It is shared by Ms. Pham Thi Hong My from Giồng Ngánh hamlet, Hiệp Mỹ Tây commune, Cầu Ngang district, Trà Vinh province. She is one of the beneficiaries of the pension scheme through voluntary social insurance participation.

Ms. Pham Thi Hong My Chairwoman  of the Women's Union in Hiệp Mỹ Tây commune

Previously, Ms. My worked as the Chairwoman of the Women's Union in Hiệp Mỹ Tây commune and had been mandatory social insurance participant for 16 years and 11 months. However, by December 2020, she had reached the retirement age but had not accumulated enough participation years as required. At this point, an official from the district's social insurance office gave her advise on the voluntary social insurance policy. Consequently, Ms. My chose to participate in the voluntary social insurance program to meet the eligible criteria for a pension.

Ms. My explained, "With a continuous contribution period of 3 years and 1 month, after being carefully consulted, I opted for a lump-sum payment for the remaining years based on my chosen income level, which was VND 5,450,000. I contributed 22% of the monthly selected income and received a 10% government subsidy (calculated based on the rural poverty standard). After the government subsidy of over VND 625,000 is deducted for voluntary social insurance participation, I made a lump-sum payment of over VND 48 million and started receiving my pension immediately upon fulfilling the 20-year contribution requirement."

When being asked about her pension, Ms. My expressed her joy and saying, "Thanks to my voluntary social insurance contribution, I now receive a regular pension of 3,317,300 VND every month, which is sufficient to cover my daily expenses." She continued, "In addition to the monthly pension, I also receive a lifetime HI card with a coverage of up to 95%. Compared to my previous health insurance when I worked at the commune People's Committee, which provided an 80% coverage based on the insured category listed on the card, this is a significant improvement. With the HI card, I don't have to worry about the expenses for monthly hospital visits and medications for my high blood pressure and joint pains, common health issues at old age."

Understanding the benefits and humanitarian aspect of the voluntary social insurance policy, Ms. My has also registered as SI and HI premiums collection agent in Cầu Ngang district. She is an active advocate for promoting the voluntary social insurance policy and actively contributes to bringing this policy into the lives of the local people. This ensures that residents in the district can enjoy the social security benefits provided by the Party and the State.Top of Form

Ms. Pham Thi Hong My (in purple) actively encourages the residents of Hiệp Mỹ Tây commune to participate in voluntary social and health insurance to benefit from the social security policies.

She also took part in voluntary social insurance for her relatives during a public awareness event organized by Cầu Ngang district's social insurance office. Rô Ky Dah, who resides in Thủy Hòa hamlet, Thuận Hòa commune, Cầu Ngang district, was a recipient of the funeral benefit from the social insurance fund after a family member's passing.

After listening to the district's social insurance officials promote the voluntary social insurance policy and understanding its humanitarian nature, Rô Ky Dah decided to enroll her aunt, Thạch Thị Mương, born on January 1, 1954, in the voluntary social insurance scheme. She began her contributions from October 1, 2018, until December 31, 2021. Regularly, she set aside 5,000 VND daily to save for her voluntary social insurance payments. When the payment deadline approached, she went to the local cultural post office to submit the contributions to the post office staff.

Starting from January 1, 2022, following the effective date of Decree No. 07/2021/NĐ-CP, which stipulates the multidimensional poverty line for the 2021-2025 period, the rural poverty standard became 1,500,000 VND per person per month. Consequently, the contribution amount for voluntary social insurance increased. In the past, she had been saving 5,000 VND daily and paying premiums every three months. However, after the implementation of Decree No. 07, she switched from the three-month payment method in stead of monthly payment, saving 10,000 VND daily. This means that she pays the required 297,000 VND monthly social insurance premiums contribution (after the government's support of 33,000 VND/month is deducted) to the local post office.

She continued participating diligently until September 27, 2023, when her aunt, Thạch Thị Mương, fell ill and passed away. After taking care of her aunt's affairs, Rô Ky Dah visited the Cầu Ngang district social security office to process the required procedures for claiming the benefits in accordance with the regulations.

Rô Ky Dah proceeded to claim the funeral benefit at the section for deceased person benefits at the Cầu Ngang district Social Insurance Office.

Upon completing the necessary procedures for the benefits claim, the total time she had participated on behalf of her relative, Thạch Thị Mương, was 60 months (5 years). Consequently, she was entitled to one-time funeral benefits support equal to 10 months of the base salary. The total amount received by Rô Ky Dah was 28,062,500 VND.

These specific cases further affirm the practical value and the humanitarian nature of the voluntary social insurance policy implemented by our Party and State, with the goal of ensuring social security for the people. Voluntary social insurance participants receive a monthly pension when they meet the eligibility criteria. The pension is considerably higher than the contribution premiums, and it is periodically adjusted to increase in line with the consumer price index and economic growth, in accordance with the state budget and the social insurance fund, to guarantee the livelihoods of participants and beneficiaries. They are also provided with a HI card to take care of their health, with a 95% coverage of medical expenses. This is indeed a "safety net" that allows informer workers to retire with peace of mind.