Heroes of Russia will receive payments automatically

The Government Commission on Legislative Activities approved amendments to the Ministry of Labor, which change the procedure for assigning monthly cash payments (UDV) for certain categories of citizens, a source close to the White House told Vedomosti. As follows from the draft document, which Vedomosti has read, it is proposed to make changes to the law “On the status of Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes of Russia and full holders of the Order of Glory.” It is for these categories of citizens that, from January 1, 2023, the procedure for appointing the UDV is changing.

Now the heroes of Russia and their families, if they themselves died, in order to receive payments, they need to apply to the Pension and Social Insurance Fund (SFR), where they need to submit an application and all necessary supporting documents. According to the text of the draft law developed by the Ministry of Labor, information on conferring the title of hero will be sent to the SFR by the bodies presenting the person for the award to the president. This should take place no later than five working days from the date of receipt of the title. If the SFR already has payment details (for example, a person receives a pension), payments will come from them. Otherwise, the hero or his relatives will be asked for a statement with details.

The Heroes of Russia are legally entitled to a EDV payment of 74,619 rubles. At the same time, the UDV can be replaced with benefits in kind: for travel, treatment in sanatoriums, etc. The bill says that after January 1, 2023, new rules are established: if the hero does not receive benefits in kind, then the payment is assigned from the date the title was awarded, regardless from the date of the application. If the heroes use benefits, then they can be assigned a EVF from the first day of the month following the appeal, and it is enough to apply by phone, e-mail or through the State Services – a separate application is not needed. Vedomosti sent a request to the Ministry of Labor.

“The bill frees the Heroes of Russia from bureaucracy when receiving special payments,” Vladimir Gruzdev, chairman of the board of the Association of Lawyers of Russia, told Vedomosti. The head of the Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs Yaroslav Nilov (LDPR) told Vedomosti that there are no mass complaints about bureaucratic problems with the provision of such payments to the Heroes mentioned in the relevant law: “But if people are supposed to receive payments, then they must be implemented promptly without creating problems.”

A source in one of the law enforcement agencies pointed out to Vedomosti that the bill is a continuation of the trend towards simplifying payments from the state. “This is especially true given the ongoing special operation, in which many fighters receive the title of Hero,” he said. According to the Kremlin website, since the beginning of the special operation in Ukraine, the title of Hero of Russia has been awarded to 124 people. Nurmagomed Gadzhimagomedov, who died on February 24, the day the hostilities began, was the first to be awarded the title of hero on March 3.

“Citizens receiving state awards are now forced, one way or another, to independently arrange the necessary subsidies, benefits, everything that they are entitled to on the occasion of the award,” says Vladimir Orlov, head of the Veche interregional public organization. “There is no corresponding public service.”

Yana Surinskaya participated in the preparation of the article