Attendants the meeting were: Standing Deputy Chair Commissioner of the VSS Board of Commissioners, General Director of VSS Nguyen The Manh; Full-time Deputy Chair Commissioner of the VSS Board of Commissioners Nguyen Van Cuong; members of the VSS Board of Commissioners include: Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Nguyen Duy Thang, Deputy Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Ba Hoan; Vice President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hoang Quang Phong; Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor Ngo Duy Hieu; Vice Chairman of Vietnam Farmers Union Nguyen Xuan Dinh.

Comrade Ho Duc Phoc, Member of the Party Central Committee, Minister of Finance, Chair Commissioner of the VSS Board of Commissioners, chaired the meeting.

The main contents of the meeting included: Announcement of decisions on the addition of 3 members of the VSS Board of Commissioners (Full-time Deputy Chair Commissioner Nguyen Van Cuong; Senior Lieutenant General Vu Hai San, Deputy Minister of National Defense - Member; Lieutenant General Tran Quoc To, Deputy Minister of Public Security - Member); Appraise and approve the submissions of the VSS; Discuss the reports of VSS; Report on the performance of tasks at the meeting in the third quarter of 2021 of the VSS Board of Commissioners; drafts assigning members of the VSS Board of Commissioners to be in charge of directing, inspecting and supervising the work of social, health and unemployment insurance; Report on the Project on Consolidating and improving the operational capacity of the VSS Board of Commissioners.

At the meeting, leaders of VSS presented reports for the VSS Board of Commissioners to appraise, discuss and give opinions, including: Report on revenue and expenditure estimates in 2022 and financial plan for 3 years 2022 - 2024; Report on implementation of public investment plan in 2021 and public investment plan in 2022; Report on implementation of fund investment in 2021 and fund investment plan in 2022; Report on policies to support employees and employers affected by Covid-19 from social insurance and unemployment insurance funds. Mr. Nguyen The Manh, General Director of VSS, reported highlighting the outstanding results of the VSS in the context of the Covid-19 epidemic.

Standing Deputy Chair Commissioners of the VSS Board of Commissioners, General Director of VSS Nguyen The Manh delivered a speech at the meeting

Through exchange and discussion, the members of the VSS Board of Commissioners assessed, from the beginning of 2021 to the present, although the situation of the 4th wave of the Covid-19 pandemic has been complicated, greatly affecting the socio-economic conditions, especially the life of workers and production and business situation of enterprises, the VSS strives to fulfill the assigned tasks well, achieving numerous positive results. In which, there are many areas to be promoted such as digital transformation, IT application, administrative procedure reform, electronic inspection, centralized settlement, and software integration to better serve people during the epidemic. The collection and development of subjects and payment of regimes for participants are guaranteed. Propaganda has been renewed in both content and form in the direction of diversity and flexibility. Fund investment has been safe and effective in accordance with regulations.

Appreciating the results that Vietnam's social insurance industry has achieved, however, members of the VSS Board of Commissioners also said that the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic are heavy, and the risk of labor market disruption is high; millions of workers in the southern provinces are returning to their hometowns, leaving the labor market, stopping participation in social, unemployment and health insurance; Bankruptcy of enterprises and temporary suspension of operations is a huge challenge in the performance of tasks of Vietnam's social insurance industry. In that context, VSS needs to have an overall and detailed assessment of the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on revenue and expenditure estimates, and the performance of the sector's tasks in order to have appropriate solutions and adjustments.

Regarding solutions, the VSS Board of Commissioners requested that the VSS follow the orientations and directions of Resolution No. 28/NQ-TW dated May 23, 2018 of the 12th Central Committee on social insurance policy reform to have timely, diversified, flexible solutions, widely accessible to all classes of people. In addition, the VSS needs to continue to further promote the reform of administrative procedures and the application of information technology to become closer and more convenient for policy beneficiaries, especially in the context of epidemics and digital transformation trend like today.

Full-time Deputy Chair Commissioner of the VSS Board of Commissioners Nguyen Van Cuong spoke at the meeting

At the meeting, the Full-time Deputy Chair Commissioner of the VSS Board of Commissioners Nguyen Van Cuong reported on the work results of the VSS Board of Commissioners in the third quarter of 2021. In particular, emphasis is on the direction and orientation of the VSS Board of Commissioners, the coordination of the Standing Committee of the VSS Board of Commissioners in studying policies to support employees and employers hit by Covid-19 from the social and unemployment insurance fund to promptly advise and submit to the National Assembly and the Government for promulgation. A series of support policies being implemented from the beginning of 2021 up to now has shown the active participation and responsibility of the VSS Board of Commissioners in promoting the role of social, unemployment and health insurance policies to serve participants, contributing to affirming the humanistic meaning, preeminence and pillar in the national social security system.

