IDP payments will be reviewed from March: who risks being left without money for six months?

In March, the six-month period for the appointment of state results for some internally displaced persons. After that, the social protection authorities conduct a re-verification of the right to receive payments. It is at this stage that individual displaced persons may lose their monthly financial support.

Automatic extension of assistance is provided only for socially vulnerable categories. This concerns pensioners with a pension below the established limit level, persons with disabilities of groups I–II, children with disabilities and seriously ill children, orphans, as well as foster families and foster parents. For other recipients, the key factor will be the financial situation of the family.

The determining factor is the average monthly total income per family member. If it exceeds the established threshold, the right to assistance is lost. Even a formal increase in income can be a reason for termination of payments – for example, due to employment or opening a sole proprietorship.

A change in the actual place of residence is also taken into account. Assistance is terminated if a person returns to an abandoned settlement or leaves Ukraine. The length of stay abroad is also critical: more than 30 calendar days in a row or more than 60 days in total during the period of receiving benefits is grounds for their cancellation.

In addition, compliance with the conditions for participation in other support programs, in particular housing rental compensation, is checked. The presence of one’s own housing in a safe region, loss of IDP status, or non-compliance with property criteria may also affect the decision to continue assistance.

The March review does not mean the automatic cancellation of benefits for all displaced persons, but it creates the risk of their termination for those who no longer meet the established requirements. Therefore, IDPs should check in advance the relevance of their data in state registers and make sure that all criteria are met.

The status of an internally displaced person is confirmed by an appropriate certificate, which is the legal basis for receiving cash assistance and access to social protection programs. Persons with IDP status can apply not only for monthly payments, but also for housing subsidies, rental compensation and other forms of state support provided for by law.