Armenia’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has submitted a draft law for public discussion proposing to expand and clarify social guarantees for servicemen killed or injured while defending the homeland, as well as for the families of fallen soldiers.
The draft provides for the application of the compensation mechanism to cases that occurred in 1998–2016 as well, in order to ensure a more effective organization of the compensation process, reports Factor.am .
Accordingly, amendments are proposed to the law “On Compensation for Damage Caused to the Life or Health of Servicemen in the Defense of the Republic of Armenia,” allowing compensation not only for cases after January 1, 2017, but also for incidents between 1998 and 2016. These include situations where harm was caused during combat operations, while on duty at the line of contact, during special assignments, or as a result of enemy attacks.
Beneficiaries for cases from 2008–2016 have already been identified by decisions of the Board of Trustees of the Servicemen Insurance Fund, and payments will be made by the foundation. For cases from 1998–2007, beneficiaries will be determined based on the existing documents.
An interagency commission will also be established to confirm, through its conclusions or via court procedures, cases where documentation is missing but harm to servicemen’s life or health due to combat operations must be verified.
For cases between 1998 and 2016, lump-sum payments will not be provided, while monthly payments will be made over 20 years, in line with the amounts established for cases occurring after 2017.
