Work injury and occupational disease benefits: Support for individuals facing risks in the workplace
19/05/2025 01:52 PM
The work injury and occupational disease insurance is one of the five mandatory social insurance schemes, playing an important role in helping workers overcome difficult periods and stabilize their lives. It reflects the deep humanitarian values of the social policies of the Party and the State.
Illustrative photo
The regime is specifically regulated in Articles 41, 42, and 44 of the 2015 Law on Occupational Safety and Hygiene. Accordingly, the work injury and occupational disease fund is a component fund of the Social Insurance Fund, which is used to compensate and support workers who unfortunately suffer from work injuries or occupational diseases.
Workers are entitled to work injury benefits when they meet the stipulated conditions and suffer a working capacity decrease of at least 5% caused by a workplace accident. Each employee suffering a working capacity decrease of between 5% and 30% is entitled to a lump-sum benefit, while those with a decrease of 31% or more shall be entitled to a monthly benefit.
If an employee suffering a working capacity decrease of 81% or more, such as rachioplegia, total blindness, paraplegia, amputation of two legs or a mental disease, he/she is entitled to not only the prescribed benefit but also a monthly attendance benefit equivalent to the statutory pay rate. Workers are also entitled to health insurance when they take leave to receive monthly work injury and occupational disease benefits.
Furthermore, the Law on Occupational Safety and Hygiene stipulates the responsibilities of employers towards workers who suffer from occupational injuries or diseases. Each employer shall take responsibilities to an employee suffering from occupational accidents or occupational diseases as follows:
- Promptly give first aid and emergency aid to the employee and advance payment for first aid, emergency aid, and treatment for the employee;
- Pay for first aid, emergency aid, and treatment for the employee until their health become stable, including co-payment and costs not covered by health insurance for the employee if the employee has health insurance; payment for medical assessment of decreased work capacity if the employee’s working capacity decreases by under 5% as concluded by the Medical Examination Council; and full payment for treatment for the employee if the employee has not heath insurance
The employer shall pay compensation for the employee suffering from occupational accident that is not entirely his/her fault and the employee suffering occupational disease as follows:
- At least 1.5 months’ salary for the employee whose working capacity decrease is between 5% and 10%; 0.4 month’s salary shall be add for each additional 1% working capacity decrease regarding the employee whose working capacity decrease is between 11% and 80%;
- At least 30 months’ salary for the employee working capacity decrease is at least 81% or for the employee’s relatives if the employee dies from an occupational accident or an occupational disease;
Furthermore, workers who suffer from work injury and occupational diseases might be supported for medical examinations to detect and assess the level of reduction in working capacity due to occupational diseases, even if they are retired.
According to data from the VSS, in 2024, more than 7,600 workers received monthly and one-time work injury and occupational diseases benefits and 2,600 beneficiaries were recorded in the first four months of 2025.
----------------------------------------------------------------
In order to survey the demand for accessing information on the English version of the Vietnam Social Security Portal at https://vss.gov.vn/english/news/Pages/default.aspx, the Editorial Board is conducting a survey to collect feedback for better service to our readers. Please complete VSS's User Experiece Survey here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd8yySnxxWhWwpTtQuOSLJ-VH_hJ5XH2a-LcVfC06kitsAPPw/viewform
We sincerely thank the readers for taking time to share your opinions.
VSS
Sickness
Work Injury and Occupational Disease
Survivor’s
Old-age
Maternity
Unemployment
Medical (Health Insurance)
Certificate of coverage
VSS - ISSA Guidelines on Social Security