Is there any misuse of the elderly allowance system?

(Baonghean) - Baonghean Newspaper received an email from a citizen reporting that in Nghi Long commune, Nghi Loc district, many elderly people are receiving less allowance than stipulated. So, what is the truth of this matter?

Ms. Dang Thi Hong shared her circumstances with a reporter from Nghe An Newspaper.

Changes to the senior citizen benefits scheme.

In late September 2016, the Nghe An Newspaper's email inbox received a citizen's complaint stating: "Based on Clause 1, Article 4 of Decree 136/2013/ND-CP, the monthly allowance for the elderly is 270,000 VND/month, but in our commune (Nghi Long commune, Nghi Loc district, Nghe An province), the elderly have only been receiving 185,000 VND/month. We hope the newspaper will clarify this." Upon receiving the citizen's complaint, reporters from the Nghe An Newspaper contacted the elderly individuals to investigate the issue.

We met Mrs. Dang Thi Hong (81 years old) in Hamlet 7, Nghi Long Commune, Nghi Loc District, who lives alone. Her husband passed away long ago, and her children and grandchildren work far away. With only one family member, she was classified as a poor household by the authorities. For the past two years, she has been receiving government assistance for the elderly. However, she relies entirely on this meager social assistance allowance of 180,000 VND per month for all her living expenses and medication.

Meanwhile, on October 21, 2013, the Government issued Decree No. 136/2013/ND-CP regulating social assistance policies for beneficiaries of social protection. Accordingly, from January 1, 2014, elderly people belonging to one of the following categories will have their allowance increased from VND 180,000/month to VND 270,000/month: elderly people in poor households without anyone obligated to care for them, or with someone obligated to care for them but that person is already receiving a monthly social assistance allowance; people aged 80 and above who do not receive a pension, monthly social insurance allowance, or monthly social assistance allowance; elderly people in poor households, without anyone obligated to care for them, unable to live in the community, eligible for admission to social protection facilities or social housing, but with someone to care for them in the community.

Subsequently, on December 31, 2013, the Government issued Resolution No. 142/NQ-CP temporarily suspending the implementation of Decree No. 136/2013/ND-CP. Following this, on October 4, 2014, the Government issued Resolution 74/ND-CP on the partial implementation of Decree 136/2013/ND-CP effective from January 1, 2015. Accordingly, from January 1, 2015, elderly people classified as poor households received an increased social allowance from VND 180,000/month to VND 270,000/month; while elderly people not classified as poor households continued to receive the old social allowance of VND 180,000/month.

On May 12, 2016, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs issued Joint Circular No. 06/2016/TTLT-BLDTBXH-BTC. Accordingly, the elderly and other social welfare beneficiaries will receive full benefits as stipulated in Decree 136/2013/ND-CP. This means that all elderly people over 80 years old who do not receive a pension, monthly social insurance benefits, or monthly social assistance benefits, regardless of whether they belong to a poor household or not, will receive a minimum allowance of 270,000 VND/month. The Joint Circular takes effect from July 1, 2016. Another important point is that beneficiaries receiving social assistance at the new rate will receive retroactive payments from January 1, 2016.

In Nghe An province, following the issuance of Joint Circular No. 06, on September 12, 2016, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 54/2016/QD-UBND on the Regulations on social assistance policies for social protection beneficiaries in Nghe An province. On September 15, 2016, the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Nghe An province issued Official Letter No. 2625/SLDTBXH-BTXH on the implementation of social protection policies according to Decision 54; in which it requested districts, cities, and towns to direct relevant departments and agencies to prepare estimates of additional funding due to the implementation of Circular 06/2016/TTLT-BLDTBXH-BTC, and send them to the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs before September 30, 2016, to complete the procedures for paying the allowances.

In Nghi Long commune alone, there are currently 146 elderly people receiving allowances, including 9 who are classified as poor households and receive an allowance of 270,000 VND/month; while those not classified as poor households receive an allowance of 180,000 VND/month. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy, a policy officer in Nghi Long commune, said: “Regarding the new regulations related to the allowance for elderly people without pensions, monthly social insurance benefits, or monthly social assistance benefits; regardless of whether they are classified as poor households or not, they are all entitled to a minimum allowance of 270,000 VND/month. Currently, the commune is in the process of compiling statistics and preparing a budget estimate for the increase to be submitted to higher authorities on time before September 30th.”

Therefore, at the time we returned to the locality, the agencies and departments were in the process of reviewing and evaluating the applications and preparing the budget; after completing these steps, the elderly will receive the full allowance according to current regulations, and will receive retroactive payments calculated from January 1, 2016.

It is necessary to proactively guide and assist the elderly in completing the procedures for receiving benefits.

As of September 30, 2016 – the deadline for localities to submit their estimates of additional funding to the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs – only three districts, namely Ky Son, Quy Chau, and Dien Chau, had completed the procedures and documentation. Mr. Hoang Ngoc Chau, Head of the Social Protection Department of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, stated: “Through monitoring, we can see that many localities are still proceeding quite slowly in processing applications for the payment of allowances to the elderly. Meanwhile, the dissemination of information to the people so that they fully and specifically understand the benefits remains limited.”

As Mr. Chau mentioned, when informed by reporters about the new regulations regarding the allowance for elderly people without pensions or monthly social insurance benefits – regardless of whether they belong to poor households or not – Mr. Dinh Van Hue, Chairman of the Elderly Association of Hamlet 7, Nghi Long Commune, expressed surprise and said, "We haven't been informed." Clearly, the current reality is that not only is the processing of applications slow, but the dissemination of information and the new regulations to those responsible at the grassroots level are also inadequate and irresponsible.

Furthermore, another reason why many elderly people do not receive the correct amount of benefits is that many are too old to handle the necessary paperwork and procedures themselves, while local authorities have not paid sufficient attention to their needs. For example, in the case of Ms. Dang Thi Hong in Nghi Long commune, according to Resolution 74/ND-CP on the implementation of part of Decree 136/2013/ND-CP, she should receive 540,000 VND/month as an elderly person from a poor household aged 80 or older without anyone obligated to care for her. According to the current regulations, she should still receive 540,000 VND/month. However, currently, she only receives 180,000 VND/month. Despite several changes to the regulations on social welfare benefits, the amount she receives remains low.

When we posed this question to the commune-level authorities, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy, a policy officer in Nghi Long commune, replied that "because the elderly woman only has a poverty certificate and an identity card but has not yet submitted an application for assistance, the commune does not have enough documents to review the application." Ms. Hong, on the other hand, said it was because "no one guided her." This situation shows that authorities at all levels need to be more responsible in addressing the entitlements and policies for the elderly, especially those who are old and living alone.

Nghe An currently has 56,143 people over 80 years old, of which 53,381 are receiving social welfare benefits for the elderly. With such a large number, relevant departments and agencies need to be more proactive and decisive to ensure that the elderly receive their benefits as soon as possible, in accordance with the humane regulations of the Party and the State. Functional agencies and authorities at all levels should promptly review the list of eligible elderly people for social welfare benefits and continue to increase the benefit amount to 270,000 VND/month as per current regulations. For cases where the increase in benefit amount has been delayed, retroactive payments should be made to ensure fairness for all eligible individuals.

Phuong Thao