LEGAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE EXPANSION OF THE POWERS OF THE PENSION FUND OF UKRAINE IN THE SPHERE OF SOCIAL PROTECTION

Abstract

The article examines the legal consequences of
expanding the powers of the Pension Fund of Ukraine
(PFU) in the field of social protection under martial
law and transformations of state policy. The author
conducts a comprehensive analysis of regulatory
changes in the period 2022–2025, which provided the
PFU with additional functions, in particular
regarding the appointment and payment of various
types of social assistance, accounting for beneficiaries
of payments, and interaction with unified state
registers.
Particular attention is paid to the digitalization
of procedures, which contributed to simplifying
citizens' access to services, ensuring transparency of
administration, and reducing the impact of the human
factor. The positive aspects are the introduction of
unified administration standards, unification of
databases, and the possibility of remote interaction
with the PFU bodies through an electronic office.
The author emphasizes that such a
transformation has profound legal consequences: on
the one hand, ensuring unification, optimizing
procedures, reducing the administrative burden, and
increasing the efficiency of public finance
management; on the other hand, the emergence of
challenges associated with the overload of the
functions of the PFU, the loss of specialization, legal
uncertainty at the implementation stage, as well as
limited access to social benefits for vulnerable groups
of the population.
Particular attention is paid to the threat of
violating the principles of specialization of
government bodies and legal certainty, which in the
conditions of the transition period gives rise to
regulatory conflicts, inconsistency of procedures and
the absence of an effective mechanism for protecting
citizens' rights.
The issue of the organizational capacity of the
PFU to perform expanded functions without reducing
the quality of service is highlighted. The article
indicates the need for regulatory improvement of the
legislative framework, the adoption of a special law
on social administration, the creation of mechanisms
for public monitoring of the activities of the PFU and
the strengthening of legal guarantees for vulnerable
categories. The prospects for financial optimization,
which consists in reducing costs through the
elimination of duplicative structures, as well as the
need to harmonize national legislation with
international standards in the field of social security,
are also analyzed.
Based on a comprehensive analysis, it was
concluded that the expansion of the powers of the PFU
is part of a strategic course towards centralization of
the social sphere, which should take into account the
principles of efficiency, accountability, social justice
and digital accessibility. These changes should be
based on legal certainty, respect for human rights and
proper institutional support from the state.
Keywords: Pension Fund of Ukraine, social
protection, state assistance, administrative reform,
martial law, digitalization, public administration,
legal consequences, powers.