The Vietnamese Ministry of Home Affairs has proposed significant changes regarding the authorization of pension payments. Currently, the law mandates that any authorization document for receiving pensions or social insurance benefits is valid for a maximum of 12 months. However, the new proposal aims to abolish this time limit, allowing pensioners to authorize others to receive their payments without the constraint of a yearly renewal.

This proposal is part of a broader draft law that is currently being reviewed by the Ministry of Justice. The draft aims to amend certain provisions of the Social Insurance Law, which is expected to be presented to the National Assembly for discussion and approval during its upcoming session in October.

Under the proposed changes, pensioners will still be required to submit a written authorization for another individual to receive their pension. However, the authorization will no longer be subject to the 12-month validity period, which has been a point of contention among beneficiaries. Instead, the authorization will follow civil law regulations.

The Ministry of Home Affairs also plans to enhance the management of pension recipients by utilizing a shared information system that connects with national databases. This will ensure that the eligibility of individuals receiving pensions is verified accurately and efficiently.

Furthermore, the proposed amendments include provisions for issuing social insurance books in electronic format, with paper copies available upon request. Both formats will hold equal legal value.

Currently, there are over 3.4 million pension recipients in Vietnam. Among them, more than 11,500 individuals receive monthly pensions of 20 million VND or more, while nearly 418,500 receive between 10 to under 20 million VND. The majority of recipients fall into various other categories based on their monthly pension amounts.

The proposed changes aim to streamline the pension distribution process and enhance the overall experience for beneficiaries.