277 Participants of the 44-Day War Stripped of Disability Status

277 participants of the 44-day war have been stripped of their disability status. In response to a written inquiry from Factinfo, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia reported that 261 participants who had received a third-degree disability were deprived of it during a re-examination, and an additional 16 individuals were stripped of their disability status after previously having a second-degree classification. Furthermore, the disability classification of 128 individuals has been downgraded from second to third.

It is noteworthy that the disability classification for those who became disabled during the 44-day war was granted based on the medical-social examination criteria established in 2003. According to the ministry's response, starting from February 1, 2023, the process for determining an individual's disability will be conducted through a different system assessing functional capabilities.

The ministry's letter states: "Based on the above, the Government of Armenia’s Decision No. 1180-N dated July 28, 2022, has approved the Procedure for Assessing Functional Capabilities, while Decision No. 1177-N of the same date has established the criteria and tools for assessing an individual's functional capabilities." This means that in the future, when determining disability status, the circumstances under which the beneficiary became disabled—whether during military operations or in other conditions—will not be taken into account. The same criteria will apply in every case for establishing disability status.

"The criteria for determining a person's disability arise from definitions of disability and are examined within the context of a person's bodily functions, activity limitations, and participation restrictions and cannot depend on the fact of participation in military operations," the ministry stated in its letter.

As outlined in the appendix to the decision which comes into effect on February 1, 2023, a new assessment board will be formed for each individual case of functional assessment. Members of the assessment board will be randomly selected through an electronic system from the registry of experts involved in the functional evaluation process.

According to the Decision on Approving the Procedure for Assessing Functional Capabilities, all documentation related to the assessment of an individual's functional capabilities must be conducted electronically through the "e-disability" electronic system starting from February 1, 2023. The design of this system is slated for completion by November 1, 2022, with a pilot implementation and rollout by January 10, 2023.