Social support for service members and their families: pilot project extended through October 2025

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has extended the program of providing social support to active service members within military units.

Under the amendments, in coordination with the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will determine the list of military units participating in the program. Until recently, this matter was managed exclusively by the Ministry of Defence. 

The new list of military units must be submitted to the Fund for Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities by December 20, 2024.

In the event of a military unit’s disbandment or redeployment, it may be substituted with another unit.

Social services may be provided by legal entities and individual entrepreneurs who have agreements with the Fund for Social Protection of Persons with Disabilities and employ qualified social work professionals. It particularly, these services include:

• Social protection: assistance obtaining combatant status, accessing payments, subsidies, medications, and treatment abroad.

• Professional support: opportunities to acquire a new profession after demobilization and access to free legal assistance.

• Family support: strengthening family bonds, relationship counseling, and domestic violence prevention.

• Psychosocial support: psychoeducation, assistance with gambling addiction, and substance abuse

• Support in preparing documents: restoration of documents, obtaining a passport for international travel.

• Advocacy and representation of interests: representation in government agencies and support in obtaining services and consultations.

Amendments were made to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Resolution No. 1050, dated October 3, 2023, titled “On the Implementation of a Pilot Project for the Introduction of a Contractual Form for Providing Social Services for the Social Support of Service Members and Their Families in Military Units of the Armed Forces.”