– Alisa Abdilevna, what support can citizens count on from the State Social Insurance Fund in case of social risks? How important is the system of compulsory social insurance?
– Kazakhstan has a multilevel model of the social insurance system, which provides for the distribution of responsibilities between the state, the employer and the employee at the basic, mandatory and voluntary levels.
At the basic level, social protection is provided, regardless of income and employment, it is represented by state benefits from the state budget. At the compulsory level, the responsibility of the employer to pay social contributions for employees and individual entrepreneurs for themselves on a monthly basis is provided. The voluntary level is realized through voluntary insurance contributions of citizens to life insurance companies.
It should be noted that of the six types of social benefits, two are long-term: this is a social benefit for disability, which is paid to a member of the system for the entire period of the established degree of disability until reaching retirement age, as well as the survivor's benefit. It is assigned to family members who were dependents of the deceased.
At the same time, if the dependant continues to study after reaching the age of 18, the benefit is paid to him up to the age of 23.
Participants in the system simultaneously receive basic state disability and survivor benefits from the national budget and, in addition, social benefits from the fund.
– How many people in Kazakhstan today receive social benefits and in what amount?
– In the first quarter of this year, about 88 thousand persons with disabilities, participants of the compulsory social insurance system receive a social benefit on disability. The average amount of benefits was at the level of 43,757 tenge. At the same time, our recipients are also covered by the basic level of social support from the national budget, the average amount of state social allowance for disability in this period amounted to 58,966 tenge.
As for the social benefit for the loss of the breadwinner, at the end of the first quarter, 57.8 thousand families received it to the amount of 6.2 billion tenge. The average size of assigned benefits amounted to 45,340 tenge. The basic level from the national budget these families receive in the form of state social allowances for the loss of the breadwinner - an average of 48,771 tenge.
The next three benefits are related to motherhood and childhood. This direction has always been among the priorities of social policy. At present there is a whole system of social protection for families with children, from waiting for the birth of a child to caring for it. Special attention is given to families with many children and to award-winning mothers with many children.
An additional level of support for participants in the compulsory social insurance system in this area is important for the fund, with more than 80% of all its assets going to maternity-related social benefits each year.
In the case of social risk resulting in loss of income due to pregnancy and childbirth, working women are assigned a lump-sum social payment for the entire period of her disability, which is confirmed by a sick-leave certificate. As a rule, this period is just over four months for normal childbirth.
When adopting a newborn child on the basis of a sick leave, there is also a social benefit from the fund. In the first quarter of 2023, more than 74 thousand women received social benefits for pregnancy and childbirth, adoption of a newborn child. The average size of assigned benefits was at the level of one million tenge.
For working citizens for the period of occurrence and continuation of social risk in connection with caring for a child until he or she reaches the age of one and a half years, the fund makes the appropriate social benefit. Another benefit is a social benefit for loss of employment. It is important that it is assigned to a member of the system, regardless of the reason for his dismissal. The main condition for its appointment is registration as unemployed at the employment center.
It is with registration that a participant becomes eligible for the assignment of a social benefit. Depending on the length of participation in the system, the benefit is paid for a period of one to six months. In the first quarter of 2023, 63 thousand people received such a benefit to the amount of 9.1 billion tenge.
As you can see yourself, social protection of working citizens at the expense of the additional level from the system of obligatory social insurance is much higher than that of non-working people. It should be noted that the size of all social benefits from the fund are calculated individually and directly depend on the timeliness and completeness of social deductions paid to the fund for the employee - participant of the system of compulsory social insurance.
Therefore, we recommend that you check your social contributions for completeness and timeliness in any convenient way for citizens: on the portal of e-government egov.kz, ordering a public service "Issuance of information to participants of the mandatory social insurance system on the status and movement of social contributions" or by contacting the State Corporation (CSC) or a branch of the fund with an identity document.
This year we started with the implementation of the instructions of the Head of State, given in his Address to the Nation on September 1, 2022. So, starting in 2023, the income replacement rate for calculating the amount of social payments for loss of employment was raised from 40% to 45%.
This year we started with the implementation of the instructions of the Head of State, given in his Address to the Nation on September 1, 2022. So, starting in 2023, the income replacement rate for calculating the amount of social payments for loss of employment was raised from 40% to 45%.
The period of social benefit for child care was also extended to a year and a half. To this end, benefits were automatically extended to about 347.9 thousand recipients whose children were born in 2022.
In addition, as part of the annual indexation, along with an increase in state social benefits for disability and loss of a breadwinner, long-term social payments for disability and loss of a breadwinner were increased by 8.5%, which affected about 133 thousand of our recipients.
Since July another 14.5% increase in long-term social benefits is expected. This indexation is planned to cover about 92 thousand recipients of disability benefits and 61 thousand families - on loss of breadwinner - from the fund.
At the same time, starting July 1, 2023 the amounts of state social benefits for disability and loss of breadwinner will be increased directly at the legislative level. It should be noted that all works on recalculation in connection with indexation and increase of amounts will be made in automated mode, i.e. without the need for recipients to submit additional documents.
Interviewed by Arlan Ayyanov “Kazakhstanskaya Pravda”
