Innovative Mechanisms for Financing Social Services for Veterans in the Community Sustainable Development System

Abstract

Community-based funding mechanisms for social services for veterans are important for the effective support, reintegration, and social adaptation of veterans, as well as their subsequent employment. In Ukraine, the number of combatants, war veterans, persons with war-related disabilities, and family members of deceased (killed) war veterans is growing. In this regard, communities have become one of the key providers of financial support for social services. The purpose of this article was to study innovative mechanisms for financing social services for veterans in the context of sustainable community development. The research methodology is based on a legal analysis of legislation in the field of social protection and support for veterans in 1993-2025, a statistical assessment, and a correlation analysis of local community budget expenditures on veteran support programs in 2024-2025. The results indicate the development of legal support for the financing of social services for veterans and their families on a community basis using local budget funds. At the same time, the main drawback is that local authorities have the power to finance additional social protection guarantees for veterans and develop psychological assistance programs with the involvement of specialists in supporting veterans. A statistical assessment of local budget expenditures on psychological support programs for veterans revealed an increase in expenditures in 2024-2025. Correlation analysis shows that there is no connection between the regional distribution of veterans and expenditures on psychological support programs for them. The amount of spending on support programs does not depend on the income of local community budgets. At the same time, the level of need for psychological assistance among veterans decreased in 2023-2024, and the overall need for social services for veterans is significantly lower than the need for material support. Therefore, local veteran policy should take into account the specific needs of veterans for various social services. In this regard, there is a need to coordinate the actions of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine with local executive authorities in communities. The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of using the recommendations developed in the design and implementation of state policy on the financial provision of social services for veterans at the community level in developing countries.

 Keywords: financing of social services, social adaptation, reintegration of veterans, social protection of veterans, veteran support programs.