“The state has launched a program to support veterans: how to get help and what services are available. Funding and challenge details.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
In Ukraine, as of the beginning of 2026, there are already about 1.5 million veterans, and they include citizens who received disabilities as a result of the war. The number of these people is constantly growing and currently approximately 600,000 people. However, help and social protection are needed not only by military personnel who left the ranks of the Armed Forces after serious injuries, but also by the families of deceased veterans. That is why the mechanism for accompanying veterans should be transparent, comprehensive and include support for people at various stages – from accompanying them to the bank and proper registration of state payments to rehabilitation after the war, adaptation to civilian life, psychological support and solving social and household issues.
The first stage of providing assistance to veterans has already started, but the state has not successfully resolved all veterans’ issues.
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Necessary support: what kind of program for veterans has worked in Ukraine and what assistance is offered by the state The issue of the status and social guarantees of war veterans in Ukraine is generally determined by the Law of Ukraine “On the Status of War Veterans, Guarantees of Their Social Protection”. Also important documents are Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated 21.06.2017 No. 432 “On approval of the Procedure and conditions for ensuring social and professional adaptation of persons who are discharged or discharged from military service, from among war veterans, persons who have special merits to the Motherland, family members of such persons, family members of deceased (deceased) war veterans, family members of deceased (deceased) Defenders of Ukraine” and Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated August 14, 2019 No. 700 “On the Unified State Register of War Veterans”.
In 2024, a new social program for accompanying veterans was launched, and the government approved Resolution No. 881 dated August 2, 2024 “Some issues of ensuring the activities of specialists for accompanying war veterans and demobilized persons.” It was approved in this way the work procedure of escort specialists, funding through subventions, requirements for candidates and categories of veterans they will accompany.
In fact, thanks to the approval of Resolution No. 881 the work of the mechanism for accompanying war veterans and demobilized persons has begun, and the government has informed that “the mechanism for ensuring the activities of specialists for accompanying war veterans and demobilized persons in the system of transition from military service to civilian life has been determined.”
The application for accompaniment is submitted online through the e-Veteran platform. Who exactly can apply for accompanying war veterans and demobilized persons:
- war veterans;
- demobilized persons;
- family members of a deceased (deceased) war veteran;
- family members of the deceased (deceased) defender and the deceased (deceased) defender of Ukraine;
- injured participants of the Revolution of Dignity, members of their families;
- persons who have special merits for the Motherland;
- family members of persons who went missing under special circumstances during military service (in particular, family members of prisoners).
After submitting an application, a specialist in accompanying war veterans and demobilized persons will contact the applicant and must provide information support and support, advise on obtaining statuses, benefits, services, undergoing rehabilitation, employment, and starting one’s own business.
In general, support measures are carried out by support specialists by providing comprehensive assistance in various areas, in particular, assisting in the organizational solution of legal, social, psychological assistance, public, social, medical, rehabilitation, educational and other services. In addition, it is about providing assistance in the preparation of documents related to the provision of housing, land plots, employment issues, in particular, obtaining grant support for the development of entrepreneurial initiatives, providing assistance in matters of participation in sports competitions, in the implementation of rehabilitation measures. First of all, support measures are provided to persons with disabilities as a result of the war.
Comprehensive support: how and in what directions it is necessary to develop state assistance to veterans In general, the initiative to accompany veterans is an extremely important social project, which aims to provide comprehensive assistance to combatants, persons with disabilities as a result of war, and their families.
The program is financed from the state budget, and according to published data, On January 7, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine allocated UAH 1.342 billion in subventions to local budgets to support the activities of specialists in accompanying war veterans and demobilized persons in 2026.
According to the government, more than 2.3 thousand people already work as support specialists in Ukraine, who provide services in more than a thousand territorial communities, and since the start of the program, specialists have processed more than 146 thousand appeals and provided more than 600 thousand support measures.
However, many issues will have to be resolved for a truly effective and efficient implementation of the veterans’ support program. Chief among them is the number of employed support professionals, as the number currently appears to be critically low for the more than one million veterans and veteran families, most of whom need support. It is known that it is planned to have more than 11,000 of these specialists, but considering the serious crisis in the labor market in the conditions of a full-scale war, the salary for such specialists in the amount of UAH 25,000 does not seem too competitive.
Also limiting the involvement of specialists in accompanying veterans is the actually artificially created requirement for the candidate to have a bachelor’s degree, because in this way a significant number of young specialists after technical schools and colleges with a “junior bachelor’s” level are screened out.
Separately, the question of financing the support program in general is acute, because currently the funds allocated from the state budget are hardly enough, and the territorial communities themselves, especially towns and cities in the immediate vicinity of the front, are often unable to independently finance social projects for veterans. Therefore, there is a need to find grant funds, attract donors for full financing programs for accompanying veterans.
The list of options that, according to the approved functionality, should be provided by support specialists is also important, because among them significant issues are outlined, such as providing crisis psychological support and monitoring the needs of veterans and their families in the communities. However, taking into account the fact that most escort specialists are unlikely to have a higher psychological education or significant experience in social assistance, this means either an increase in the number of employed persons already with relevant qualifications, or quality educational programs for support professionals. And all this rests again on the problem of sustainable financing of the program.
One of the very important issues that needs to be solved by the state and territorial communities is the medical support of veterans. After all, people with disabilities should be able to get to the hospital in comfortable conditions and be accompanied in the hospital at all stages of examination or treatment, and the system healthcare in the country should be as accessible and oriented to the needs of veterans as possible.
From January 1, 2026, a project of medical support for veterans has already started in Kyiv, so that they are not left without support and attention to their needs in long queues at hospitals. For this purpose, special coordinators will work to answer questions, help with consultations and examinations or registration for hospitalization.
It is extremely important that this project be successful and effective, and that other Ukrainian cities and territorial communities gradually introduce affordable, high-quality medical care for veterans in their own health care facilities. After all, the health and dignified life of our defenders and their families should always be among the main priorities of national social policy.
Julia Tatik
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