Social support is needed not only for mobilized personnel but also for career military – experience of service providers

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, at the initiative of the Ministry of Social Policy, has increased the number of military units (subunits) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including military hospitals and training centers, where social support services for military personnel and their family members will be provided. This is expected to ensure social support for a larger number of servicemembers, particularly those undergoing treatment in hospitals.

The pilot project has been implemented since 2023, and as of today, over 20,000 military personnel have received the service.

One of the service providers is the Public Organization "Center for Social Adaptation," which has been operating in Cherkasy since 2000. The Center was created for the social adaptation of military personnel discharged from service.

Gennadiy Melnychenko, the head of the organization, is himself a former serviceman. After being demobilized, he says the NGO emerged in response to the challenge of how military personnel could live in civilian circumstances.

"Career military personnel were not taught how to live in civilian conditions. We were trained to fight and serve, but no one taught us how to earn money. Not all discharged servicemen received pensions, which caused serious social tensions. Unfortunately, there were no social programs back then," Gennadiy recounts.

At that time, discharged servicemen were offered psychological adaptation, retraining for both the serviceman and his wife if needed, as well as employment assistance or support in starting their own business.

In 2014, with the start of Russia's war against Ukraine, "young veterans" emerged with a strong demand for justice and uncertainty about how to proceed after discharge.

The "Center for Social Adaptation" then focused its efforts on protecting the social rights of young veterans, securing benefits for them, and uniting the veteran community.

"The 2022 war is a completely different war. More problems and challenges. However, the difficulties faced by servicemen remain our priority. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, we dealt with humanitarian issues for defenders: from basic necessities to defense-related items. Later, the Cherkasy Social Protection Department, with whom we frequently collaborate on veteran rights issues, proposed that our NGO join the social support service," says the head of the organization.

After training organized by the Ministry of Social Policy, the "Center for Social Adaptation" signed an agreement with one of Cherkasy's military units.

Social support or social protection is needed by all military personnel. And it is important for defenders' families to know they are not forgotten.

Although the project is experimental and some misunderstandings arose at the beginning, its main advantage is that service providers learn how to properly collaborate with the military target audience.

The first recipient of the service was the commander of one of the military units. First, the officer needed professional counseling, and second, the commander set an example by showing that seeking help is normal and right.

"Our main task is to support the serviceman and help him access the benefits guaranteed by the state. We also break down the wall of misunderstanding between the bureaucratic system and the military. Most importantly, by resolving the defender's issues, we leave him time to focus on combat missions without worrying about civilian problems," emphasizes Gennadiy Melnychenko, head of the NGO.

Understanding the psychology of the audience is also crucial. Often, when communicating with a serviceman on combat missions, he closes off and is reluctant to engage, insisting he needs nothing. Sometimes, families also refuse support, as their only goal is for their husband, son, or father to return home as soon as possible. However, once we start working, both servicemen and their families are pleasantly surprised that their problems are being addressed and they are not forgotten.

According to Gennadiy Melnychenko, there are still gaps in the social protection of defenders and their families. For example, it is difficult to obtain educational benefits for servicemen's children. However, each successful case is not only targeted assistance but also a precedent for resolving similar requests.

After successfully implementing the service in one unit, the Ministry of Social Policy proposed that the organization expand its activities to more military units across the country.

"Today, we work with 9 military units in different regions of Ukraine. After refining our methodology in one unit and training people, we have already shared our experience with other partners, friends, and colleagues," says the head of the organization.

The majority of daily cases involve consultations and information provision. However, there are also very non-standard cases related to restoring justice. For example, in Lviv Oblast, a man volunteered for the front, leaving behind his wife and child, who had a second-degree disability. Later, it turned out that without prior diagnosis, his wife's disability status was downgraded to third-degree. After lengthy consultations with doctors and all stakeholders, the Center restored justice and resolved the situation in the family's favor.

In another case in Lviv, the organization's specialists supported a serviceman from the moment he sustained a severe injury, helped him recover and obtain necessary documents, collaborated with the Disability Protection Fund to secure rehabilitation aids, and eventually even arranged for specialized prosthetics at a German clinic — exactly what the defender needed.

In Cherkasy Oblast, there was a case where a serviceman at the front requested leave to return home because his elderly parents needed disability registration and assistive devices. However, 10 days of leave would not have been enough to resolve all issues. The "Center for Social Adaptation" immediately stepped in and, with the involvement of the hospital, quickly helped process all necessary documents and fulfill the request.

The service is expected to transition from a pilot project to a permanent one, as requests from military units continue to grow.

A representative of the "Center for Social Support" notes that service providers were counting on expanding the list of military units participating in the experiment — demand from units is increasing.

"A serviceman from one of the units where we provide the service transferred to another and asked if we would continue supporting his social requests. Unfortunately, his new unit was not part of the project at the time. After changes to the resolution, perhaps they will be added," says Gennadiy.

Gennadiy Melnychenko advises all providers planning to join the service to involve everyone connected to military assistance: collaborate with the Disability Protection Fund and the Ministry of Social Policy; engage local governments and specialized volunteer organizations and foundations.