Mr. Tran Binh Hung is paralyzed in both legs (due to spinal stenosis) and cannot walk by himself. All personal activities depend on his wife, Mrs. Pham Thi Kim Dung (65 years old).

Ms. Dung said that because Mr. Hung is seriously ill, the annual medical expenses are very expensive. All medical expenses and daily living expenses of the family can only depend on his monthly pension of more than 4 million.

According to Ms. Dung, Mr. Hung's monthly pension should have been nearly 6 million VND/month, but Thai Nguyen Social Insurance under-calculated his working time by more than 10 years, so her husband's pension was so low.

Mr. Tran Binh Hung was born in 1958 and is a veteran. From 1980 to 1983, he joined the army at Regiment 148 (Military Region III). From 1983, he was transferred and worked at the Organization Committee of the Ha Bac Government.

On March 30, 1990, he was transferred to work at Ha Bac Catering Company. From 1990 to 1996, he was received by the director of Ha Bac Catering Company and assigned to work at Bac Ninh Catering Store No. 1, then transferred to work at Bac Thai Construction Company No. 3.

In the petition sent to the authorities, Mr. Tran Binh Hung affirmed that he had not received the 176 regime (a one-time payment upon leaving work) until September 1994.

However, on May 8, 2019, when receiving the retirement decision from Thai Nguyen Social Insurance, the couple was "shocked" because this agency only calculated Mr. Hung's retirement time for 22 years and 2 months of working in Thai Nguyen, and the remaining 16 years of working in Ha Bac province (Bac Giang and Bac Ninh today). Social Insurance refused to pay on the grounds that during his working time in Ha Bac, Mr. Hung had retired under the 176 regime.

There is not enough basis to confirm that Mr. Hung has retired under the 176 regime.

Speaking with VietNamNet reporter, Mr. Dinh Van Son, Deputy Director of Thai Nguyen Social Insurance, said that based on the documents provided by Mr. Hung himself and the working group found more in Bac Giang province, Thai Nguyen Social Insurance decided not to resolve the policy of connecting working time to receive pension for Mr. Tran Binh Hung.

According to Mr. Son, in Official Dispatch 267 dated November 6, 1990 of Ha Bac Catering Service Company (provided by Mr. Hung), there is a business direction including a plan to rearrange the labor force in the enterprise and a list of expected retirement for 176 employees who could not be arranged for work, including Mr. Hung's name at number 59.

Next, the working group found Decision 1099 dated December 24, 1990 signed by the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ha Bac province, clearly stating the amount of allowances paid to 82 employees who quit their jobs under the 176 regime of Ha Bac Catering Service Company.

This decision does not have an attached list, but according to Director of Thai Nguyen Social Insurance Lo Thi Hoan, the company's plan was for 82 people and the decision to pay the regime was also for 82 people, so it is confirmed that Mr. Tran Binh Hung retired under the 176 regime.

The reporter asked who could confirm that the submitted plan and the approved plan were 100% identical, and if Mr. Tran Binh Hung had retired and was enjoying the 176 regime, why didn't the authorities have a list of beneficiaries or settlement?

Responding to this question, Ms. Lo Thi Hoan said: "We have reported to our superiors and were told that we are not eligible for time extension."

According to Mr. Dinh Van Son, Deputy Director of Thai Nguyen Province Social Insurance, the above records prove that Mr. Hung does not meet the conditions for adding working time. The existing records show that the management agency and the department managing Bac Giang at that time completed the procedures for Mr. Hung to retire, resolved according to the 176 regime.

However, Mr. Son also admitted that the list of regime 176 had two batches without Mr. Hung's name.

“In fact, Mr. Tran Binh Hung was on that list, the unit and the authorities resolved the one-time regime but he did not come to receive it. According to regulations, even though the 176 regime has been resolved but the employee has not come to receive it, the State will still pay according to the one-time regime and will not count the working time to receive pension,” said Mr. Son.

Regarding this issue, Ms. Pham Thi Kim Dung said that the expected list of people returning home one time under the 176 regime belongs to the Bac Giang Catering Service Enterprise, while her husband - Mr. Tran Binh Hung is an employee of the Bac Ninh food store. Therefore, the fact that Thai Nguyen Social Insurance "combined" the list and claimed that Mr. Hung had been on leave and settled under the 176 regime is unfounded.

"Thai Nguyen Social Insurance could not find my husband's retirement decision under the 176 regime, but instead took the expected version provided by my husband and sent it to Vietnam Social Insurance to confirm that my husband had retired under the 176 regime, which is against the law," said Ms. Dung.

Also according to Ms. Dung, in the most recent exchange on June 7, 2024, the representative of Thai Nguyen Social Insurance had to sign the minutes of not finding the list of retired employees under the 176 regime of Mr. Tran Binh Hung. However, the representative of Social Insurance required Mr. Tran Binh Hung to have a salary sheet to recognize the accumulated working time.

“They asked my husband to provide a salary sheet, but the salary sheet is made and kept by the state agency, at that time where did my husband get the salary sheet. This is too rigid action of Thai Nguyen Social Insurance to intentionally not handle my husband's legitimate rights,” Ms. Dung affirmed.

(To be continued)