Social payments for period of emergency by the end of 2020 assigned to more than 4.6 million people

In 2020, during the period of emergency in Kazakhstan, unprecedented measures of support from the state were taken. Government of Kazakhstan has implemented anti-crisis measures aimed at supporting socio-economic stability and employment in the country. Employees who were left without income for the period of emergency received social benefits from the state. What social support Kazakhstanis received in 2020, read the overview material.

How much money allocated for social benefits to the population in 2020?

From the republican budget in 2020, funds in the amount of 3,434,758,664.3 thousand tenge were allocated for social payments to provide more than 4 million people (payments of solidarity pensions, state basic pension payments, state basic disability benefit, one-time state benefits in connection with the birth of a child, etc.).

In particular, 76.7 billion tenge was provided for the payment of targeted social assistance (including the Republican budget – 68.9 billion tenge, local budget – 7.7 billion tenge); to provide a guaranteed social package for preschool children, 13.4 billion tenge was provided (including the Republican budget – 12.1 billion tenge, local budget – 1.3 billion tenge).

As of Jan. 1, 2021, more than 4.6 million people were assigned social benefits for the period of emergency, in the amount of 322.8 billion tenge.

During the state of emergency and restrictive measures (in March – May, July, August 2020), citizens from socially vulnerable segments of the population were transferred to accounts for the purchase of food and household sets in the amount of at least 2 MCI (5,556 tenge). This affected more than 1.1 million people, 24.6 billion tenge was allocated from the budget.

What social support provided to the population during quarantine period?

As of Jan. 1, 2021, social payments for the quarantine period have been assigned to more than 2.4 million people in the amount of 153.5 billion tenge.

For the current recipients of targeted social assistance from the second to the fourth quarter of 2020, the appointment and extension of applications was carried out automatically, while for new recipients the opportunity to receive applications through the e-government portal was implemented. In addition, in the 2nd quarter of 2020, with the automatic assignment of targeted social assistance, the assistance size was simultaneously increased by 5%.

As a result, the recipients of targeted social assistance who were assigned assistance in the 1st quarter of this year, the term for assigning TSA in automatic mode was extended by the 2nd quarter of this year. 109 thousand families (561.4 thousand people in them), in the third quarter of 2020 – 121 thousand families (in them 627 thousand people), in the fourth quarter of 2020 – 119.7 thousand families ( there are 614.3 thousand people in them).

From March to May, July, August 2020 to citizens from socially vulnerable segments of the population, payments were made for the purchase of food and household sets in the amount of 2 MCI.

The payment covered more than 1.1 million citizens in the amount of 24.6 billion tenge.

How much money allocated in 2020 for payments of pensions and benefits?

In total, at the end of 2020, social payments were made from the State Social Insurance Fund to 947.2 thousand recipients for a total amount of 257.3 billion tenge.

In total, during the period of restrictive measures in support of persons who have lost income due to the imposed restrictions on activities, social payments from the State Social Insurance Fund were made – 4.6 million people for a total amount of about 476.3 billion tenge.

A one-time social payment was made from the funds of the State Social Insurance Fund in the amount of 2 million tenge to the infected medical worker, as well as 10 million tenge to the families of deceased medical workers.

In total, the State Social Insurance Fund made a full payment to the families of deceased workers – 186 people, as well as 9,300 infected medical workers.

The State Social Insurance Fund made payments in the amount of about 20.5 billion tenge (1.8 billion tenge to families of deceased workers, 18.6 billion tenge to infected workers).

How much did pensions and benefits increase in 2020?

In 2020, the fulfillment of all social obligations of the state is ensured. For the purpose of additional support, the amounts of pensions and benefits were indexed twice. The growth of basic pension and benefits was 10%, solidarity pension – 12% (solidarity pensions are indexed above the inflation rate by 2%).

State social benefits for disability and loss of breadwinner represent the basic level of social security and are provided to all persons who are recognized as disabled or in case of loss of a breadwinner in accordance with the established procedure.

