How disability will be assigned in Ukraine: Is hospitalization necessary?

The new disability assignment rules in Ukraine stipulate that a patient will only be sent for additional examination once. There will be no need for hospitalization for medical evaluation, explained Health Minister Viktor Lyashko and his deputy Maria Karchevich.

Previously, many doctors required patients to have discharge papers from a hospital to obtain a disability group. Often, specialists insisted that individuals stay hospitalized multiple times a year. The Ministry of Health emphasizes that the list of necessary documents for obtaining disability will be clearly regulated.

To prevent patients from "going in circles," doctors will be allowed to send patients for additional examination no more than once to make a decision.

"Here we are addressing two issues: those who purchased disability when they didn’t need it and those who were not granted disability when they did," the minister added.

The Ministry of Health aims to find a "golden mean" so that those who should receive a disability group get it within a legally defined timeframe. The new rules, effective January 1, will simplify the disability acquisition process for military personnel, officials assure.

It’s worth noting that starting January 1, 2025, medico-social assessments will be abolished in Ukraine. A digitized system for assessing a person's daily functioning will replace them. The new expert team will require complete medical documentation to confirm the patient's diagnosis.

Ukrainian men aged 25 to 60 with II or III disability groups will have to undergo a repeat medical examination from April 1 to November 1, 2025.