Cuong also reported on the draft assignment of members of the VSS Board of Commissioners to be in charge of directing, inspecting and supervising the work of social, health and unemployment insurance in localities; Report on the Project on consolidating and improving the operational capacity of the VSS Board of Commissioners; Evaluate the results of the inspection and supervision of the VSS Board of Commissioners from 2018 to present. Accordingly, its operation has been increasingly strengthened and consolidated. The Regulation on operation of the VSS Board of Commissioners was signed and promulgated by Mr. Ho Duc Phuoc - the Chair Commissioner, creating an important basis for the VSS Board of Commissioners to bring into full play its roles and tasks in inspecting, supervising and advising on social and health insurance policies, aiming at professional and effective activities. Regarding inspection and supervision, from 2018 to now, the members of the VSS Board of Commissioners have carried out 35 inspection and supervision teams on the work of social, health and unemployment insurance in localities, thereby helping local authorities to grasp and be more proactive in leading and directing the implementation of these policies in the locality. Through monitoring activities, the VSS Board of Commissioners also directed the Departments of Health and Social Security Offices of provinces to inspect, correct and control the sudden increase in medical treatment costs covered by health insurance; directed agencies to promote IT application, administrative reform, improve the spirit and attitude of serving participants of social, health and unemployment insurance.

Supervision is one of the important functions of the VSS Board of Commissioners assigned by the Government to ensure that policies on social, unemployment and health insurance are implemented in accordance with the provisions of law; also detect and prevent violations and abuses in the implementation of these policies to promptly correct and handle them, so it should be done regularly and closely. However, since 2020, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, this activity has been restricted. Therefore, at the meeting, the members of the VSS Board of Commissioners discussed, researched and developed a scenario of monitoring activities suitable to the current situation. Comrade Nguyen Van Cuong emphasized that in the last 3 months of 2021, the VSS Board of Commissioners has determined to continue to strengthen the inspection and supervision of the work of social, unemployment and health insurance at the VSS and the local social security agencies in order to urge, guide and accompany the whole Vietnam's social insurance industry to overcome difficulties and successfully complete the tasks assigned by the Government; especially strengthening communication and development of participants in social, health and unemployment insurance in the current epidemic situation, determined to achieve the coverage targets, helping more people and workers to be protected, and enjoy the policies fully and comprehensively.

Regarding the Project on improving the operational capacity of the VSS Board of Commissioners, the members also agreed that it is necessary to accelerate the completion of the project to prepare for the proposal of the Government to develop a Decree regulating the operation of the VSS Board of Commissioners according to its functions, tasks and work contents.

Ho Duc Phoc emphasized that in the face of the complicated situation of the epidemic, the VSS Board of Commissioners promptly directed and advised the Government to issue numerous policies to support employees and employers facing difficulties due to Covid-19 from social and unemployment insurance policies. Specifically, Resolution No. 68/NQ-CP and Decision No. 23/2021/QD-TTg on a number of policies to support employees and employers affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and Resolution No. 116/NQ-CP and Decision No. 28/2021/QD-TTg on supporting employees and employers affected by the Covid-19 epidemic from unemployment insurance fund, effective from October 1, 2021 with more than 13 million workers and about 386 thousand businesses having been supported. This is of great significance to employees and businesses at this difficult time, thereby clearly demonstrating the humanity of the Party and State's social insurance policies.

In the coming time, Phoc requested that the whole Vietnam's social insurance industry continue to promote the achieved results, overcome difficulties, and strive to fulfill the tasks assigned by the Government in 2021 and the issued plan of the VSS Board of Commissioners. In the current context, the VSS needs to research and innovate more creatively in communication, mobilize people to participate in social, unemployment and health insurance, especially voluntary social insurance so that more freelancers and farmers participate in social insurance to have a monthly pension to help stabilize their lives in old age; to pay special attention to IT application and digital transformation so that employees and people can access social and health insurance policies in the fastest and most convenient way; at the same time, facilitate the collection and payment and settlement of regimes quickly, safely and accurately. The field of fund investment needs to continue to be improved on the principle of safety, sustainability, good profitability, research and pilot the form of deposit bidding at 5 state-owned commercial banks to improve the efficiency of fund investment. Regarding the management apparatus of the Sector, it is necessary to continue to consolidate, streamline and improve the management level, professional capacity, and service ethics of the contingent of cadres, civil servants and public employees to serve the participants of social, unemployment, health insurance better.