The state social benefits for disability depend on the subsistence minimum, the group and the cause of the disability, in case of loss of the breadwinner – on the number of dependents and on the amount of the subsistence level established by the law on the republican budget for the corresponding financial year.

Due to the change in the size of the subsistence minimum, the amounts of these benefits are increased annually.

So, from Jan. 1, 2021, the state social benefits for disability, in case of loss of the breadwinner, was increased by 5% due to the change in the value of the subsistence minimum.

What work done in 2020 to support mothers with many children?

To date, Kazakhstan has built a national model of support for families with children, aimed at both stimulating the birth rate and promoting the upbringing of children in the family, and at increasing the prestige and authority of mothers with many children.

Thus, women with many children are women awarded with the pendants Altyn alqa, Kumis alqa (previously awarded the title Mother Heroine, the Order of Maternal Glory of I and II degrees) – this is a lifelong recognition of merits and an increase in the authority of a mother with many children, who is paid special state allowance.

In 2020, this benefit was received on average by 232.3 thousand people for a total of 49.1 billion tenge.

Mothers with many children who have been awarded the pendants Altyn alqa, Kumis alqa or who have previously received the title of Mother Heroine, as well as awarded the orders of Maternal Glory of I and II degrees, large families have the primary right to receive a dwelling from the state housing stock or dwelling place rented by a local executive body in a private housing stock.

Mothers of many children who were awarded with Altyn alqa and Kumis Alfa pendants are also exempted from paying a number of taxes and state duties.

- vehicle tax (for one vehicle);

- tax on land plots occupied by the housing stock, including buildings and structures attached to it;

- tax on adjoining land plots;

- property tax of individuals (within 1,000 times the MCI);

- state fees when performing notarial acts;

- state fees for the performance of legally significant actions by an authorized state body in the field of intellectual property.

At the same time, in accordance with paragraph 3 of Article 11 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Pension Provision in the Republic of Kazakhstan" (hereinafter – the Law), women who have given birth (adopted, adopted) 5 or more children and raised them up to eight years of age are entitled to pension payments by age upon reaching 53.

At the same time, from Jan. 1, 2020, the social security system for large families has been reformed by resuming the state service for assigning state social benefits to families with 4 or more children, paid regardless of income.

In addition, a differentiated approach was introduced in determining the amount of benefits depending on the number of children, in multiples of the monthly calculation indicator, depending on the number of children in the family (4 children – 44,532 tenge, 5 children – 55,672 tenge, 6 children – 66,811 tenge, 7 children – 77,951 tenge, 8 and more children at 4 MCI for each child).

In 2020, this payment was received on average by 392.4 thousand large families for a total of 236.2 billion tenge, which is 7 times more compared to 2019 (32.1 billion tenge).

Improvement of mechanism for assigning targeted social assistance in 2020?

Since 2020, in accordance with the instructions of the Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the system of targeted social assistance (hereinafter referred to as TSA) has been reformed to ensure its transparency, fairness, and increase motivation to work.

The modernization of the current system for the provision of the assistance provides for:

1) the return of the quarterly appointment of the FSB, which excluded cases of abuse by the recipients of the FSB, the possibility of hiding their income;

2) a new state allowance for large families, introduced on Jan. 1, 2020, it not only increased the authority and status of a large family, but also favorably affects its financial situation, including in large low-income families;

3) increased requirements for able-bodied recipients of TSA, the income from which is taken into account in the total income of a low-income family. If they refuse the proposed active measures to promote employment, all family members lose the right to receive TSA. In order to involve the unemployed population, including laid off workers in measures to promote employment (labor mediation, short-term training, assistance in entrepreneurship, assignment to subsidized jobs), work is underway under the Enbek State Program for the Development of Productive Employment and Mass Entrepreneurship for 2017-2021;

4) strengthening the institution of precinct commissions. To improve the efficiency of their activities, the period for conducting a survey of the family's financial situation has been increased from three to seven days. It provides for the definition of competence to establish the criteria for determining the need for TSA, and also supplemented the grounds for refusing to appoint an TSA when providing an opinion on the absence of the need for a family in provision.

