Ukraine veteran support

4. Early intervention in the return to civilian life

Nowadays, discharge from the military in Ukraine sadly often involves wounded soldiers. However, with more than a million soldiers on active duty, in case of a cessation of hostilities, there is a huge potential flow of combatants returning to civilian life, even when many of them could be called up for reserve duty. There are initiatives towards further co‑ordination in transition support. For example, the medical information system of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is being hooked up with the electronic healthcare system – the central database for medical documentation of the Ukrainian population. In addition, there is a pilot project with the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity on social service delivery to military personnel covering a range of military units and hospitals (Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, 2025[24]). However, an integrated support system to support the flow of military personnel into civilian life does not yet exist.

An effective transition of veterans from military to civilian life is difficult and even more so when people cannot return to where they came from when the war started. However, it would be prudent to start implementing relevant policies as the evidence from our work on health, social and labour market policy suggests that one issue is crucial: early intervention, i.e. helping people early to prevent more problems and higher costs later, see for example (OECD, 2015[25]).

The share of veterans in Ukraine is much larger than in any OECD country, and because of the size of the challenge and the significant capacity constraints Ukraine is facing in all its systems and services, taking the right decisions and setting the right priorities is crucial. A number of OECD countries offer more or less integrated transition programmes, and despite the difference in scale of these programmes, they may hold important lessons for future policy development. Indeed, across all countries a key area of policy interest is the early identification of needs and rapid provision of associated support services (e.g. mental and physical health services, employment, and skills support) and how to best integrate service delivery across sectors and across individual and family needs.

There are two key aspects to successful, smooth and timely transitioning from military to civilian life, early identification of needs and associated early interventions.

4.1. Early identification of the needs of transitioning veterans

There are different approaches towards needs assessment of military personnel before they transition out of the military in Australia, Canada, France, the United Kingdom and the United States:

• All five countries have developed mechanisms to assess service members’ post-service needs prior to discharge, though the degree of formality, comprehensiveness, and enforcement varies.

• Australia and Canada appear to have a proactive and comprehensive approach towards needs assessment covering housing, education, mental health, and financial well-being. In Australia, the Defence Force Transition Program (DFTP) delivers individualised transition planning for all personnel, including needs assessment and case triage based on complexity, with dedicated transition support officers (Australian Government, 2022[26]). The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Transition Centres implement formal needs assessments and Individual Transition Plans ITPs (Canadian Military Family Magazine, 2022[27]; Government of Canada, 2026[28]; 2026[29]) particularly regarding those discharged due to permanent medical conditions that render them unfit for continued service.

• The formal assessment of individual post-service needs – such as housing or health challenges – is not systematically embedded within the curriculum (U.S. Air Force, 2025[30]). Needs identification often relies on self-reporting during the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) sessions (see below) or upon follow-up through programmes.

• In the United Kingdom, pre‑discharge needs assessments are voluntary, and early engagement tends to focus on career services rather than holistic or co‑ordinated needs evaluation. Vulnerable groups (e.g. those medically discharged) may receive enhanced services through Defence Transition Services (Office for Veteran's Affairs, 2024[31]).

• France does not mandate a standardised assessment process across all branches of the Armed Forces. Pre‑discharge planning typically involves referral to Défense Mobilité, which focusses on employment-related pathways (Ministère des Armées et des Anciens Combattants, 2026[32]). Broader social or medical needs are addressed post-discharge through the ONaCVG (ONaCVG, 2026[33]), resulting in a fragmented approach to early needs identification. However, the French system is notable for its departmental approach to service delivery, with its 104 local services which can draw on a pool of service specialists. A set-up that may be of interest to policymakers in Ukraine with its 136 “raions” or “districts”.

Of course, needs can change over time, and issues such as mental health concerns that are not apparent at the time of discharge may appear in later years. At that time public and private agencies dedicated to veterans, rather than Defence agencies, are the most likely pathway to support.

