The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has prepared a number of important changes to the social security system. The focus is on simplifying access to insurance payments for veterans of combat operations and expanding assistance for employees of critical infrastructure. The document aims to address the problems people face when returning to civilian life or after sustaining injuries at work.
Simplifying conditions for veterans
One of the key problems the government intends to solve is the difficulty of obtaining temporary disability benefits for participants in combat operations. According to current rules, the amount of the payment may be significantly limited if the person's insurance record for the last 12 months is less than six months.
The Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine notes that for many veterans, this period is a time of treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery after service. As a result, they physically do not have time to accumulate the necessary seniority, which puts them in a vulnerable position.
To rectify the situation, the government proposes to change the approach to calculating seniority. For participants in combat operations and persons with disabilities as a result of the war, it is proposed to take into account the period of work not for the last 12, but for the last 24 months. Minister of Social Policy Denys Shmyhal emphasized that such a measure is intended to take into account the real circumstances of military adaptation to civilian life.
Payments for workplace injuries
The draft law also addresses the situation of paying benefits to workers who have sustained injuries at work when the investigation of the accident has not yet been completed. Currently, insurance payments are made only after the investigation report is drawn up, a process that can drag on for several months, leaving the victim without support.
The new mechanism proposes to pay temporary disability benefits based on a sick leave certificate. The employer will cover the first 17 days of payment, and after the investigation is completed, a final recalculation of payments will take place.
Assistance for those injured at CI facilities
By a separate resolution, the Cabinet of Ministers has improved the procedure for paying a one-time monetary assistance to people injured at critical infrastructure facilities as a result of Russian aggression. The mechanism for additional payments in case of a change in disability group has also been regulated.
The circle of recipients of assistance has been expanded. Now, the right to payments is not only for those injured directly at the facilities, but also for employees of critical infrastructure operators, civil servants, as well as local self-government officials.
Payments will be made by the Pension Fund of Ukraine. An important condition is the preservation of the right to receive assistance both during martial law and within three years after its end.
After approval by the government, the relevant documents will be submitted for consideration by the Verkhovna Rada.