Study on Raising the Social Allowance Standard for the Elderly under Resolution 124/NQ-CP 2023: Is it Correct?
Is studying to raise the standard level of social allowance for the elderly in Resolution 124/NQ-CP 2023 correct?
On August 7, 2023, the Government of Vietnam issued Resolution 124/NQ-CP 2023 regarding the Government’s regular meeting in July 2023.
The Government of Vietnam requires the Ministry of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs to take the lead, coordinate with relevant agencies and localities to:
- Study and present to the Government and competent authorities a social allowance policy, social pension for elderly people aged 75 to 80; raise the standard level of social allowance for the elderly, ensuring policy correlation with other groups.
- Accelerate the completion of the Social Security Database, connect and authenticate with the National Population Database to serve state management in accordance with the law.
- Direct payments through accounts for 100% of social security policy beneficiaries who have accounts (registered bank accounts, e-wallets, mobile money accounts, etc.) from the state budget, ensuring accuracy, speed, and promptness; complete by September 2023.
- Research the establishment of a job exchange platform; lead the social policy advisory group, summarize the Employment Law;
- Coordinate with relevant agencies to guide localities in implementing the Decree amending and supplementing some articles of Decree 152/2020/ND-CP dated December 30, 2020, of the Government regulating foreign workers working in Vietnam and recruiting and managing Vietnamese workers working for foreign organizations and individuals in Vietnam.
Is studying to raise the standard level of social allowance for the elderly in Resolution 124/NQ-CP 2023 correct? (Image from the Internet)
In what cases do the elderly receive social allowance?
According to the provisions of Article 5 of Decree 20/2021/ND-CP regulating the targets of social protection enjoying monthly social allowance:
Targets of social protection enjoying monthly social allowance
1. Children under 16 years old without nurturing sources in the following cases:
a) Abandoned and not yet adopted;
b) Orphaned both parents;
c) Orphaned father or mother and the remaining parent is declared missing according to legal provisions;
d) Orphaned father or mother and the remaining parent is receiving caregiving and nurturing policies at social assistance facilities, social houses;
...
5. Elderly persons in one of the following cases:
a) Elderly persons in poor households, without a person obliged and entitled to support, or with a person obliged and entitled to support but that person is receiving monthly social allowance;
b) Elderly persons aged 75 to 80 in poor or near-poor households not falling under the provisions at point a of this clause living in particularly difficult areas of ethnic minority and mountainous regions;
c) Persons aged 80 or older not falling under the provisions at point a of this clause who do not have a pension, monthly social insurance allowance, or monthly social allowance;
d) Elderly persons in poor households, without a person obliged and entitled to support, without conditions to live in the community, eligible for admission to social assistance facilities but have someone to nurture and care for them in the community.
...
Elderly persons in one of the following cases:
- Elderly persons in poor households, without a person obliged and entitled to support, or with a person obliged and entitled to support but that person is receiving monthly social allowance.
- Elderly persons aged 75 to 80 in poor or near-poor households not falling under the provisions at point a, clause 5, Article 5 of Decree 20/2021/ND-CP living in particularly difficult areas of ethnic minority and mountainous regions.
- Persons aged 80 or older not falling under the provisions at point a, clause 5, Article 5 of Decree 20/2021/ND-CP who do not have a pension, monthly social insurance allowance, or monthly social allowance.
- Elderly persons in poor households, without a person obliged and entitled to support, without conditions to live in the community, eligible for admission to social assistance facilities but have someone to nurture and care for them in the community.
How are the current allowances for the elderly regulated?
According to point d, clause 1, Article 6 of Decree 20/2021/ND-CP on the monthly social allowance level for the targets specified in clause 5, Article 5 of Decree 20/2021/ND-CP:
The targets specified in Article 5 of Decree 20/2021/ND-CP are provided with a monthly social allowance equal to the standard social assistance level stipulated in Article 4 of Decree 20/2021/ND-CP multiplied by the corresponding coefficients as follows:
- Coefficient of 1.5 for targets specified in point a, clause 5, Article 5 of Decree 20/2021/ND-CP aged 60 to 80.
- Coefficient of 2.0 for targets specified in point a, clause 5, Article 5 of Decree 20/2021/ND-CP aged 80 or older.
- Coefficient of 1.0 for targets specified in points b and c, clause 5, Article 5 of Decree 20/2021/ND-CP.
- Coefficient of 3.0 for targets specified in point d, clause 5, Article 5 of Decree 20/2021/ND-CP.
Clause 2, Article 4 of Decree 20/2021/ND-CP stipulates the standard level of social assistance:
- The standard level of social assistance applicable from July 1, 2021, is 360,000 VND/month.
Thus, depending on the target, the allowance levels will vary:
* Targets specified in point a, clause 5, Article 5 of Decree 20/2021/ND-CP: aged 60 to 80:
1.5*360,000=540,000 VND/month
* Targets specified in point a, clause 5, Article 5 of Decree 20/2021/ND-CP: aged 80 or older.
2*360,000=720,000 VND/month
* For targets specified in points b and c, clause 5, Article 5 of Decree 20/2021/ND-CP:
1*360,000=360,000 VND/month
* For targets specified in point d, clause 5, Article 5 of Decree 20/2021/ND-CP:
3*360,000=1,080,000 VND/month
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