Proposal to reduce the age of receiving social pension benefits

VTV.vn - Adjusting the age of receiving social pension benefits needs to be considered in the overall social security policies and state budget of each period.

Proposal to reduce the age of receiving social pension benefits

According to the Social Insurance Law 2024, from July 1, 2025, Vietnamese citizens aged 75 or older (70 or older for poor households and near-poor households) who do not receive monthly pensions or social insurance benefits will receive social retirement benefits.

After the 9th session of the 15th National Assembly, voters of Quang Ngai province proposed that the National Assembly request the Ministry of Home Affairs to coordinate with relevant agencies to consider reducing the age threshold for enjoying social pension policies to expand the beneficiaries.

Responding to the above proposal, the Ministry of Home Affairs said that in recent times, the Government has repeatedly issued documents lowering the age and raising social allowances for the elderly.

Specifically, Decree No. 30/2002/ND-CP dated March 26, 2002 stipulates that elderly people aged 90 and over are entitled to social allowances; Decree No. 67/2007/ND-CP dated April 13, 2007 further reduces the age to 85 years old; Decree No. 06/2011/ND-CP dated January 14, 2011 reduces the age to receive social allowances from 80 years old; Decree No. 20/2021/ND-CP dated March 15, 2021 expands the beneficiaries of monthly social allowances to elderly people aged 75 to under 80 years old, belonging to poor households, near-poor households, living in communes and villages of ethnic minorities and mountainous areas with special difficulties.

By June 29, 2024, the Social Insurance Law 2024 passed by the National Assembly stipulates that the age to receive monthly social pension benefits is from 75 years old and above (from 70 years old and above if belonging to a poor or near-poor household).

Consider reducing the age threshold for enjoying social pension policy to expand beneficiaries

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, lowering the age and expanding the beneficiaries of social assistance and social pension policies for the elderly is a great effort of the Party and State, especially in the context of many difficulties in the state budget.

However, the proposal to reduce the age threshold for social security policies (currently 70 years old) to expand the beneficiaries needs to be considered in the context of overall social security policies, protection of the elderly and depends on the state budget in each period.

At the same time, there must be a study to assess the socio-economic impact to ensure the feasibility and sustainability of the social assistance system in the coming time. This is also consistent with the provisions of Clause 3, Article 21 of the Social Insurance Law 2024, which is that the National Assembly Standing Committee decides to gradually reduce the age of receiving social retirement benefits based on the Government's proposal in accordance with the socio-economic development conditions and the capacity of the state budget in each period.

In addition, according to the provisions of Decree No. 76/2024/ND-CP amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 20/2021/ND-CP, in case the local socio-economic conditions are guaranteed, the Provincial People's Committee can submit to the People's Council a decision on a higher level of social assistance than prescribed or expand the beneficiaries of social assistance policies for difficult cases not yet specified in the Decree.

Source: https://vtv.vn/kien-nghi-giam-do-tuoi-huong-che-do-tro-cap-huu-tri-xa-hoi-10025101409480697.htm