According to the current Social Insurance Law, to receive the maximum retirement pension of 75%, female workers need to have paid social insurance contributions for 30 years, and male workers for 35 years. However, in some specific sectors of the military, employees are required to retire early and do not meet the required number of contribution years to receive the maximum pension.
AGE LIMITS DUE TO JOB SPECIFICITY
Therefore, many National Assembly delegates have proposed specific policies for these groups.
During the discussions on the draft amended Social Insurance Law in the National Assembly, Delegate Hoang Huu Chien from An Giang Province shared that, in reality, some officials working in certain specialized sectors of the military have not been able to receive the maximum retirement pension of 75% when they retire.
Some sectors, such as pilots, submarine crew, radar forces, aviation technicians, chemists, and other key forces, are currently facing challenges in recruiting personnel due to stringent requirements across the board. These sectors demand comprehensive expertise, good health, and specialized skills, and the training process is intricate and costly.
According to the delegate, because of the nature of their work, there is a certain age limit for these professions. Currently, some sectors require employees to be no older than 40, 45, or 48 years old. Therefore, excluding the training period, the actual working period in some sectors is only 12, 15, or 18 years before they have to change jobs or retire.
Moreover, the working environment in these sectors significantly affects psychophysiology and health due to factors such as electronic waves, heat radiation, noise, toxic chemicals, and industrial dust.
“The nature of their work is stressful, high-pressure, risky, and unsafe. Many cases of sacrifice and injury have occurred during duty. If these individuals cannot be reassigned to other jobs or transferred to another sector and have paid social insurance contributions for 20 years, they will have to retire. In this case, they will not be eligible for the maximum retirement pension of 75% because they have not met the required number of contribution years,” said Delegate Hoang Huu Chien.
In addition, as they age, these individuals often suffer from chronic diseases that affect their health due to the previous working environment.
The delegate believes that, in reality, when they retire, officials working in these sectors will be at a disadvantage, affecting their thoughts and lives, their families, and the military’s rear policy. At the same time, it does not attract and encourage high-quality human resources to work in the military.
Therefore, in addition to the common social insurance policies, Delegate Hoang Huu Chien suggested that the drafting committee consider supplementing the calculation method of the monthly retirement pension in the draft law to allow these subjects to receive the maximum retirement pension.
“The option is that from the 21st year of social insurance contribution for men and from the 16th year for women, they will be entitled to an additional 3% per year up to a maximum of 75%. Or, this content can be delegated to the Government to detail for some sectors and fields of specialized activities, including the activities of the military and public security,” suggested Delegate Hoang Huu Chien.
DIFFICULTY IN MEETING THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF SOCIAL INSURANCE YEARS TO RECEIVE THE MAXIMUM RETIREMENT PENSION
Delegate Chau Chak, from An Giang Province, also paid attention to the retirement regime for the military force. Through the summation of the Law on Vietnamese People’s Army Officers at the grassroots level – a level under the Ministry of National Defense, there have been many opinions on the retirement regime related to military officers.
From 2022 onwards, male workers who have paid social insurance contributions for 35 years and female workers for 30 years are eligible for a maximum retirement pension of 75%.
Delegate Chau Chak believes that, due to the specific nature of military activities, short service periods, difficult recruitment, harsh working environments, etc., those serving in the military need to meet high requirements in terms of both professional qualifications and stringent age and health requirements. Some specialized fields only employ workers up to the age of 50.
On the other hand, according to the Law on Vietnamese People’s Army Officers and some related laws, there are certain regulations on the maximum age of service for military personnel.
Therefore, when they reach the end of their service age, if some groups cannot be arranged for other jobs, they have to retire. As a result, they will receive a low retirement pension, not reaching the maximum of 75% because they have not paid social insurance contributions for enough years.
Therefore, to ensure conformity with the military’s specificity, the delegate suggested considering supplementing the regulation that men who have paid social insurance contributions for 25 years and women for 15 years are eligible for a minimum retirement pension of 45%. From the 21st year for men and the 16th year for women, they will be entitled to an additional 3% per year, up to a maximum of 75%.
