The Ministry of Health has just issued an official dispatch responding to the proposal of the Delegation of National Assembly Deputies of Quang Tri province related to considering amending and supplementing Decree No. 176/2025/ND-CP dated June 30, 2025 of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of a number of articles of the 2024 Health Insurance Law on social pension benefits.
Gradually expanding the coverage of social pension benefits
According to the Ministry of Health, in the past time, the Government has gradually expanded the subjects, reduced the age and increased the level of social assistance benefits for the elderly.
Decree No. 30 of the Government stipulates that elderly people aged 90 and over are entitled to social allowances. By Decree No. 67, the age for enjoying policies was reduced to 85 years old.
Decree No. 06 has continued to reduce to 80 years old for elderly people without pensions, monthly social insurance allowances or monthly social allowances.
Decree No. 20 continues to expand the subjects of monthly social allowance for the elderly from 75 years old to under 80 years old belonging to poor households, near-poor households, living in communes and villages in ethnic minority and mountainous areas with special difficulties.
Notably, from July 1, 2025, implementing Decree No. 176 of the Government, people from 75 years old or older, who do not receive pensions or monthly social insurance allowances or are receiving at a level lower than the social pension allowance level and meet the conditions according to regulations are entitled to allowances; and at the same time expand the subjects from 70 years old to under 75 years old belonging to poor households and near-poor households.
The current social pension level is 500,000 VND/person/month. By July 2026, there are about 2.5 million people nationwide receiving social pension benefits.
Thus, social assistance policies and social pension allowances for the elderly in the past time have been gradually expanded in terms of subjects, age of beneficiaries and allowance levels.
According to the Ministry of Health, the process of reducing the age from 90 to 85 years old, 80 years old, expanding the target group from 75 years old and now to groups from 70 to under 75 years old belonging to poor and near-poor households shows the concern of the Party and State for the elderly and the goal of gradually expanding the coverage of social security.
Proposal to increase the social pension level to 540,000 VND/month
Regarding the level of allowances, the Ministry of Health said that it is submitting to the Government a Decree stipulating social assistance policies, replacing Decree No. 20, amended and supplemented by Decree No. 76; and at the same time amending and supplementing Decree No. 176 on social pension allowances.
In which, the Ministry of Health proposed that the Government consider and decide to adjust the standard level of social assistance, the social pension level from 500,000 VND to the expected 540,000 VND/person/month, corresponding to an increase of 8%.
Social security policies in general, and social assistance in particular, will continue to be adjusted to suit socio-economic development conditions and the ability to mobilize budget for social security.
Regarding the age for enjoying social pension benefits, the Ministry of Health said that it is coordinating with the Ministry of Home Affairs to study and develop a plan to amend and supplement the 2024 Law on Social Insurance, which proposes a plan to gradually reduce the age for enjoying social pension benefits to 70 years old, in accordance with socio-economic development conditions and the ability to balance the state budget at each period.
Thus, the adjustment of the allowance level and research to reduce the age for enjoying social pension benefits are being placed by the Ministry of Health in the process of continuing to improve social security policies, on the basis of balancing the requirements of expanding coverage with socio-economic development conditions and the ability to ensure the State's resources.
Continue to study expanding the beneficiaries of policies
Regarding voters' recommendations on applying the age range from 65 years old to under 70 years old to people from poor households and near-poor households, the Ministry of Health said that this is an expanded proposal compared to the plan being studied.
The Ministry of Health acknowledges the recommendations and will continue to coordinate with relevant agencies to assess the number of subjects, policy impacts and resource balance capacity to report to competent authorities for consideration when conditions are met.
According to the Ministry of Health, in the coming time, social assistance policies in general and social pension benefits in particular will continue to be reviewed and improved in the direction of expanding coverage, increasing benefits, prioritizing elderly groups in difficult circumstances, in accordance with socio-economic development conditions and the ability to balance the state budget in each period.
