The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the social insurance reform.

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved two draft laws aimed at assigning social benefits based on the assessment of citizens' working capacity. This is part of a reform to abolish the medical and social expert commissions (MSEC). This was announced by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on November 12.

According to the Prime Minister, the Cabinet of Ministers previously submitted a draft law to parliament that establishes the algorithm for assessing an individual's daily functioning. At the meeting on November 12, the government approved two draft laws regulating social services and insurance payments.

“Payments will depend on the assessment of working capacity. Their amount for individuals with a complete and stable loss of work capacity will significantly increase compared to the current situation. For those with a partial and stable loss of work capacity, the state will compensate for the difference in salary that the person had before the insurance case and after returning to work,” said Denys Shmyhal.

Additionally, the changes include extending the period of paid treatment and rehabilitation from four months to one and a half years and protecting individuals from dismissal for the entire duration of their treatment.

The head of the government also reminded that the new system, which will replace the MSEC, will be digitized and focused on maximizing rehabilitation, returning individuals to active life, and adapting workplaces to their needs.

Practicing doctors in multidisciplinary hospitals, as part of expert teams, will objectively assess the patient's condition and their actual needs for recovery. According to Denys Shmyhal, options for remote, external, and on-site assessments will be available. Furthermore, the process will be digitized: all actions, steps, and documents will be recorded in an electronic system to minimize corruption risks. Statistics on teams, their activities, decisions, and queues will be available online for citizens.

“We aim to achieve European standards for effective rehabilitation, where about half of people after illnesses or injuries return to an active lifestyle. At the same time, the status of disability is maintained. It guarantees the right to social services, rehabilitation, benefits, and support for employment. For those who already have a disability, the situation will remain unchanged,” summarized Shmyhal.

It is worth noting that starting January 1, expert teams for assessing daily functioning will replace the MSEC in Ukraine. The decision to abolish the MSEC came amid revelations of large-scale corruption schemes in several regional medical and social expert commissions.

The Ministry of Health reported that expert teams for assessing daily functioning will operate in powerful multidisciplinary medical facilities. The new system will be digitized to prevent corruption and other abuses.