Inadequacies in social security payments through the postal system

(Baonghean) - Implementing Regulation No. 2322/QD.UB/2016 of the Provincial People's Committee, from July 1, 2016, the social protection regime was transferred from the Commune People's Committee to the Post Office for payment. After 3 months of implementation, although there were some positive results, there were still some shortcomings that made the beneficiaries dissatisfied...

Many problems...

On September 27, we returned to Quynh Luu on the day of the September social security payment. This is a locality where social security beneficiaries have reacted to the inadequacies and inconveniences when switching to the new payment method.

In Quynh Lam, the commune has nearly 500 beneficiaries of social protection every month and is one of the localities with the strongest reaction. To receive the subsidy, as usual, the beneficiaries must be present very early at the Commune Cultural Post Office to collect their books. Learning from the experience of the previous 2 payment periods, this time the Post Office will divide the payment into 2 sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, so there is less pressure. In the first 2 hours of the hour, the Post Office often has about 20-30 people waiting to read their names, present their books, sign and receive money. In just half a morning, the post office staff paid nearly 200 beneficiaries. Mr. Tran Van Minh in Hamlet 6, Quynh Lam Commune said: Compared to July, this month is better. However, for convenience, the Post Office needs to set a day of the month to make the payment, so people just come because the announcement on the loudspeaker can be heard by some hamlets and not others.

People wait to receive social security benefits at Quynh Long Commune Post Office (Quynh Luu).

In Quynh Long commune, the payment situation has not changed much. Ms. Tran Thi Doan, from Cong Hoa village, was authorized to collect the money on behalf of her family members. She complained: As the main laborer in the family, the subsidy amount is not much and I have to wait all morning. The payment location is too cramped, there are not enough chairs, I have to wait in the yard... According to Ms. Doan, the new payment method is not as good as the old one, it is complicated and annoying for the people, so the district and province need to accept it and change it accordingly. In addition to the location being too cramped, the payment process of the post office staff is too slow and rigid. In nearly an hour, the post office staff could only deliver to more than a dozen recipients. While other communes in Quynh Luu district have temporarily stabilized the procedures related to authorization documents, up to now, recipients in Quynh Long commune still have to present additional authorization documents.

In fact, the problem of social security payments through the Post Office is not only in Quynh Luu but also in Dien Chau, Anh Son or Nghia Dan. Ms. Ha Thi Huong in Hamlet 22, Nghia Trung Commune (Nghia Dan) said: This is the second period (July and August are combined into one), she went to receive social security benefits on behalf of her mother. I heard that the State has adjusted the increase but this month I still only receive 180,000 VND/month. The hamlet is 5 km away, the road is difficult, I have to get up at 6am, go to the commune to wait until 10:30am.

Contacting the communes, it is known that: after many recommendations and feedbacks to the communes, the payment has improved, unlike the first payment in July, which was too difficult and messy. The Post Office has just taken over and follows the principle of direct payment, anyone who cannot go must have a power of attorney. When switching to the new payment system, the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs and the Post Office have not yet provided specific instructions on the form of the power of attorney to receive on behalf of others, so having to run back and forth is very time-consuming and troublesome. At its peak in July, in Quynh Long, Quynh Van and Quynh Lam communes (Quynh Luu), the subjects reacted, the commune officials had to stand up and promise to pay in full and on time...

Postal staff and commune postmen pay social protection at the Quynh Giang Commune Cultural House (Quynh Luu).

Mr. Hoang Quoc Hoan - Head of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Quynh Luu district shared: The whole district of Quynh Luu has more than 14 thousand beneficiaries, paying about 2.6 billion VND per month. The beneficiaries of the sponsorship payment are quite special, having to check and update regularly from the Commune People's Committee, the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to the Post Office, so there are some difficulties and confusion. Besides, some communes handle administrative procedures in a rigid manner, which makes the beneficiaries upset, which is real.

What is the solution?

After 3 months of implementing social protection payments through the Post Office system, the implementation of the new service has encountered the above-mentioned shortcomings and problems, causing the subjects to react and disagree. To improve the quality of payments in the coming time, the following solutions are needed:

Sponsorship payment at the Quynh Lam Commune Cultural Post Office (Quynh Luu).

First of all, we must focus on removing obstacles in administrative procedures related to authorization papers. For a long time, receiving sponsorship through the Commune People's Committee was simple, but now through the Post Office, we have to present a new authorization paper, but each district-level department has a different understanding of the authorization form and authorization period. Some districts even request to make one authorization paper per month, which makes the subjects feel too complicated.

The second is to upgrade facilities and payment locations. According to the regulations of the Provincial People's Committee, the place for payment of sponsorship can be the Cultural Post Office, the Commune Cultural House or the Hamlet Hall. However, payment at the Cultural Post Office is still quite unstable. The reason is that the Post Office is too crowded, there are not enough seats, so if the recipients have to wait for payment, it is easy to get upset. In addition, the payment location in some localities often changes, which also makes people dissatisfied.

Third, try to arrange a stable payment schedule. According to Decision 2322/QD of the Provincial People's Committee, social protection benefits are paid before the 10th of each month, but after the past 3 months, some districts receive benefits from the 12th, but most districts have to wait until the 15th, sometimes the 17th, 19th, or even Quynh Luu until the end of the month to pay. According to our research, the late payment is not only due to the reason that the budget has not been balanced in time, but also due to a number of other reasons that we do not think are really convincing. Because the source is not proactive, the payment date of the Post Office is not only late, but the payment location is sometimes at the Commune People's Committee, sometimes at the Post Office. Witnessing the above situation, leaders of many communes said that if the Post Office has a payment schedule in advance, the Commune People's Committee can arrange a schedule for the Post Office to pay benefits at the Commune Cultural House.

The final and most important solution, which is also the goal that this service aims for, is to pay to the block, hamlet, and even at home for the beneficiaries. According to the current survey, about 20-25% of the beneficiaries are disabled, elderly, and cannot move around and need to be paid at home by the Post Office. For this reason, in the first 2 months of payment via the post office, Dien Chau district had a surplus of more than 30 million VND because the elderly could not come in time and had to go to the district Post Office to receive it.

Ha Phuong