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“The submitted draft proposes to authorize the Fund Board, provide additional social services to the Fund’s beneficiaries for the transition period under its defined conditions and order before applying the law on Personal Functionality Assessment,” the RA Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs David Khachatryan said at the extraordinary sitting of the NA Standing Committee on Labor and Social Affairs during the debate of the draft law on Making Amendments and Addenda to the Law on Compensation for Damages Caused to the Servicemen’s Life or Health during the Defense of the Republic of Armenia on February 22.

According to him, it is designed to pay financial support to those servicemen who had disabilities of the first or second group or with a deep or severe limitation of functionality, were beneficiaries of the fund and as a result of re-examination, were recognized as persons with disabilities of the third group or limitation of moderate functionality. The Deputy Minister mentioned that 114 beneficiaries appeared in this situation, and it is predicted that after the new law implementation, 160 persons will have disabilities of the third degree and will be deprived of the right to be a fund beneficiary. He informed that the amount supporting the 114 beneficiaries will decrease: the officers’ military disability pension is 38.377 AMD on average and they also receive a bonus of 36.000 AMD. Contract non-commissioned officers and rank-and-file volunteers will receive overall 116.000 AMD in total instead of 150.000 AMD, mandatory conscripts will receive 91.000 AMD instead of 100.000 AMD.

Davit Khachatryan informed that this opportunity will work for a period of 3 years and added that if any serviceman finds himself in this situation before 2026, he will continue to get this support for 3 years.

The Deputy Aghvan Vardanyan inquired when the law on Personal Functionality Assessment will be finally applied. In response, Davit Khachatryan informed that the functionality system, according to the law, was operated since February 1 of this year. He added that currently new applicants are undergoing functionality assessment according to the logic of this law, and the re-examination of the entire base will take place over time in accordance with the new principles. According to him, the process will last about 3 years.

In his speech, Aghvan Vardanyan proposed not to reduce the amount, because it is only about 114 people. According to him, it will not be a large amount.

Answering, the Deputy Minister stated that the amendment provides a financial and moral transition situation, and it should be taken into consideration that those servicemen’s health condition of has also improved if the order of disability has been lowered.

The Committee has endorsed the draft law.

The Committee also made a decision to propose to the NA Council to debate the issue within 24 hours.