3.3 BLN KUNA SET ASIDE FOR VETERANS FROM LAST YEAR'S GOVT BUDGET

ZAGREB, April 24 (Hina) - The Croatian state last year set aside through various ministries around 3.3 billion kuna for Croatian Homeland War veterans and their families, government members said at Thursday's session at which they were informed about the implementation of a new law on the rights of veterans in 2002. #L# The new law on veterans, adopted in November 2001, is by far fairer and real than the previous one and all financial obligations are fully respected, said Veterans' Minister Ivica Pancic. Vice-Premier Ante Simonic said the amount of 3.3 billion kuna highly exceeded amounts in 2000 and 1999 when the state allocated some 2.5 and 1.3 billion kuna for veterans and their families. Pancic said that last year, housing was provided for around 820 people, either by donations of flats or by loans. At this moment, the government can practically take care of all disabled veterans with the highest degree of disability, down to 50% disability, said the minister. At the end of 2002, there were about 32,500 veterans registered at the Employment Bureau. This February, the number fell below 32,000 for the first time, i.e. 31,700, Pancic said. He said that the transfer of veterans' rights from the old to the new law was underway, and 1,500 decisions to that effect were issued last year. In the meantime, around 4,700 new requests for the granting of the status of disabled war veteran have been submitted, 90% of which on the basis of psychological disorders. The number of disabled veterans is practically the same each year -- the number of statuses lost equals the number of statuses granted, said Pancic. More than 70 percent of applications for retirement are based on post-traumatic stress disorder, said Pancic, announcing that the ministry would have to protect the truly affected veterans and reject those who file applications for other reasons. (hina) lml sb