What changes await Ukrainians from May 1: mobilization, communal services, subsidies

Legislative changes regarding mobilization will enter into force in Ukraine in May. At the same time, the list of social guarantees for military personnel will be expanded. In addition, graduates will take a multi-subject test. Recalculation of housing subsidies is also planned, and utility bills will increase in some regions.
What about mobilization?
From May 18, all conscripts who are currently not serving will have two months to update their data in the TCC. This can be done not only in picking centers, but also in administrative service centers. Later, it will also be possible to fill out documents online in the conscript’s electronic account, but this service has not yet been launched.
Ukrainians who are in other countries must also register for the military. For this purpose, the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers sets an even shorter time – 30 days.
Also, by mid-July, all MSEK conclusions issued to citizens aged 25-50 after February 24, 2022 must be checked.
In addition, changes in the legislation provide that from September 1 next year, all Ukrainian students must undergo a course of basic military training. Everyone who applies for a position in the prosecutor’s office or in the civil service will take the same course.
Vacations and treatment of military personnel
Law No. 3621-IX, which enters into force on May 4, provides for changes in some aspects of social security for military and police officers. In particular, during the special period, the command is obliged to grant leave to military personnel who have had a child.
Defenders who are raising a child under 14 on their own will receive an additional 14 days of sick leave in case the child is ill.
In addition, the period of treatment of military personnel with preservation of material and monetary support was increased to 12 months. At the same time, if the treatment lasts more than 4 months, its necessity must be confirmed by the conclusion of the VLK.
Utilities and subsidies: what will change?
In May, the amount of housing subsidies will be automatically recalculated. However, payments will not be automatically extended to everyone. Those who rent housing, or applicants who claim to receive stove fuel or liquefied gas, will have to reapply for subsidies. Also, the application and declaration must be submitted to the owners of housing in which internally displaced persons are accommodated. Those who have fewer people living at home than are actually registered will have to reapply for the subsidy.
Also, the residents of small towns expect an increase in the price of water supply services. As for the tariffs in big cities, the decision of the NCRECP has not yet been made. However, in the coming months, water supply will become more expensive in megacities as well.
Testing for graduates
From May 14 to July 19, school graduates must take the national multi-subject test (NMT). Students can find out the exact date of the test from May 8. Relevant information will appear in the personal electronic account of graduates.
Schoolchildren who are currently abroad also have the right to take the test. Test centers are organized in 57 cities in 32 countries.
Changes for drivers
If earlier the daytime running lights or low beams of car headlights outside the population centers had to be turned on from October 1 to May 1, now drivers must turn them on throughout the year. Motorists who violate this rule face a fine of 425 to 510 hryvnias.
The growth of pensions
Although pension payments are not expected to be recalculated in May. Despite this, additional payments to old-age pensions will be added. If the amount of payments is less than 10,340 hryvnias, pensioners aged 70 to 74 will receive a 300 hryvnia supplement, citizens aged 75-79 will receive 456 hryvnias, and the allowance for Ukrainians over 80 will be 570 hryvnias.
Financial aid from the UN
The Pension Fund reported that in May and June, pensioners who live in places recognized as areas of active hostilities or possible hostilities will be able to receive financial assistance.
“Pensioners in Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson and Chernihiv regions who meet the conditions of the program will receive payments from the UN WFP in an amount equal to the difference between UAH 3,250 and the amount of the pension they currently receive “, – note in The Pension Fund of Ukraine.
What can Ukrainians expect abroad?
Ukrainian men currently living abroad will no longer have the right to receive consular services at diplomatic offices of Ukraine. This means, in particular, that it will not be possible to get a new foreign passport if the previous one has expired. Also, citizens of conscription age will not have the opportunity to issue other documents at embassies and consulates.