Nghe An: A bright spot in the development of voluntary social insurance.

Many new approaches

Nam Dan is one of the bright spots in the province in recent years regarding the development of voluntary social insurance participation. In 2021, this locality had 5,977 people participating in voluntary social insurance, achieving 102.52% of the assigned target. Mr. Le Thiet Hung - Director of the Social Insurance Department of Nam Dan district said: “The complicated situation of the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly affected the work of disseminating information and laws on voluntary social insurance. However, Nam Dan has achieved many remarkable results, with an increase of 2,272 new voluntary social insurance participants in 2021, accounting for 6% of the total number of social insurance participants, exceeding the plan assigned by the provincial Social Insurance Department.”

This achievement is thanks to the close guidance and attention of the Nghe An Provincial Social Insurance Agency, especially the involvement of the district Party Committee and government, which included the target of social insurance, health insurance, and voluntary social insurance coverage in the Resolution of the 27th District Party Congress, term 2020-2025; and made the target of developing social insurance, health insurance, and voluntary social insurance one of the annual socio-economic development targets of the district.

In addition, the Social Insurance Office of Nam Dan district has advised the District People's Committee to establish a steering committee for the development of voluntary social insurance and health insurance participants at the district level. To date, all 19 communes and towns have established steering committees headed by the Chairman of the Commune People's Committee. Simultaneously, specialized staff have been assigned to directly support agency staff and report to the commune Party committee and government on the development of voluntary social insurance in the area. For disadvantaged communes, the Social Insurance Office of Nam Dan district has assigned leaders to directly oversee the process.

Social insurance officials in Nam Dan district advise customers on participating in voluntary social insurance. Photo: Dinh Tuyen.

In 2022, the Social Insurance Office of Nam Dan District recognized that the COVID-19 pandemic was still heavily impacting the area, making it difficult to expand the number of voluntary social insurance participants. Therefore, from the beginning of the year, the district's Social Insurance Office actively implemented solutions to maintain and develop the number of participants. This included delivering "Open Letters" directly to voluntary social insurance participants to share their income difficulties and provide information on contribution levels and support benefits.Voluntary social insuranceThis is in accordance with government regulations. This helps workers understand and continue to participate in order to benefit from these policies after they reach retirement age.

People come to complete procedures at the one-stop service department of the Social Insurance Office in Nam Dan district. Photo: Dinh Tuyen.

Meanwhile, Yen Thanh district, which has the highest number of people participating in voluntary social insurance in the entire province, has many flexible methods of "staying close to the villages and the people," helping the unit continuously achieve breakthroughs. Most notably, it organizes online conferences to disseminate information about social insurance and health insurance policies, attracting hundreds of people to participate in voluntary social insurance right at the conference…

This success is due to the fact that the people's questions were answered specifically and thoroughly by the leaders of the Yen Thanh District Social Insurance Office. Ms. Hoang Thi Chin, Director of the Yen Thanh District Social Insurance Office, said: "The most important factor for success is the close coordination between the local government and the Social Insurance agency in implementing policies. This also helps to enhance the prestige of the Social Insurance sector and increase people's trust in social security policies. After each conference, the Social Insurance and Health Insurance policies are further disseminated because people's trust has multiplied when they not only have access to information from the Social Insurance sector but also have direct dialogue with representatives of the government and relevant departments and agencies."

The People's Committee of Yen Thanh District held an online conference to implement the targets and plans assigned by the District People's Committee regarding the development of participants in voluntary social insurance and health insurance in 2022, and to conduct dialogues with the people on the implementation of voluntary social insurance and health insurance policies. Photo: Nghe An Social Insurance.

Speaking about the success of increasing participation in voluntary social insurance, the Director of Yen Thanh District Social Insurance, Hoang Thi Chin, added that it is essential to stay close to the villages and the people to promote voluntary social insurance. With this approach, from 2017 to the present, hundreds of outreach and dialogue sessions have been conducted at the grassroots level, coordinated by the district Social Insurance agency in collaboration with the People's Committees of communes and towns. Some locations, such as Dong Cau hamlet (Lang Thanh commune), are so remote that the district Social Insurance outreach team only returns home after 11 PM; and conferences held during the Covid-19 pandemic, limited to 15-20 participants and with social distancing measures in place outside the community center, were enough to ignite the enthusiasm of the social insurance outreach workers...

In addition to effectively organizing propaganda conferences, Yen Thanh also expanded its network of collaborators and collection agents to include village heads, block leaders, heads of Farmers' Association branches, and heads of Women's Association branches, totaling nearly 2,000 people. This is the force closest to the people, understands them best, and can implement the motto of going to every alley, knocking on every door…

Sustainable development of voluntary social insurance participants.

