Labour Minister General Sirichai Distakul said after the Cabinet meeting that a royal decree on the Social Security Office (SSO) insurance qualifications and a royal decree on the SSO contribution criteria and rates, and criteria and conditions for benefits, as well as a ministerial regulation on the rate of government contributions were approved.
Voluntarily insured persons under the Social Security Act’s Article 40 will enjoy increased benefits, including:
Bt300 per day of hospitalisation due to accident or sickness to compensate for a lack of income (up to 90 days per year).
An additional Bt3,000 on top of the Bt40,000 death/funeral-assisting compensation if the voluntarily insured person has paid contributions to the SSO fund for more than six months.
Bt200 per head per month in child support (for up to two children).
Bt10,000 one-time old-age pension if the voluntarily insured person has paid contributions to the SSO fund for more than 180 months.
Being a voluntarily insured person under the Social Security Act’s Article 40 does not require a health check and can be used along with the universal healthcare scheme.
The country’s 21 million informal-sector workers can benefit from the changes. The Labour Ministry planned to cover 3 million such workers this year and the changes will require a Bt400-million budget if implemented.
In the long term, a Bt3-billion budget is meant to cover the entire informal-sector workforce in line with the 20-year national strategy’s framework.