Nearly 820 Youth Volunteer Corps files are still pending processing for war invalid benefits.

These files have been pending for 20 years.

Ms. Dao Thi Lien, from Quynh Thuan commune (Quynh Luu district), was a former Youth Volunteer who participated in the campaigns on the roads from Hung Nguyen, Thanh Chuong, and Nam Dan. “Back then, as soon as we received the notification, we eagerly set off, sometimes just saying goodbye to our parents without knowing whether we would live or die. During those fierce months on the 42nd dike section through Hung Nguyen district, we often felt life and death hanging in the balance, whether it was rushing into a bomb shelter or a bomb exploding right next to the shelter, causing us to faint, and many comrades dying beside us.”

Youth Volunteers from Nghe An transport ammunition to the battlefield. (Archival photo)

Therefore, when we returned home after days of patrolling the roads, my comrades and I felt incredibly fortunate, never thinking about filing applications to receive benefits from the Party and the State later on.

"Until the 2000s, we were informed to declare and complete the necessary documents to receive war invalid benefits. At that time, the procedure only required two witnesses, a Party membership certificate, a Resistance Medal, a Youth Volunteer card, and a completed declaration form. Thinking it would surely be approved, I and many other comrades eagerly awaited the results," Ms. Lien shared.

Ms. Tran Thi Nguyet - Vice President of the Association of Former Youth Volunteers of Quynh Luu District (left) visits a member. Photo: My Ha

After several years without a response, Ms. Lien and many of her comrades went to the District's Association of Former Youth Volunteers to inquire about the situation. They were instructed to supplement their application with valid witness statements and a properly completed personal history form in accordance with Circular 17/2004/TT-BLDTBXH dated November 17, 2004, on the implementation of allowances for war invalids and those entitled to policies similar to war invalids. However, many were unable to provide these documents because, according to them, too much time had passed and their former unit had been disbanded. As a result, they continued to wait until now.

According to Ms. Tran Thi Nguyet, Vice President of the Youth Volunteer Association of Quynh Luu district, previously the district had 39 dossiers, but now, after screening and supplementation according to the requirements of Circular 17/2003/TTLT-BLDTBXH-TU of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and Decision 408, only 22 dossiers remain valid.

“Most of these people are around 70 years old, some are even 80. They have been waiting for their applications for nearly 20 years, and many have given up because they couldn't find enough documents to supplement their files. However, according to the requirements of Decision No. 408/QD-LDTBXH dated March 20, 2017, issued by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, which outlines the process for resolving outstanding applications for recognition of meritorious individuals, it is likely that not many will be approved to receive the policy,” Ms. Nguyet said.

The Association of Former Youth Volunteers awarded Certificates of Merit to outstanding individuals. Photo: Cong Kien.

In Nghi Loc district, where previously there were 82 pending applications from various periods, only 29 remain pending, and 2 applications are being reviewed regularly according to Circular 28/2013/TTLT-BLDTBXH-BQP dated October 22, 2013. These two applications belong to Ms. Cao Thi Phuong from Nghi Phuong commune and Ms. Vo Thi Vinh from Nghi Long commune.

The file of Ms. Cao Thi Phuong. Photo: Khoi Nguyen

Ms. Cao Thi Phuong joined the Youth Volunteer Force from February 1968 to February 1975 in Unit 302 - P27, performing tasks such as road construction and filling bomb craters to allow vehicles to pass at Cam Bridge on National Highway 1A. She was injured while on duty. She has a certificate of injury issued by the General Team of the Youth Volunteer Force of Cu Chinh Lan, Nghe An province, dated February 10, 1975. “We believe she should be eligible for disability benefits because she has complete documentation. However, we don't understand why her file is still pending,” said Mr. Nguyen Tien Dung, Deputy Head of the Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Department of Nghi Loc district.

According to Mr. Dung, 29 pending files from various periods are now being added to process the benefits for former Youth Volunteers as war invalids. However, these files lack the required injury certificates as stipulated in Decision 408 on resolving outstanding files for war invalids and sick soldiers, making approval very difficult.

Should we continue waiting?

The Nghe An Provincial Youth Union presents gifts to former Youth Volunteers. (Photo courtesy of Thanh Quynh)

Mr. Hoang Ngoc Chau, Head of the Department of Meritorious Persons, Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, said: “In the process of reviewing and confirming war invalid status for those who participated in the Youth Volunteer Force, complete dossiers are those containing legally valid documents as stipulated in the regulations at the time of application. For example, according to Circular 17/2003/TTLT – BLDTBXH – Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the application for war invalid status must include one of the following old documents proving participation in the Youth Volunteer Force: Membership card; certificate of completion of duties in the Youth Volunteer Force; commendation certificate; cadre's resume; party member's resume stating that they were a Youth Volunteer Force member. Doubts that can be completed are those lacking one of the documents proving participation in the Youth Volunteer Force and needing to be supplemented for consideration. However, a current reality is that about 60% of former Youth Volunteer Force members return to their localities, get married, and have children. Due to family circumstances, none of their children work as laborers, therefore, they do not have the necessary documents.” "Many people are still confused about which valid documents to use as a substitute for their personal or spouse's/children's calendar to add to their application."

According to Document No. 328/HD-BCĐXNNCC dated June 12, 2017, on guiding the process and procedures for resolving outstanding applications for recognition of meritorious individuals by the Steering Committee for Recognition of Meritorious Individuals of Nghe An Province, applications that can be completed for consideration and resolution are those lacking some required documents and procedures but can be supplemented to be recognized. For such applications, it is necessary to clarify which documents need to be supplemented, which agency issued them, or what points in the application need verification to determine whether it meets or does not meet the eligibility criteria for recognition.

According to Official Letter 757/SLĐTBXH-NCC dated March 15, 2019, from the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs regarding guidance on resolving outstanding Youth Volunteer Corps (TNXP) applications for confirmation of eligibility for benefits, such as war invalid status, for cases of injury that are eligible but whose application documents are incomplete, guidance should be provided to supplement and complete the documents before applying the procedures of Decision 408. However, according to Decision 408, to be granted war invalid status for Youth Volunteer Corps members injured while on duty, one of the following documents must be supplemented: a personnel record, a Party member record, social insurance benefit records, or other legally valid documents issued during the Youth Volunteer Corps period. In cases where the injured individual does not have a personal record to supplement, the records of their spouse and children (if any) should be supplemented.

Regarding this, Mr. Nguyen Tien Dung, Deputy Head of the Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Department of Nghi Loc District, stated: "This is an extremely difficult condition for the backlog of applications to be completed. If all the necessary documents were available, the injured Youth Volunteers could have been considered for war invalid benefits according to Circular 28/2013/TTLT-BLDTBXH-BQP dated October 22, 2013, on regulations for granting war invalid benefits to those who participated in the resistance war and were injured, with regular reviews from the date of issuance."

Currently, many districts are conducting physical examinations of injuries to complete the dossiers for former Youth Volunteers, which are then sent to the Department of War Invalids and Martyrs for assessment and approval. However, according to assessments by relevant authorities, under current regulations, dossiers for war invalid status for former Youth Volunteers will be very difficult to approve. Therefore, dossiers that have been pending for nearly 20 years risk having to continue to be supplemented with necessary documents according to current regulations.