4.2. Characteristics of effective transitioning programmes

All five selected countries operate dedicated, government-funded veteran transition programmes, but their structure and delivery models differ. Programmes always involve the Defence and Veteran’s agencies, often involving other public agencies as well as contractors, private charities and veteran organisations, but their role varies across countries.

• Mandatory participation in transition programmes exists in the United States (TAP) and Australia (DFTP), ensuring that nearly all service leavers receive pre‑discharge support. In Canada, France and the United Kingdom, participation in programmes is voluntary but widely utilised and targeted to high-need groups. For example, the United Kingdom offers dedicated services for early service leavers through Defence Transition Services, including Early Service Leaver interviews and access to the Career Transition Partnership – CTP (Armed Forces Network, 2013[34]; Ministry of Defence, 2024[35]). Canada automatically supports those discharged due to permanent medical conditions that render them unfit for continued service, as co‑ordinated among Defence and Veteran Agencies.

• Programmes typically offer career counselling, job readiness training, education advice, and “benefit navigation”. For example, the United Kingdom aims to provide tailored “resettlement” support (Armed Forces Network, 2013[34]) including Early Service Leaver interviews and access to the Career Transition Partnership – CTP. (Ministry of Defence, 2024[35]).

• Public employment services (PES) play a role in most countries, but the level of integration varies. In Canada and France, PES staff may be embedded in transition centres or work in partnership with military agencies. In the United Kingdom and the United States, referrals are made to external employment agencies, such as “Jobcentre Plus” or state job centres.

• Veterans often have priority access to public employment services, particularly in Canada, France, in the United States, where this is supported by formal regulations. However, awareness and uptake of these rights can be uneven, which can be related to complex administrative processes, or veterans choosing not to disclose their status when registering for services.

• Employer engagement is often a key element of employment strategies: For example, Australia’s Veteran Employment Program maintain employer networks and encourage public employers to hire veterans. Australia’s Veteran Employment Commitment recognises organisations for their current workplace policies and practices that support veteran employment (Australian Government Department of Veterans' Affairs, 2026[36]). In April 2026, there were 542 such organisations including “WithYouWithMe”, an employment support organisation that helps veterans find meaningful roles in tech, cyber, data and other such areas, also through partnerships with leading employers (WithYouWithMe, 2026[37]). In France, Défense Mobilité works with public employers and selected private‑sector companies to create job-matching pathways for service leavers (Ministère des Armées et des Anciens Combattants, 2026[32]).

• Skill transfer and recognition is an important issue for veterans. For example, France has a system of “Validation des Acquis de l’Expérience” (Validation of Acquired Experience) which offers an alternative way of obtaining certification of qualifications including mapping of military experience onto general accepted certificates (République Francaise, 2026[38]).

• Family needs: The transition from military to civilian life does not just affect a veteran but also his/her spouses, children and close relatives (Box 3). Families can face ongoing emotional stress, insecurity about earnings and income, and challenges around housing or post-service healthcare.

Box 3. A veteran family commissioner

Families of veterans are often invisible in the veteran support process. However, they play a key role as support provider to veterans, while at the same time being a client group in need of support. One innovative element in Australia’s veteran support system is the role of the Veteran Family Commissioner who aims to remove barriers, influence systemic change and improve the lives of families of veterans (Australian Government, Department of Veterans' Affairs, 2026[39]). The Veteran Family Commissioner aims to address a great number of challenges, including achieving accessibility for all families impacted by service and providing evidence‑based policy advice informed by lived experience.

Country approaches differ, and in service delivery a balance must be found deeply individualised services and budget constraints to come to an efficient and cost-effective policy discharge. A general minimum of service provision with more targeted and intensive support for those with the greatest needs appears a reasonable approach, but this is interpreted differently across countries. An effective needs-assessment system lies at the basis of a cost-effective approach, especially when it comes to mental health issues, that potentially involve huge personal and societal cost.