Veterans and their families do not need to travel to regional or district centers to sort out paperwork or receive psychological or legal support.
Support specialists are already working in communities across Ukraine. Every day, they meet with defenders who have returned from service. They not only help overcome bureaucratic barriers, but also coordinate services, provide support in times of crisis, and assess the needs of the community in a comprehensive manner.
Currently, 1,724 specialists in supporting veterans are working in 1,098 local communities, and their number is constantly growing.
"The main goal of the support specialists is to be there for defenders and their families, providing comprehensive support. This is the first initiative of this scale in Ukraine with an individual approach to each veteran," according to the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine.
Who do support specialists provide assistance to?
- veterans;
- Defenders of Ukraine
- Demobilized persons
- Victims of the Revolution of Dignity
- Persons with special merits to the Motherland
- Family members of those killed (deceased)
- Family members of persons who went missing under special circumstances while serving in the military.
Це — не просто соціальні працівники, а висококваліфіковані фахівці, які розуміють специфіку роботи з ветеранами та ветеранками. Проходять перекваліфікацію та постійно навчаються.
What exactly do specialists do?
- They provide information about rights, status, social guarantees, housing, rehabilitation, employment, legal and medical assistance.
- They accompany veterans in providing services in accordance with current legislation.
- They coordinate interaction with other services.
- They provide crisis psychological support.
- report on the effectiveness of the services provided;
- implement the needs of veterans at the community level.
One specialist handles up to 35 cases, including veterans and their families (spouses, children, parents) — about 100 people in total.
How to find your support specialist:
- Through the "Dія" app in the "Veteran PRO" section: select "Find a specialist" and enter the community, full name, or region.
- Or contact the structural unit of the local government, district, regional, and Kyiv city state administration (military administration) responsible for veteran policy issues.
To date, support specialists have processed over 88,000 requests and provided over 323,000 support measures. The demand for their assistance is constantly growing.
The information campaign "Opportunities for Veterans" is being implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Veterans Affairs and the Veterans Reintegration Program, which is being implemented by IREX with the support of the US State Department.