Monetary Support for Families of Prisoners of War and Missing Persons: What You Need to Know
The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine reminded that if a serviceman is captured or goes missing, his family has the right to receive monetary support. Such guarantees are provided by Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine "On Social and Legal Protection of Servicemen and Their Families".
Payments for servicemen captured or missing are maintained at their last place of service.
Personal Directive: How to Take Care of Your Loved Ones in Advance
A serviceman can pre-determine who will receive his monetary support in case of capture, internment, or disappearance. To do this, he must prepare a personal directive—a document in any written form specifying:
- the persons who will receive the payments;
- the share of each recipient in percentages.
To formalize a personal directive, it is necessary to:
- prepare the document in written form;
- certify the signature by the commander of the military unit or a notary;
- submit the original to the commander of the military unit to be attached to the personal file.
This directive can be changed or revoked at any time.
How Monetary Support Is Paid
Monetary support is paid to family members until the circumstances of the serviceman’s captivity are finally established, his release, or until the person is legally declared missing or deceased.
Payments are made by the military unit where the serviceman was supported. The amount is determined according to the position held by the serviceman.
Who Has the Right to Receive Payments
If there is no personal directive, funds are distributed according to the law. In this case, up to 50% of the monetary support may be received by family members, and the remaining funds are deposited—kept for the serviceman until his return.
The right to payments primarily belongs to:
- wife or husband;
- children and their legal representatives;
- parents of the serviceman.
If such persons do not exist, adult children and also siblings may have the right to part of the payments if the serviceman was their legal representative.
What Documents Need to Be Submitted
To arrange payments, it is necessary to apply with a statement to the commander of the military unit and attach copies of:
- passports of adult family members;
- proof of residence;
- marriage certificate;
- children’s birth certificates;
- taxpayer identification number (RНОКПП).
The decision to grant or deny payment is made within 15 days. In case of refusal, the decision can be appealed in court.
Assistance After Release from Captivity
After release from captivity, the serviceman or his family also have the right to state assistance.
Provided are:
- a one-time assistance payment of 100,000 hryvnias;
- annual assistance of 100,000 hryvnias for each year spent in captivity.
To receive payments, the fact of deprivation of personal liberty due to armed aggression against Ukraine must be established by a special commission.
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