As of the end of December 2021, the number of people participating in voluntary social insurance in Nghe An province was 103,769, continuing to be one of the leading provinces nationwide in the development of voluntary social insurance participants. Eleven districts/towns in the province met or exceeded their assigned targets for developing voluntary social insurance participants, including Que Phong, Nghia Dan, Con Cuong, Tan Ky, Yen Thanh, Thanh Chuong, Nghi Loc, Nam Dan, and Thai Hoa town. In 2022, Vietnam Social Insurance assigned a target of 134,900 voluntary social insurance participants in Nghe An, an increase of 31,131 compared to the end of 2021.

Mr. Le Thiet Hung - Director of the Social Insurance Office of Nam Dan District, inspects the data on the development of voluntary social insurance participants. Photo: Dinh Tuyen.

The year 2022 was identified as presenting numerous difficulties and challenges in implementing tasks, such as: The income of workers in the informal sector, already precarious and unstable, was further impacted by the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic. Limited financial resources made workers hesitant to participate in voluntary social insurance, or those who had participated had to temporarily suspend contributions due to financial difficulties. Due to the pandemic, organizing direct awareness conferences and outreach campaigns faced many difficulties…

To strive to achieve the assigned targets and continue the sustainable development of voluntary social insurance participants, in the coming time, the Nghe An Provincial Social Insurance will implement comprehensive and decisive solutions, focusing on important measures such as:

Proactively report and advise Party committees and authorities at all levels to effectively implement Resolution No. 102/NQ-CP dated August 3, 2018, of the Government on assigning targets for the development of participants in social insurance.

Develop and issue a plan for expanding the number of participants in social insurance and health insurance based on thorough review, analysis, and evaluation, projecting achievable targets and setting specific tasks and solutions to achieve those targets.

People participating in voluntary social insurance receive and verify information on their social insurance books at the social insurance and health insurance collection agency in Hung Dung ward, Vinh city. Photo: Provincial Social Insurance Agency.

Continue to strengthen and expand the system of social insurance and health insurance collection agents to ensure effective operation and create favorable conditions for participants. Build an increasingly professional and modern collection agent system. Regularly organize training, equip them with knowledge, and improve their skills and methods of disseminating information, mobilizing support, and advising on voluntary social insurance policies and laws for the collection agent staff.

Proactively apply information technology to support the agency staff in surveying, understanding, and classifying local residents by age who have not yet participated in social insurance, prioritizing outreach, communication, and mobilization of those with stable incomes to participate in voluntary social insurance.

Disseminating information about voluntary social insurance policies to residents in Nghi Loc. (Photo: PV)

Launch a movement among officials and employees throughout the sector and call for assistance from philanthropists to donate and give voluntary social insurance books to the poor. Strengthen the dissemination of policies and laws on voluntary social insurance through various forms and content, with flexible organization and diverse approaches to adapt to the prolonged and complex pandemic situation. Implement administrative reforms, improve processes and procedures for participating in and benefiting from voluntary social insurance policies, creating the most favorable conditions for people to access, participate in, and benefit from the scheme.

Voluntary social insurance is a type of insurance provided by the Party and the State, for the benefit of workers and the people, protected by the State, and implemented by the social insurance agency. Participating in voluntary social insurance allows you to receive benefits after reaching retirement age.

Implemented since 2008, voluntary social insurance is a policy with profound humanitarian significance, opening up opportunities for all workers in all fields to receive a pension. Previously, only civil servants and employees working in state agencies or contract workers in agencies, units, and businesses were eligible to participate in mandatory social insurance to receive a pension. Thanks to the voluntary social insurance policy, all citizens aged 15 and above (not subject to mandatory social insurance) have the right to participate and receive a pension when they meet the eligibility requirements.

In particular, voluntary social insurance offers very flexible payment methods, with various contribution levels for participants to choose from, suitable to their financial capacity and future benefit expectations. Voluntary social insurance participants can change their contribution level from a lower to a higher level and vice versa. In case of unforeseen circumstances or a reduction in income, participants can temporarily suspend contributions and retain their contribution period to be added to subsequent contribution periods.

At the same time, the interconnectedness between compulsory and voluntary social insurance allows employees who previously participated in compulsory social insurance, and for whatever reason had to leave their jobs, to switch to voluntary social insurance. Similarly, in cases of switching from voluntary to compulsory social insurance, the previously contributed period is preserved as a basis for calculating social insurance benefits. In addition to retirement benefits, participants also receive a free health insurance card for medical examinations and treatment throughout their retirement; family members are entitled to death benefits and funeral expenses in the event of the participant's passing.