Ukraine has updated its system of state support for veterans, military personnel and families of deceased defenders. The changes concern both the simplification of paperwork and the expansion of grounds for obtaining veteran status or status as a family member of the deceased. This was reported by the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
In particular, injuries are now officially equated with wounds, mutilations or concussions. This entitles the person to disability or the status of a family member of the deceased. According to relevant agencies, this rule is intended to cover a larger number of affected military personnel and their families who have not yet been able to obtain the appropriate status due to the complexity of the procedures.
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The country has also finally introduced electronic veteran ID cards. These are recognised as the main document confirming status and significantly simplify access to benefits. If they wish, veterans can also obtain a paper certificate, which is issued on the basis of an extract from the Unified Register of War Veterans without additional bureaucratic requirements.
The state has extended the validity of certificates for persons with disabilities resulting from war. The documents will remain valid until 1 November 2025 or 1 April 2026, depending on age and circumstances. For those who, for objective reasons, were unable to undergo a medical examination on time, the certificates are automatically extended until 1 July 2025.
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From now on, certificates for children of deceased military personnel will be issued even to children under the age of 14. Benefits for families will apply regardless of whether the child has a passport. The right to assistance is retained even if the family is forced to stay abroad.
The issuance of certificates and benefit vouchers has been transferred to the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, which should improve the efficiency of the process. Such decisions became relevant after the liquidation of certain territorial authorities that were previously responsible for these issues.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, more than 1.2 million people in Ukraine today have combatant status or are members of the families of deceased military personnel. The state promises to further improve social protection mechanisms and access to benefits.
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