Government approves draft law to strengthen social protection for veterans and victims of workplace accidents

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved a draft law aimed at strengthening social protection for war veterans returning to work after military service, as well as employees injured in workplace accidents.

The document proposes amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Mandatory State Social Insurance” and will be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada for consideration. The draft law was developed by the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity in response to appeals from citizens, employers, civil society organisations and trade unions.

In particular, the draft law introduces separate conditions for assigning insurance benefits to war veterans. Currently, if a person has less than six months of insurance contributions during the 12 months preceding an insured event, temporary incapacity benefits are capped at an amount calculated on the basis of the minimum wage.

The Government proposes changing this approach for combat veterans and persons with war-related disabilities. For these categories, insurance contribution records would be assessed over the 24 months preceding the insured event, rather than 12 months.

This approach takes into account the realities of veterans’ return to civilian life after military service. Time required for treatment, rehabilitation, recovery or rest should not reduce their entitlement to adequate social protection.

“After completing military service, a person should have a genuine opportunity to return to work following treatment, rehabilitation or simply a period of rest, without losing the right to fair insurance compensation as a result. We must adapt the social insurance system to the realities of wartime and the needs of veterans. This is not only about payments but also about respect for those who defended the country,” said Denys Uliutin.

The draft law also addresses the payment of temporary incapacity benefits in cases of workplace accidents before the official investigation is completed.

At present, insurance payments can only be made on the basis of an investigation report confirming a workplace accident or occupational disease. However, such investigations may take several months, particularly under martial law. During this period, an injured employee may be left without financial support that would otherwise replace lost earnings.

The proposed legislation would allow temporary incapacity benefits to be paid on the basis of a medical certificate of incapacity until the investigation is completed. The employer where the accident occurred would cover the first 17 days of temporary incapacity.

Once the investigation is completed, if the workplace accident is confirmed, additional payments may be made to bring compensation up to 100% of the employee’s average salary, regardless of insurance contribution history. If the accident is not confirmed as an insured event, the Pension Fund of Ukraine would reimburse the employer for benefits paid from the sixth to the seventeenth day of temporary incapacity.