Health Ministry proposes expanding monthly social assistance beneficiaries from July 1, 2026

The Health Ministry has proposed expanding the group eligible for monthly social assistance in a draft Decree amending and supplementing certain provisions of Decree No. 20/2021/ND-CP on policies to support social welfare for social protection subjects.

Proposed eligibility expansion

Under the proposal, elderly people who are in the poor household category and have no person responsible for providing support—or whose obligor is receiving monthly social assistance or is unable economically or health-wise to provide support—would be included among monthly social assistance beneficiaries.

The expected new benefit level is 600,000 dong from July 1, 2026.

Rationale and policy background

The proposal is based on practical implementation of Decree No. 20/2021/ND-CP. Many elderly people in poor households with children have continued to face hardship because the obligor responsible for maintaining them was also past working age, in poor health or seriously ill, and had no stable income.

Current regulations largely rely on civil status rather than assessing the actual capacity to fulfill maintenance obligations. The Health Ministry says this creates legal gaps and leaves parts of vulnerable groups without access to social security policies.

It notes that this group previously benefited from more stable policies during the implementation of Decree No. 136/2013/ND-CP from 2013 to 2021. After Decree No. 20/2021/ND-CP took effect, stricter conditions on fulfilling maintenance obligations became a barrier. As a result, 32 of 63 provinces and cities adopted special policies to provide support in the period from June 2021 to June 2025.

What the amendment would change

The Ministry considers adding the provision “or this person lacks the economic capacity or health to fulfill the maintenance” necessary to concretize the principle of the Marriage and Family Law and to ensure consistency across the national social security system.

Expected impact and implementation approach

The amendment is described as inheriting the group already supported under earlier regulations, so it is not expected to cause a sudden nationwide increase in beneficiaries. The Ministry also says many localities have already issued special policies to continue supporting this group during 2021–2025.

According to the Health Ministry, the main purpose is to standardize the legal framework rather than create additional pressure on the state budget for social security. It adds that the number of elderly people in poor households whose obligor is unable economically or health-wise represents a small share and is trending downward due to poverty reduction policies and expanded social insurance coverage.

Beneficiary determination would be carried out through strict local field verification to ensure support reaches the right targets with appropriate needs, without creating new administrative costs. Funding would be balanced within the annual regular expenditure estimates allocated to social protection work, supporting policy feasibility and long-term sustainability.