A meeting of the Coordination Council on the Protection of the Rights of War Veterans and Members of Their Families, Family Members of Fallen (Deceased) Defenders of Ukraine, as well as Prisoners of War and Missing Persons, was held under the chairmanship of Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov.
On August 22, during the 9th International Veterans Forum, the Head of State outlined key tasks regarding veterans policy. These include the need to review legislation and build a modern system focused directly on veterans and their families, ensure meaningful support in practice, simplify access to services, digitize processes, and improve the effectiveness of state and local institutions.
For the Ministry for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, four interconnected areas are priorities: medical care, rehabilitation, and prosthetics; reform of the system of specialists who support war veterans and demobilized persons; reform of the system of veterans’ spaces; and health resort treatment and recuperation for veterans.
Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi noted that the 2027 budget is expected to allocate about UAH 18.5 billion to support veterans, whose number currently exceeds 1.5 million. Sergii Koretskyi proposed designating a person responsible for coordinating all veterans policy priorities and assured that the Cabinet of Ministers is ready to help resolve all outstanding issues.
Minister for Veterans Affairs Vitalii Kim spoke about work to transition from the current veteran support model to a single veteran pathway covering everything from discharge from military service to receiving the full range of necessary services.
Kyrylo Budanov noted that it is important to systematically inform the public about the implementation of the changes so that all veterans are aware of the opportunities available to them.
One of the key issues is the implementation of the law ensuring the right of service members, veterans, and former prisoners of war to proper medical care, rehabilitation, and prosthetics. In particular, veterans should receive the necessary medical care, rehabilitation, and prosthetic services through a clear pathway, without having to repeat the same procedures or face bureaucratic barriers.
Another important priority is reforming the system of veterans’ spaces. Above all, they must meet the actual needs of veterans and the communities where they live.