SOCIAL ADAPTATION OF VETERANS AND THE IMPERATIVES OF NATIONAL SECURITY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62664/cpa.2025.02.25Keywords:
war veterans, social adaptation, reintegration, public administration, martial law.Abstract
The article examines the mechanisms of public administration of social adaptation and reintegration of veterans of the Russian – Ukrainian war under the conditions of the legal regime of martial law and preparations for Ukraine’s post-war recovery. Based on an analysis of the conceptual and categorical apparatus, the current regulatory and legal framework (laws on the status of veterans, social and legal protection of servicemembers, pension provision, rehabilitation of persons with disabilities, national resistance, martial law), strategic documents and administrative data, the contemporary architecture of veteran policy is outlined. It is shown that this policy is acquiring the features of a proactive, functionally reintegrative model, yet still retains a high level of fragmentation, normative duplication, resource constraints and a lack of operational mechanisms, particularly in the areas of mental health, professional reintegration and local support infrastructure. Special attention is paid to the multi-level governance system (central – regional – local levels), the functioning of the Unified State Register of War Veterans, the network of veteran support specialists, and the instruments of medical, social, educational and economic support. The article substantiates the need to codify veteran legislation through the adoption of a Veterans’ Social Protection Code, the formation of an institutionally unified governance vertical based on the Ministry for Veterans Affairs, the introduction of case management, the development of the mental health sector, the strengthening of the role of territorial communities, and the implementation of project-based budgeting with clear KPIs. It is concluded that the transition to an institutionally mature, digitally integrated and economically sustainable model of veteran policy is a key precondition for the successful reintegration of veterans into full social life and for ensuring national resilience in the long term.
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