Social welfare payments are to be increased by up to 50 per cent for handicapped or people below the poverty line and the safety net has been widened.
A decree, which takes effect on April 13, no longer requires disabled beneficiaries to be in poor households to get support.
Similarly, unemployed people diagnosed with mental or psychiatric disorders will automatically qualify for the allowance, without reference to their means or family support.
Payments will range from VND180,000 to 720,000 (US$9.5-40) per month.
Payments will also be increased for beneficiaries affected by natural disasters, hunger caused by the likes of crop failure, funeral costs or when the family wageearner goes missing.
Ha Noi Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs deputy director Le Duc Huu said the new decree was good news, not only for beneficiaries but also for staff who worked in the sector.
The department was preparing to hand out decree guidelines to districts and communes, he said.
Meanwhile, in certain localities, social welfare support was already higher than regulated.
Huu said Ha Noi had already raised the lowest level of welfare from VND150,000 to VND250,000, which was higher than the national level.
And his counterpart in HCM City, Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nhung, said her department regularly reviewed allowances and increased them where necessary.
The allowances will be increased under Decree 13/2010ND-CP which replaces Decree 67, dated 2007.
New decree promises higher social welfare payments
Social welfare payments are to be increased by up to 50% for handicapped or people below the poverty line and the safety net has been widened.
Source: VNS
