10:42:01 AM | 4/20/2020
Carrying out the Prime Minister’s Directive 16/CP-TTg dated March 31, 2020 on urgent measures against Covid-19 and instructive documents of the Vietnam Social Security (VSS), the People’s Committee of Quang Nam province dispatched Official Letter 1785/UBND-KGVX on payment of monthly pensions and social insurance allowances during the pandemic. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Danh, Deputy Director in charge of social insurance, spoke about the implementation of solutions to ensure the rights of participants of social insurance and health insurance amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
How will Quang Nam province carry out pensions and social insurance payment during the pandemic?
Currently, VSS Quang Nam is paying monthly pensions and social insurance allowances to 32,000 beneficiaries, including 24,000 receiving cash and nearly 8,000 receiving via registered personal accounts. Payment is scheduled to start on the fourth or fifth day of the month and to be completed in a week.
To ensure safety, avoid gatherings and facilitate people in the time of preventing and controlling the Covid-19 epidemic in the spirit of the Prime Minister’s Directive 16, and with the approval of the Vietnam Social Security (VSS), the payment of April and May pensions and social insurance benefits will be made only one time. VSS Quang Nam advised the Provincial People’s Committee to assign the social insurance authority and the post office to develop a plan to pay April and May pensions and social insurance allowances in April.
Specifically, the payment will be carried out from April 16 to May 20, delivered to the home of pensioners and social insurance receivers. At the same time, social insurance agencies and post offices will coordinate with authorities of districts and towns to direct communes, wards, towns, villages and residences to review addresses of receivers to ensure timely payment.
Could you tell us more about difficulties in making payments at home?
Home-based payment has been largely made for sick people, disabled people and people aged over 80. Home delivery to all beneficiaries is totally new and it will be difficult for this sector amid the Covid-19 epidemic.
Another difficulty is insufficient personnel to deliver payment across 18 districts, towns and cities. Payment is delivered at every registered address of the beneficiary. Beneficiaries must be present at home when social security officers arrive to ensure timely payment, effectively prevent disease contagion and keep a safe distance for people involved. This is a considerable difficulty for us.
Anticipating these difficulties, VSS Quang Nam has introduced measures to solve, for example contacting communes, wards, townships and residential areas to review each address of the beneficiary and then assigning social security agencies and post offices to arrive beneficiary addresses to pay pensions and social insurance allowances by locality. For large localities with a lot of beneficiaries, social security agencies and post offices must give higher priority in payment. This solution will ensure safety of beneficiaries, avoid gatherings and limit the spread of Covid-19 epidemic.
In addition, we have thoroughly communicated directions of the Provincial People’s Committee to our employees assigned to pay pensions and social insurance allowances to beneficiaries and follow epidemic prevention and control instructions: People on duty must not have any epidemiological risk factors, must wear face masks, measure body temperature at least twice a day, wash hands with antiseptic solutions after each payment and take other measures as recommended by health agencies to meet requirements concerning Covid-19 prevention and control.
In addition to this work, how do you carry out the settlement of social insurance and health insurance benefits regimes during social distancing?
Currently, VSS Quang Nam has 18 single-window units at the district level. Every day, the social security industry receives applications through the following channels: Electronic platform, public postal service, and single-window division.
When the Covid-19 epidemic is developing complicatedly, to carry out directions of the Prime Minister and the Vietnam Social Security, VSS Quang Nam has reported and had the consent of the Provincial People’s Committee to provide two out of six regular procedures online: Replacing lost or damaged health insurance cards when the insured is being examined and treated and closing social insurance books for workers quitting their jobs or terminating employment contracts (facilitating workers to promptly complete unemployment insurance documents). At the same time, the agency has enhanced communications on its website and local mass media to recommend people to wait until April 16 to submit their documents if they are not in an emergency situation.
Additionally, provincial and district social security agencies still arrange officers on duty at single-window divisions to receive documents online and return settlement results of administrative procedure via public postal services. Social security workers are required to work from home, apply information technology to ensure effective work settlement, assign staff to work directly at social insurance agencies at all levels to ensure the Covid-19 epidemic prevention and control.
Source: Vietnam Business Forum
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