{"id":27880,"date":"2025-10-22T16:43:23","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T13:43:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ldn.org.ua\/event\/formuvannia-systemy-pidtrymky-veteraniv-dosvid-vyklyky-ta-shliakhy-vyrishennia\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T18:00:59","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T15:00:59","slug":"formuvannia-systemy-pidtrymky-veteraniv-dosvid-vyklyky-ta-shliakhy-vyrishennia","status":"publish","type":"event","link":"https:\/\/ldn.org.ua\/en\/event\/formuvannia-systemy-pidtrymky-veteraniv-dosvid-vyklyky-ta-shliakhy-vyrishennia\/","title":{"rendered":"Building a veteran support system: experience, challenges, and solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Author:<\/strong> Olenka Heletiuk, Communications Expert, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of “HLUZD”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukraine is going through a difficult but natural stage\u2014the formation of a veteran support system that goes beyond benefits and statuses. This is about creating a policy based on dignity, trust, and participation. This is exactly what participants discussed at the online workshop “From Challenges to Solutions: Rights of Veterans and Their Family Members,” held on September 19, 2025, as part of an advocacy campaign organized by the Legal Development Network in partnership with the humanitarian organization People in Need and with financial support from the Czech Development Agency.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This event became not just a discussion, but a practical platform for finding solutions in the areas of social protection, legal support, medical and psychological rehabilitation, and employment. The main question\u2014how to ensure that veterans’ rights are not only declared but actually implemented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the photo:<\/strong> Olha Nastina, Executive Director of the Legal Development Network<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Olha Nastina, Executive Director of the Legal Development Network, emphasized that quality access to protection of veterans’ rights is only possible through partnership:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We can achieve quality access to protection of the rights of veterans and their families only when the ‘peer-to-peer’ principle works, when the ‘nothing about us, without us’ principle works.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This approach changes the very logic of policy\u2014from the condescending “we help” to the dialogue “we create solutions together.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key Issues Requiring Advocacy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

During the practical session of the workshop, participants identified a number of issues that have become common across the entire country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the photo:<\/strong> Inna Kolesnyk, Advocacy Expert, Lawyer<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Monetary support and payments<\/strong> are the #1 issue by number of requests. Veterans face problems with recalculations, non-payment of “combat” bonuses, and discrepancies in documents. Inna Kolesnyk, <\/strong>advocacy expert and lawyer, says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Material security takes priority in everything. If the material need is not met, we cannot move forward.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A particular injustice is the absence of a payment mechanism for discharged servicemembers who lost their health due to injuries. They have to fight for compensation through courts. And this is also advocacy \u2014 when each case becomes an argument for legislative changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Confusion of concepts<\/strong> is a separate issue. Ukraine has still not eliminated the confusion between the statuses of “veteran” and “servicemember.” Because of this, thousands of people cannot receive payments or benefits on time. Inna Kolesnyk<\/strong> notes: “We have legislative regulation, but the individuality of each case matters greatly. Some manage to achieve results, others don’t.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A particularly painful issue is the assignment of statuses “killed in action” or “deceased.” This is not just a formality, but an emotional trigger for families, as social guarantees depend on it. Relatives often wait for a military medical commission (VLK) conclusion for six months or a year, which effectively halts the aid application process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Access to quality medical and psychological care<\/strong> remains limited. “Many veterans are forced to look for doctors through connections because there is no unified system,” <\/em>participants noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the photo:<\/strong> Liudmyla Yaremchuk, Engaged Advocacy Expert of the Legal Development Network<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Liudmyla Yaremchuk, <\/strong>engaged advocacy expert of the Legal Development Network, draws attention to another problem: “Services should be as simplified and accessible as possible, not understandable only to specialists. Legislation is scattered and disorients ordinary citizens.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consequently, there is an urgent need to update information about benefits, services, and support<\/strong>, as unreliable information on official resources generates distrust of institutions and organizations among veterans and their family members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employment problems<\/strong> are related not only to economic realities but also to insufficient readiness of employers to create inclusive conditions. People after injuries or with PTSD often cannot return to their previous profession, and the state must offer new paths \u2014 retraining, microgrants, flexible work formats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Court Practice as a Path to Systemic Changes and Innovations to Help<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Many experts emphasized: court is not a last resort, but an advocacy tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inna Kolesnyk<\/strong> notes: “Court practice and judicial precedents are also a kind of advocacy. When this wave of lawsuits accumulates, the legislator understands that the law is not working and makes changes.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is how a law enforcement culture is formed, where the state begins to hear people not through public protests, but through arguments and court decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the key innovations of recent years is the appearance of the veteran support specialist.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


In the photo:<\/strong> Yaroslava Sulimova, Lawyer and Advocacy Specialist<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawyer and advocacy specialist Yaroslava Sulimova explains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“These changes are about ensuring veterans don’t remain alone with bureaucracy. Now the state is creating a system where information is not lost, and help comes faster and more clearly. Support specialists should become guides in matters that previously had to be resolved independently.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This approach transforms state policy into a service model, where it’s important not only to adopt laws but also to support a person at every stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practical Recommendations from Experts: Statuses, Procedures, and Guarantees<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Combat Participant Status<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

According to the Law of Ukraine on the Status of War Veterans and Guarantees of Their Social Protection, the combat participant (UBD) status for the period from February 24 to March 25, 2022, is granted to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n