Author
As noted previously, persons who are recognised as refugees or persons in need of complementary protection enjoy the same rights and freedoms and have the same obligations as citizens of Ukraine.[1] However, as mentioned previously, refugees are those who live “permanently” in the territory and thus have access to the social services offered by the State, which includes but are not limited to the right to pension,[2] disability payments[3] child care benefits,[4] etc.[5] In the case of persons in need of complementary protection, in most events, they would have access to certain social services if the legislation specifically mentioned them among the recipients of certain services. For instance, persons in need of complementary protection are mentioned in the Law on State Assistance to Families with Children,[6] Procedure for Granting a One-time Assistance “Baby Box” at the Birth of a Child,[7] Procedure for Granting and Paying State Social Assistance to Persons with Disabilities from Childhood and Children with Disabilities, etc.[8] This list is not complete and does not mean that persons in need of complementary protection are excluded from other social services. However, they may face obstacles when trying to obtain service where they are not specifically mentioned.
In addition, this access is limited by low awareness of the Ukrainian service providers of these categories of people and their rights, bureaucratic obstacles, and language barriers.[9]
Social Services Classifier foresees two tailored social services for recognised refugees, social integration and reintegration, but complementary protection beneficiaries are not mentioned in the document.[10] However, there is no information on how these services are applied in practice and regarding the feedback from beneficiaries.
[1] Article 14(1) Law on Refugees.
[2] Article 1 Law on Pensions.
[3] Article 2 Law on State Social Assistance to Persons not Entitled to a Pension and Persons with Disabilities.
[4] Article 1 Law on State Assistance to Families with Children.
[5] Para. 25 Regulation on the Organisation of Social Services Provision of 1 June 2020 No. 587
[6] Article 1 Law on State Assistance to Families with Children.
[7] Para 4, Procedure for Granting a One-time In-kind Assistance “Baby Box” at the Birth of a Child.
[8] Para. 2 Procedure for Granting and Paying State Social Assistance to Persons with Disabilities from Childhood and Children with Disabilities.
[9] United Nations Ukraine, Assessment of the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 in Ukraine, 02 December 2020, available here, e.g.38-39.
[10] Para 23 Social Services Classifier.