Ukrainian military personnel with combat veteran status are entitled to various state benefits. The Law of Ukraine on the Status of War Veterans and Guarantees of Their Social Protection outlines a wide range of benefits for combat veterans (UBD).
Among these, there are specific benefits related to utility services.
Utility Service Benefits for UBDs:
– 75% discount on housing services;
– 75% discount on utility services;
– 100% discount for individuals with disabilities on utility services.
The area of housing, for which the discount is provided, during the calculation of heating fees, is 21 square meters of heated area per person who permanently resides in the dwelling (house) and is entitled to the discount, plus an additional 10.5 square meters per family.
For families consisting solely of pensioners, a 75% discount on gas used for heating the home is provided for twice the standard heated area (42 square meters per person entitled to the discount and 21 square meters per family).
Priority is given to ensuring housing for persons in need of improved living conditions, as well as the priority allocation of land for individual residential construction, gardening, and horticulture, as well as the priority repair of homes and apartments.
Individuals who have sustained injuries (concussions or disabilities during combat) are guaranteed housing within two years after they have been placed on the housing list.
Combat veterans can receive a loan for the construction, reconstruction, or major repairs of residential buildings and yard buildings, summer houses, with repayment over 10 years, starting from the fifth year after the completion of construction.
They have the right to priority entry into housing construction cooperatives, cooperatives for the construction and maintenance of collective garages, parking lots, and their technical servicing, as well as gardening societies.
Combat veterans are also entitled to priority use of all communication services and priority installation of telephones at discounted rates (payment of 20% for basic services and 50% for additional works). The subscription fee for phone usage is set at 50% of the approved rates.
How Combat Veterans Can Receive Utility Benefits in 2024
- It is important to note that benefits for utility services can only be received by individuals who have already obtained the status of combat veteran. If you are in the process of obtaining the status, you will not be able to apply for utility benefits.
- After obtaining the combat veteran status, you need to submit two applications: one for the inclusion of data in the Unified State Automated Register of Persons Entitled to Benefits (ЄДАРП) and another for the provision of benefits for housing and utility services.
These applications should be submitted to the Pension Fund of Ukraine. In addition to the applications, combat veterans must provide the originals and copies of:
– Passport,
– Identification number,
– Combat veteran certificate.
Applications and required documents can be submitted:
– At the nearest Pension Fund service center,
– Through the personal account on the Pension Fund’s website,
– Through the Diya app (requires verification using Diya.Signature).
After processing the applications, Pension Fund specialists will inform the applicant about the status and the result of the application review.
