Fewer certificates and more targeted support: how basic social assistance will work
As reported by the "Judicial and Legal Newspaper", the Verkhovna Rada supported in the first reading a bill introducing basic social assistance for low-income families.
The document proposes to strengthen the targeted approach to providing state support to families in difficult life circumstances.
As noted by the subcommittee on state youth policy of the parliamentary Committee on Youth and Sports, currently several separate types of state assistance operate in Ukraine, including for low-income and large families, single mothers, and people with disabilities. To receive them, citizens often have to go through separate registration procedures and submit a significant package of documents.
The bill proposes to combine a number of social payments into a single basic social assistance. It is expected that this will simplify the procedure for receiving support and allow the state to more effectively consider the needs of specific families and citizens who require financial assistance or social services.
The state budget for 2026 allocates over 9 billion UAH for social payments. At the same time, due to the ongoing war, the number of families needing additional support and state assistance is increasing.
It is noted that the introduction of basic social assistance should contribute to a more accurate determination of the needs of such families and increase the efficiency of social support.
It is also emphasized that the adoption of the bill is one of the steps towards bringing the Ukrainian social protection system closer to European standards. The targeting of social assistance is among Ukraine's commitments to the International Monetary Fund and is one of the directions of the Ukraine Facility program implementation.
Recall that the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity explained that the bill provides for the creation of a new type of state support — basic social assistance, which is to combine several existing social payments into a single system of support for low-income families.
In particular, the new payment may replace:
- state social assistance for low-income families;
- state assistance for children of single mothers;
- assistance for children raised in large families;
- temporary state assistance for children whose parents evade paying alimony, are unable to support the child, or whose place of residence is unknown;
- state social assistance for persons who are not entitled to a pension and persons with disabilities.
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