The resolution has been adopted

The government has endorsed the procedure for assigning and giving subsidies to cover additional expenses on housing and communal services that will grow due to hike in prices and services tariffs, through voting in favour of the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dd. April 5, 2014 №83 On Reinforcement of Social Security Instruments in case of hike in prices and services tariffs.

This procedure covers subsidies that will be given to the persons if the average monthly income for preceding six months of all members of their family does not exceed the minimum cost of living, which is the sum of living wages of all family members, with taking into account socio-demographic groups the later belong to.  For the purpose of this procedure, the persons who live in the apartment registered at the same address are regarded to be one family.

The subsidy is irreversible, i.e. it shouldn’t be paid back. To get a subsidy, an applicant should appeal to the authority dealing with social security issues located at the place of registration of the latter and file an application along with a suite of documents, in particular, income certificates issued to people who live and are registered at the same address (apart from certificates of retirement benefits and social security benefits).

The amount of each subsidy is calculated separately per type of communal services provided during the heating season, the season during which additional heat is not needed, and an incomplete month during the heating season in proportion to a number of days in the heating season in given months.

The subsidy is charged for the period starting from the month on which an application for financial aid is filed up to the end of the heating season in 2014-2015. If an application for receiving a subsidy is filed within three months since the date this procedure takes effect, the subsidiary can be given from May 2014 upon request of an applicant. In case of a rise in prices and service charges for housing and communal services during the period covered by the subsidy, its amount is recalculated by reckoning with the increase occurred.

After the decision on disbursement of a financial aid is made, the social security authority correspondingly informs the applicant of it by sending a notification that states the subsidy amount per type of communal services during the heating period and that when the house is not heated, including incomplete months of the heating season and the period covered by the subsidy. 

Moreover, by the 25th of each month the social security authority gives a list of persons to the utilities enterprises that enumerates those granted a subsidy and its amount. The subsidy is transferred monthly to the enterprises providing communal services by crediting this amount to the personal account of the applicant.

It is worth noting that provision of a subsidy will be suspended if the applicant does not pay for communal services (except for delays in salary payments, social benefits, etc., what is proved by required documents), either conceals or consciously distorts the information given in the application form about income and composition of a family, i.e. a number of family members who dwell and registered at the same address. The indemnity money should be returned if they are given upon invalid grounds.