Benefits for Veterans' Families: What Guarantees Does the Family Have and How to Apply for Them

State support extends not only to the veterans themselves but also to their family members. Some of the provided benefits concern the children of combatants, while others relate to the arrangement of utility services and social guarantees for the family.

Children of combatants have the right, in particular, to health improvement and recreation in children's camps, priority enrollment in preschool and general secondary education institutions at their place of residence.

There is also the possibility of transferring to study funded by the state budget in institutions of professional pre-higher and higher education if there are appropriate grounds. Students can exercise the right to free or discounted accommodation in dormitories, as well as receive a social scholarship provided they study successfully and have no academic debt.

As explained by the Lviv Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support, the existence of the right to a benefit does not mean its automatic assignment. To receive assistance, it is necessary to contact the relevant authority and submit the required documents.

How to apply for a utility service benefit

A family member of a veteran can apply for a utility payment benefit without the veteran's personal presence. For this, the veteran must issue a power of attorney to the spouse or another representative. If the serviceman is on duty, the power of attorney can be certified by the commander of the military unit. In case of treatment, the document is certified by the head of the medical institution.

After that, the authorized person contacts the Pension Fund of Ukraine with the power of attorney and passport.

In most cases, a combatant's certificate is required to apply for benefits. At the same time, local self-government bodies may establish their own support programs and determine additional documents.

It is recommended to clarify information about specific application conditions at the place of residence.

If there are several persons in the family entitled to benefits, they do not accumulate. Only one benefit applies per family, based on one of its members.

For combatants and persons with disabilities due to the war, free burial or compensation of burial-related expenses is provided.

The amount of compensation depends on the norms established by local self-government bodies.

To receive the payment, it is necessary to contact the social protection authority and provide an application, death certificate, documents confirming expenses, veteran's ID, and a document confirming the fact of burial by the applicant.

As previously reported by the "Judicial and Legal Newspaper", in Ukraine, the approach to implementing the right of war veterans and other privileged categories of citizens to receive free land plots may change. In particular, the Cabinet of Ministers is proposed to allow receiving a fixed monetary compensation of 200,000 hryvnias instead of land — in cases where a person chooses this option or when it is impossible to provide a plot due to the lack of free land resources.