Veterans Policy in Bukovyna: From Protecting Rights to Real Opportunities for Professional Fulfilment

Support for veterans and women veterans after their return from military service must be comprehensive, systemic and accessible. It is important not only to guarantee social protection but also to create conditions for employment, professional development, starting one's own business and full integration into community life.

These issues were the subject of discussion at a working meeting at the Chernivtsi Regional Military Administration devoted to the state of implementation of veterans policy in the region.

Liubov Kozholianko, director of the Chernivtsi Regional Employment Centre, took part in the event.

During the meeting, the Special Report of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights “On the State of Implementation of Veterans Policy in Ukraine” was publicly presented at the regional level. It was presented by Iryna Isopenko, representative of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in Chernivtsi Region.

Participants discussed compliance with the rights of war veterans, members of their families and the families of fallen Defenders of Ukraine, as well as the current problems that defenders face after returning to civilian life. Among the priorities are social guarantees, accessibility of medical and social services, protection of legitimate interests, development of veteran spaces and proper support from specialists.

During the discussion, Liubov Kozholianko, director of the Chernivtsi Regional Employment Centre, drew attention to the opportunities for professional fulfilment of veterans and women veterans, since a return to civilian life requires not only social adaptation but also new professional prospects.

“Employment for a veteran is much more than the opportunity to earn a salary. It is the restoration of professional confidence and financial independence, the ability to plan the future and to feel needed by society. Our task is not to decide for a veteran what his future should be, but to help him see the opportunities and make his own choice,” stressed Liubov Kozholianko.

This is exactly the principle on which the Chernivtsi Regional Employment Service works. Support for veterans is not limited to selecting vacancies. Specialists help to identify professional opportunities, find a job taking into account previous experience and preferences, prepare a CV and establish contact with employers.

In the period 2022–2026, the services of the Chernivtsi Regional Employment Centre were used by:

• 1,748 veterans and women veterans;
• 1,632 persons received the status of unemployed;
• 338 defenders were employed;
• 67 persons completed vocational training;
• 39 veterans received training vouchers;
• 16 persons took part in public and other temporary works.

An important area of support is the development of veteran entrepreneurship. After all, one's own business is an opportunity not only to realise a personal business idea but also to create jobs, attract investment into the community and contribute to the development of the local economy.

Since June 2023, thanks to the programme “Grant for Veterans and Their Family Members”, in Bukovyna:

80 winners received grant support;

• UAH 37 million was attracted into the region's economy for starting and developing businesses;
• 150 new jobs were created by veterans and members of their families.

Veteran business in Bukovyna is developing in various spheres: trade and services, farming, catering, education and manufacturing.

An important condition for the successful integration of veterans into the professional environment is employers' readiness to create accessible jobs and ensure proper working conditions.

To this end, state programmes of financial support for employers are in operation:

• 100% compensation of labour costs for employed combatants for six months, in an amount of up to 1.5 minimum wages;
• compensation of the costs of equipping workplaces for people with disabilities: up to UAH 129 thousand for persons with Group I disability and up to UAH 86 thousand for persons with Group II disability.

Following the working meeting, participants agreed to strengthen cooperation and communication among all responsible institutions in order to ensure proper protection of veterans' rights, accessibility of services and comprehensive support.

For the Chernivtsi Regional Employment Centre, veterans policy is above all about concrete opportunities for people. It is work, a new profession, one's own business, financial independence and confidence in tomorrow.

It is important that every veteran and every woman veteran knows that after returning to civilian life there are opportunities for professional development, and that there are specialists nearby who are ready to help them go down this path.

Source: Chernivtsi Regional Employment Centre (chn.dcz.gov.ua), https://chn.dcz.gov.ua/novyna/veteranska-polityka-na-bukovyni-vid-zahystu-prav-do-realnyh-mozhlyvostey-dlya-profesiynoyi