Draft bill #11007 of February 12, 2024
Cosponsors: 23 MPs from the Servant of the People faction and groups For the Future and Trust with Taras Tarasenko as the first signatory
Status: sent for review to the Committee on Social Policy and Veterans’ Rights Protection
Who is affected: veterans, their family members, family members of fallen veterans, POWs, service members missing in action due to the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, and injured participants of the Revolution of Dignity
Summary:
a comprehensive veterans affairs policy will be developed. It will include:
- medical, social, and psychosocial rehabilitation
- honoring and recognition of the deeds and memory of veterans
- social and economic security for veterans
- facilitation of veterans’ reintegration into society
- involvement of veterans in the development of Ukrainian society.
What is right: the bill proposes a comprehensive approach to developing a veterans affairs policy aimed at social adaptation and reintegration of veterans, their psychological support, medical rehabilitation, vocational retraining, employment, recuperation, and rest.
What is wrong:
- the bill does not provide a definition of the veteran status
- the bill does not propose a coherent veterans affairs policy. This could result in contradictory state decisions and ad hoc legislation on the issue.
Alternative solution: to ensure the development and implementation of an effective state veterans affairs policy defined in a law.
Background information: on February 7, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada voted for the dismissal of the Minister of Veterans Affairs Yulia Laputina.
Additional information:
- Article by Yuliia Pietsko: No place for veterans? How the state policy on veterans in Ukraine should look like
- Points Considered podcast: (Un)protected defenders: how does the state care for the military, and what is wrong with the Ministry of Veterans Affairs?