Granting social assistance to the son of a fallen serviceman

Kateryna* approached a lawyer from the Charitable Foundation "Caritas Kharkiv" in Pisochyn after repeated refusals to grant social benefits to her minor son, Serhii*, whose father was a serviceman and was killed.

The Pension Fund refused because, during the preparation of documents by the military unit, a mistake was made in his name in the medical death certificate. As a result, this error was repeated in other documents: the death certificate, the extract from the protocol of the regular military medical commission, the family notification, and others.

This error cast doubt on the existence of family ties between the father and the son.

After the death of the breadwinner, the family’s financial situation deteriorated, and they could not seek paid legal assistance. Therefore, the opportunity to resolve this issue free of charge became a lifeline for the family.

The lawyer from the Charitable Foundation "Caritas Kharkiv," Serhii, collected a range of evidence and filed a claim in court to establish the fact of family relations. This helped prove that the deceased was indeed Serhii’s father.

After considering the application, the court established the fact of family relations between Serhii and his father, thereby restoring justice and opening the way for the boy to receive social support from the state.

The Charitable Foundation Caritas Kharkiv provides free legal aid to people affected by the war in cooperation with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) thanks to financial support from the European Union.

* Name changed to protect personal data.