On November 3, the Ministry of Social Policy announced a new stage of the pilot project on basic social assistance: all households that meet the requirements can participate, regardless of previous payments.
Basic assistance replaces five separate programs — for low-income families, single mothers, large families, temporary assistance for children (when parents evade alimony or their whereabouts are unknown), and assistance for people without pension rights and people with disabilities. The recipient can either remain on current benefits or switch to basic assistance (in the event of a switch, previous types of support are terminated).
Assistance will not be granted if the family includes able-bodied adults who have not worked, studied, or registered with an employment center for more than three months (exception: caring for a person with a disability or loss of work capacity). The grounds for refusal are also large purchases or acquisition of property over the past year of more than 100 thousand UAH, more than 100 thousand UAH in accounts or bonds, a second apartment/house (with certain exceptions), or the presence of more than one car under 15 years old.
The basis for calculation is UAH 4,500: 100% for the first family member (authorized applicant), 100% for each child under 18 and persons with disabilities of groups I–II, 70% for each subsequent adult family member. The amount of assistance is determined as the algebraic sum of these shares (taking into account the program conditions).
According to the plan of the Ministry of Social Policy, combining several payments into a "basic" one should simplify access to support, make it clearer and more targeted.
