Documents required for military personnel undergoing assessment under the EKOPFO system

Military personnel planning to undergo an assessment under the EKOPFO system to determine a disability group or loss of working capacity must carefully prepare a complete set of documents. As noted by lawyer Yelyzaveta Korobeinikova, the EKOPFO system provides for a comprehensive approach: specialists take into account not only anatomical disorders but also a person's ability to self-care, social interaction, and mobility.

Required list of documents

To allow the commission to objectively review the case and establish the legal status of the military personnel, the applicant must provide originals of all papers relating to the injuries sustained and the treatment process. The official list includes the following documents:

• referral for assessment;
• citizen's passport and extract regarding place of residence;
• copy of the identification code;
• copy of the military ID or officer's certificate;
• military registration documents and their copies (extracts from the service record or certificates of service);
• certificate or statement from the military medical board (MMB), as well as an extract from the protocol recording the causal link between the injury or illness and participation in hostilities;
• originals of medical documentation: conclusions from specialists, examination results, medical histories, and discharge forms 025/o and 027/o.

After the examination is completed, the military personnel receives a certificate clearly stating the assigned disability group, the causal link of the injury, or the specific percentage of loss of ability to work in their specialty.

Health assessment criteria

The modern approach of expert teams differs significantly from previous regulations. Currently, specialists do not merely record anatomical changes but comprehensively assess how the sustained injuries complicate the person's further life.

The key factor is the fighter's condition after the completion of treatment and rehabilitation. The commission analyses whether the veteran is able to move independently, how much they require external assistance, whether they can adapt psychologically, and whether their ability to fully interact with society and return to their former profession has been preserved.

If functional disorders of the body are irreversible, experts record the degree of limitation of life activity and make a decision on assigning a group.

Disability levels

Current legislation divides the degrees of health loss into three separate groups.

Group 1 is assigned in the most severe conditions, when a person completely or almost completely loses the ability to self-care and requires constant care. It has two subgroups:

• subgroup "A" – extremely severe health disorder, implying complete inability to self-care and absolute dependence on the help of others;
• subgroup "B" – severe condition, but the person retains minimal ability to self-care in critical aspects.

Group 2 is established in cases of severe health disorders, but the person does not require daily external supervision and is able to care for themselves independently.

Group 3 implies the presence of moderate disorders of the body. The person fully retains the ability to self-care but still requires social protection and support.

In practice, it can be difficult to distinguish these categories. For example, severe concussions with neurological consequences, constant pain syndrome, or serious limitation in limb movement give a soldier legal grounds for obtaining a higher group.