War veterans who were protesting before the FBiH Government building in Sarajevo have announced recently that they would hold mass protests once again.
One of the war veterans, Hamza Krkalic, told N1 recently that the authorities are deceiving them.
During the recently held FBiH Government session, the Government discussed the preliminary Draft Law on War Veterans, after discussing the veterans’ demands.
The Government said that after the adoption of the said Law, the veterans’ status should improve greatly. Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) entity Minister for Issues Of The Veterans and Disabled Veterans Of The Defensive-Liberation War Salko Bukvarecic said the Government provided full support for the resolution of this issue.
Cantons were asked to provide their opinion as soon as possible, as were the Association of Cities and Municipalities FBiH and the IMF. FBiH Government has instructed the FBiH Ministry to urgently prepare a proposal for regulation on the right to basic insurance of demobilized veterans of the defense-liberation war, for the next session.
According to this regulation veteran men over 60 and veteran women over 50 who have no other income, would have the right to basic insurance. In addition, the competent FBiH Ministry was tasked to start an employment process, primarily of children of martyrs and fallen veterans, in cooperation with FBiH Employment Service, and then to initiate the same process with all other veteran categories.
Also, in accordance with the Law on Execution of FBiH Budget, FBiH Government obliged the Ministry to prepare a decision on alignment of payment coefficients and the amount of disability benefits base for disabled war veterans and families of fallen soldiers.
Considering the available funds, Bukvarevic said the Government initiated an increase of benefits by 1.5 percent. This would be the first time in the last 5 years that benefits would be increased.
Also, FBiH Government supported the veterans’ demand on the final establishment and publication of a single veterans’ registry and ordered the Ministry to consider all the legal possibilities for its publication.
