To the children and adults with disabilities and their representatives

The Ministry of Social Policy is the central executive authority that ensures the development of state policy for protecting rights of persons with disabilities. The purpose of the policy is to ensure observance of the rights and freedoms guaranteed to persons with disabilities by the legislation of Ukraine and the international legal acts.

The MSP creates legal, economic, political, social, psychological and other conditions for the public environment of equal opportunities for persons with disabilities and their integration into social life.

Actions by the state:

• elimination of obstacles and barriers to ensuring the rights and meeting the needs, including access to public and civil, welfare facilities, transport infrastructure, road services (hereinafter the “physical surrounding facilities”), transport, information, and communication, and, taking into account individual capabilities, abilities and interests, to education, labour, culture, physical culture and sports;
• health care;
• social protection;
• implementation of the individual rehabilitation programme for persons with disabilities;
• provision of adapted housing;
• support of civil activities.

Social protection of persons with disabilities includes granting of pensions, state assistance, compensation and other payments, benefits, social services, rehabilitation activities, establishment of guardianship (custody), or third-party care.

In order to establish the accessible environment for everyone, the Government approved the National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Environment in Ukraine until 2030, which is aimed at determining the key problems and forming solutions for resolution/mitigation thereof.

The Action Plan for the implementation of the National Strategy for Creating a Barrier-Free Environment in Ukraine until 2030 was adopted.

Forms of social support of persons with disabilities

Social services.

The Classification of Social Services contains 39 social services for different categories who find themselves in difficult life circumstances. More than 50% of them are designated for persons with disabilities, including day care of children with disabilities, social support in employment and at work, the service of physical support of persons with disabilities with vision impairments, the service of translation into the sign language, inclusive learning support, a personal assistant, social adaptation (labour workshops). (there must be a link to the services here)

There are specific social services aimed at integration of children with disabilities. Thus, a social worker may be the child’s assistant within the social service of inclusive learning support. (there must be a link to the service here)

Moreover, there are benefit programmes, retraining programmes, and employment programmes to support and assist persons with disabilities, their rights to education are respected, and free rehabilitation and assistive products are provided.

Disability pensions

They are granted

to persons with disabilities provided that they have one to fifteen pensionable years (the quantity of pensionable years depends on the age at which the disability was established)

from the date when the disability is established provided that an application for the pension is submitted within three months from that date.

If the application is submitted later, the pension is granted from the date of application.

The disability pension is calculated depending on the disability group in percentage of the retirement pension:

to persons with disabilities of group I — 100% of the retirement pension

to persons with disabilities of group II — 90% of the retirement pension

to persons with disabilities of group III — 50% of the retirement pension

It should be noted that pensionable years for the retirement pension based on which the disability pension is calculated include the period from the date when the disability is established until the age of 60, in addition to the pensionable years available.

State social assistance to persons with childhood-onset disabilities and children with disabilities

It is granted:

• to persons with childhood-onset disabilities of group I, II, III (for the entire period of disability, from the date of application for the assignment, provided that all the necessary documents are submitted within three months), and
• to children with disabilities until the age of 18 (for the period specified in the medical opinion on the child with a disability, but in any case no longer than the age of 18)

The size is determined in percentage of the subsistence minimum for the persons who have lost their capacity for work.

• In 2025, it is UAH 2,361 to UAH 8,044.7

State social assistance to persons with disabilities

It is granted:

• for the entire duration of disability to the persons who meet the following conditions concurrently:
• the disability has been established;
• they are not paid the pension or social payments granted to compensate for the damage caused by occupational health harm, and state social assistance to persons with childhood-onset disabilities and children with disabilities (except for the persons with childhood-onset disabilities or children with disabilities eligible for state social assistance to a child of the deceased family provider and state social assistance to persons with childhood-onset disabilities and children with disabilities)
• are low-income persons (except for the persons with disabilities of group I).

Size

The size is UAH 2,361 (the subsistence minimum for the persons who have lost their capacity for work).

In case the subsistence minimum is increased, the assistance is recalculated from the date on which the new subsistence minimum s established.

How to get the assistance:

To file an application to the social protection authority of the local state administrations, executive bodies of city, city district (if any) councils

• personally or via the legal representative, or
• to send documents by mail.

The documents available in the state electronic information resources do not have to be submitted. The social protection authority receives data on its own via information exchanges.

Associated laws and resolutions:

• Law of Ukraine No. 1727-IV of 18.05.2004 “On State Social Assistance to Persons Ineligible for Pension, and to Persons with Disabilities”
• Resolution Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 261 of 02.04.2005 “On Approving the Procedure for Granting and Paying State Social Assistance to the Persons Ineligible for Pension and Persons with Disabilities, and State Social Assistance for Care”
• Order of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of Ukraine No. 345 of 19.09.2006 “On Approving the Guideline on the Procedure for Executing and Keeping Personal Files of Recipients of All Types of Social Assistance” registered with the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine on 06.10.2006 under No. 1098/12972
• Order of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine No. 3 of 09.01.2023 “On Approving the Form of the Application for Granting All Types of Social Assistance and Compensations” registered with the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine on 23.01.2023 under No. 145/39201

Provision of assistive rehabilitation aids

Persons with disabilities, children with disabilities, and children with musculoskeletal disorders have the right to receive prescribed rehabilitation aids free of charge. If desired, the prescribed aids can be purchased independently, and financial compensation can be obtained within the maximum prices approved by the Ministry of Social Policy.

You can find detailed information on how to obtain rehabilitation aids in the “Assistive Rehabilitation Aids section and on the specialized online platform protez.msp.gov.ua.

Children with musculoskeletal disorders can receive prosthetic and orthopedic products (except orthopedic footwear) free of charge.

Children with disabilities and children with musculoskeletal disorders receive rehabilitation aids as a priority.

For persons with disabilities and the legal representatives of children with disabilities who have hearing or vision impairments, to receive financial compensation for prescribed rehabilitation aids (which compensate for hearing/vision impairments), it is sufficient to provide a document confirming the respective hearing/vision disability and a payment receipt confirming the purchase of such aids.