The key change being introduced pertains to the deadline for applying for the form the social service package. As per the updated procedure, combat veterans can submit those applications within three months after discharge from service or after registering as a disabled person, within twelve months after the discharge. If an application is submitted to the Social Fund within that time, the service package will be assigned not starting next year, as per the general procedure, but within a month. If, for instance, a veteran submits an application this August, the benefit package is to arrive as soon as September.
Thanks to the new amendments, combat veterans started to choose the way they receive their health resort treatment, medicines and free travel benefits faster. They do not have to wait for the year to end and may choose the social benefit delivery option that suits them best in less than a month.
An important detail: only disabled combat veterans may use the expedited switch from the monetary compensation to the service package.
If the application was submitted later than 3 months after the discharge or disability assignment, the service package will be provided starting January 1 of the next year, as per the general procedure.
The regulatory amendments were introduced because, as per the current law, combat veterans receive their social services as a monetary compensation by default. In order to receive the benefits in kind, an application had to be submitted and decided on starting January 1 of the next year. The new approach cuts down the time and provides social benefits veterans are entitled to immediately after their service concludes.
Notably, the right to services also covers veterans who participated in the SMO as part of volunteer militias and were assigned the combat veteran status.
An application with a service discharge note can be submitted via a valid electronic service on the Public Services Portal or in person, by visiting a Social Fund client office or a multifunctional center.
Please, remember that the list of social services covers several benefits, including medicine and medical devices, as well as nutritional care foods for disabled children. The service package also includes a health resort voucher, free travel to the treatment location and free rides on suburban commuter trains.