In addition to the assigned TSA, from Jan. 1, 2020, a guaranteed social package has been introduced for children from low-income families.

School-age children are provided with free hot meals in schools, free transportation to and from school, as well as school uniforms and supplies. State support for school-age children is provided through education, directly through the schools provided for in the framework of Universal Education.

Preschool children from 1 to 6 years old are provided monthly with food kits and quarterly with kits of household chemicals. The number of state support recipients of preschool age amounted to 218.2 thousand children (as of Dec. 31, 2020).

The guaranteed package for children aged 6-18 years (category 2) consists of 4 parts. These are one-time school meals at the place of study, provision of school uniforms, provision of school supplies and reimbursement of 50% of travel on city public transport.

The number of state support recipients of school age was 217 thousand children (as of Dec. 31, 2020).

Sets of school uniforms and school supplies, formed at the suggestion of the Ministry of Education and Science and will be issued to schoolchildren once a year before the start of the school year (TSA recipients as of Aug. 31, 2020).

State support for children from 6 to 18 years old is provided according to the same principle, as before in the framework of universal education, through secondary education organizations.

From 2021, in order to simplify the procedure for providing a guaranteed social package and the opportunity for recipients to independently choose a supplier, it is proposed to bring this package to the Social Services Portal. At the same time, at the first stage of launching this mechanism, as an alternative, it is proposed to preserve the possibility of providing a guaranteed social package in accordance with the legislation on public procurement by decision of local executive bodies. Relevant amendments to the Law on State Targeted Social Assistance have been developed.

What measures taken in 2020 to support people with disabilities?

In order to increase the level of socialization, persons with disabilities are provided with technical auxiliary (compensatory) means, as well as the services of an individual assistant and a sign language specialist.

At the end of 2020, as part of the implementation of the individual rehabilitation program, over 340 thousand people with disabilities, or 81%, were provided with technical means and rehabilitation services (2019 - 69.5%).

In 2020, a project was launched to produce domestic electric wheelchairs, which were previously imported from Russia, China and European countries.

According to the state order, the Kazakh plant Tynys JSC produced 1381 first domestic electric wheelchairs for the amount of 1.1 billion tenge and transferred for use to persons with disabilities.

As part of the implementation of the activities of the National Plan to ensure the rights and improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities until 2025, from Jan. 1, 2020, the Social Services Portal was introduced, which will allow recipients and providers of social services to interact directly on a single digital platform.

Persons with disabilities will be given the opportunity to familiarize themselves with and independently select rehabilitation means and services, taking into account their individual needs.

At the end of 2020, more than 28 thousand goods and services were received through the Portal.

The ministry has developed a draft Law "On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Social Protection of Certain Categories of Citizens".

The draft law provides for the introduction of amendments to 75 normative legal acts aimed at ensuring the rights and social support of persons with disabilities, which are reflected in the election platform of the Nur-Otan party.

Thus, the conceptual amendments to the draft Law are:

- Replacement of the discriminatory term “disabled” by “person with disabilities” (in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities);

- Introduction of compensation contributions from employers who do not fulfill the employment quota for the persons with disabilities;

- Introduction of benefits for persons caring for persons with disabilities of group 1, regardless of the reason for the disability;

- Division of children from 7 to 16 years old according to disability groups with a review of the amount of benefits;

- Granting the right to simultaneously receive two types of benefits: disability and survivor;

- Transfer to the Portal of social services the provision of "Invataxi" and special social services;

- Preservation of the priority of families raising children with disabilities and who have not received housing under 18 years of age, if they are assigned 1 or 2 disability groups;

- Measures of social support for persons who have received disability from work injury or occupational disease during the period of bankruptcy proceedings.

The norms of the draft Law were discussed at a meeting of the Coordinating Council for the Protection of Persons with Disabilities, at workshops with the participation of persons with disabilities and non-governmental organizations, and also agreed with the central state and local executive bodies and on Dec. 25, 2020, submitted to Parliament.

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