Financial Support for Military Personnel After Voluntary Return from Unauthorized Absence: New Details and Reinstatement Procedures
In the current situation in Ukraine, where martial law and general mobilization are ongoing, the issue of financial support for servicemen takes on particular importance. According to existing regulations, military personnel who decide to voluntarily leave their military unit (unauthorized absence) during wartime face questions regarding the restoration of their monetary allowances upon return. The Army Inform publication provides detailed clarification on this process, emphasizing the procedures for resuming payments and the conditions under which a serviceman can return to service. The simplified mechanism for return involves a serviceman reporting to a designated reserve battalion and remaining there until further decisions are made about their future military status. The commanding officer of the military unit from which the serviceman withdrew must, within 24 hours, send a pay certificate to the reserve battalion, indicating the last salary and monthly allowances based on the previous position. Subsequently, the battalion commander issues a formal order to reinstate the serviceman’s military service within 72 hours based on the soldier’s report. This order explicitly states the salary levels applicable before the absence and the new salary if the serviceman is assigned a different position. Regarding salary payments: before officially reinstating a serviceman to a new position, the order on reinstatement specifies the previous salary according to the military’s pay certificate, aligning with the data from the military unit where the unauthorized absence occurred. From the moment the order becomes effective and the serviceman starts duties in the new position, salary payments are made according to the new salary rate. As for monthly bonuses, they are not accrued for the month during which the serviceman was in unauthorized absence, since this period is considered a violation of service obligations. If a serviceman returns within the same month, having been absent part of the time, no bonuses are issued for that month, but from subsequent months, payments, including bonuses, are restored in full. Additionally, legal experts from INSEININ highlighted that evasion of mobilization entails legal consequences, emphasizing the importance of complying with established procedures and regulations.