MP Toghikhi Tovmasyan Proposes Monetary Compensation for Soldiers Without Housing

MP Toghikhi Tovmasyan from the "Honor of the Fatherland" faction proposes to calculate a monthly monetary compensation for contract soldiers who are not provided with official housing at their place of service.

This initiative was discussed during the first reading of the draft law on amendments to the "Law on Military Service and the Status of Military Personnel" at today’s meeting of the National Assembly’s Committee on Defense and Security.

The author pointed out that in the absence of official housing, contract soldiers can receive monetary compensation for renting another apartment, as prescribed by the Government, against the documentation they submit.

Frequently, soldiers rent accommodation elsewhere or stay at a relative's house, signing a contract and paying taxes. They submit these documents to the relevant commission to receive compensation for rent. This means that they present a certificate from the Cadastre Committee indicating the lack of property ownership, adhering to legal procedures, except for the stipulation that they are residing at an address not mentioned in the contract.

In connection with the mentioned problematic cases, 81 criminal cases have been initiated, with pre-investigation completed for 30 of them, and individual approaches taken to resolve these cases. Meanwhile, investigations are ongoing for 51 criminal cases.

According to Tovmasyan, without legislative regulation, the number of criminal cases could continuously increase.

The MP suggested that the notarization of the rental agreement should no longer be required, and merely having the certificate from the Cadastre Committee confirming the lack of property should suffice for obtaining this compensation.

Tovmasyan noted that the issue has been discussed with all interested parties.

In a related report, MP Vilen Gabrielyan stated that the expert and analytical department of the National Assembly had given a negative conclusion based on the need for further revision, recommending a negative report on the draft law. He also raised the question of revising the amount of compensatory funds.

Deputy Minister of Defense Arman Sargsyan, representing the Government’s position, indicated that the proposed amendments do not align with the essence of Article 65 of the law. The goal of the regulation is not merely to provide monetary compensation, but to assist military personnel in improving their housing conditions.

The Government is planning to provide comprehensive solutions to the housing provision process for military personnel and currently suggests refraining from adopting these regulations.

Committee Chairman Andranik Kocharyan believes that solutions should be found that do not embroil military personnel in fraud. As a result of the discussions, the initiative received a positive conclusion from the committee.