuals’.

If any beneficiary renounces their share, this amount shall be divided equally among the remaining eligible family members. The renunciation shall be notarized, and if executed abroad, certified by a Ukrainian consulate.

Should other eligible persons claim the OFA after it has been assigned and paid, the redistribution shall be settled by mutual consent or through judicial proceedings.

Where should eligible individuals apply?

If a service member served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the application shall be submitted to the district Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center (hereinafter referred to as TRSSC), regardless of the place of registration.

If a service member served in the National Guard of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the State Special Communications Service, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, the State Special Transport Service of Ukraine, the application must be submitted directly to the relevant formation.

To apply for the OFA at a district TRSSC (regardless of the place of registration), the following documents shall be submitted:

• application for payment of the OFA;
• identity document;
• document confirming assignment of a taxpayer identification number (or passport series and number, if available — for persons who, for religious reasons, refuse to accept a taxpayer identification number under the law);
• certificate of death of the service member;
• copies of documents that confirm family ties or being financially dependent on the deceased;
  • for the spouse – marriage certificate;
  • for the child – birth certificate;
  • for the parents – certificate of birth of the deceased;
  • for dependents of the deceased – confirming document or court decision;
  • for the de facto spouse – valid court decision;
• for individuals aged 16 years and older: certificate confirming absence/presence of a criminal record or restrictions as per the Criminal Procedural Code of Ukraine, or a complete extract from the information-analytical system or the state e-services platform Diia;
• certificate confirming change of name (if applicable);
• additional documents regarding the appointment and payment of assistance (if applicable);
• consent for the processing of personal data;

Procedure for the assignment and disbursement of one-time financial assistance (OFA)

Documents shall be submitted to the district TRSSC, which certifies copies and issues a conclusion on the identification of persons eligible to apply for OFA.

No later than seven working days after receiving the complete package of documents, the district TRSSC shall forward them to the regional (city) Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center (hereinafter referred to as the R(C) TRSSC).

The R(C) TRSSC examines the submitted documents, determines individuals with documented entitlement to OFA, and determines those who applied (or may apply) but submitted incomplete or no documentation.

The R(C) TRSSC then prepares a conclusion on the eligibility for one-time financial assistance (OFA) and forwards the documents to the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.

Following the Commission’s decision on granting or refusing OFA, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, within three working days, transmits extracts from the Commission’s minutes to the Land Forces Command, which in turn sends them to the R(C) TRSSC for notification of the applicants.

Payment Procedure

The one-time financial assistance (OFA) is disbursed in two stages.

The first portion of the OFA, representing one-fifth of the total assigned sum, is transferred no later than five working days after the R(C) TRSSC has received the corresponding funds. 

The remaining four-fifths of the assigned OFA amount shall be paid in equal monthly installments over a period of 40 months.

What is the timeframe for applying for one-time financial assistance (OFA) in the event of a service member’s death?

Applications for OFA must be submitted no later than three years from the date the death certificate is issued.

If a service member is missing in action under special circumstances, or has been declared missing in action by a court and subsequently declared deceased, the application for the OFA must be submitted no later than three years from the date the death certificate is issued.

How can family members of a deceased service member who are abroad or in temporarily occupied territories receive their share of the OFA?

Family members seeking their share of the assistance must apply to any TRSSC located in territory under the control of the Government of Ukraine no later than three years from the date the death certificate is issued.

Assistance is reviewed and assigned on general grounds to persons entitled to it, through either their personal application or that of their legal representatives.

Any document in a foreign language shall be submitted with a Ukrainian translation certified as required by law.