Muscat: The Social Protection Fund (SPF) said that 1,534,870 registered for its benefits as of February 5.
The number of those registered for elderly benefits is 175,123, while for childhood benefits is 1,266,785, Orphans’ benefits (30,661) and widows (15,206), and for persons with disabilities reached (47,095).
The Social Protection Fund said it monitors indicators of the sustainability, efficiency, adequacy, and fairness of these programs and policies, the extent to which they achieve national goals and visions in the field of social protection, the extent of their sustainability, integration, comprehensiveness, and stability, and their impact on the values of community partnership and their preservation. On the rights of present and future generations.
As per Article 37, the childhood benefit is payable at the rate of RO10 per month for each child if the following conditions are met - must be Omani, must not have reached 18 eighteen years of age, and must be a resident of the Sultanate of Oman.
It may be noted that Article 30 states that a monthly amount of RO115 will be disbursed starting from the month of reaching 60 years of age if the person fulfills certain conditions.
Article 31 states that benefit persons with disabilities are entitled to RO130 per month if the person meets the following conditions - must be Omani, must have a permanent disability or a permanent illness that requires care or support as specified in the regulations and must be a resident of the Sultanate of Oman.
Article (33) states that the benefit for orphans and widows is entitled to a maximum of RO80 riyals per month. The regulations specify the controls for entitlement to the benefit for orphans and widows and the amount of the benefit if there is more than one orphan or widow, and the death of both or one of the parents, and if the orphan or widow is entitled to a pension or If a share of the pensions due from the social insurance branches is less than the value of the orphans and widows benefit, the difference between them will be paid from the orphans and widows benefit branch.
Article 35 states conditions required to be eligible for the widows’ benefit are the widow must be an Omani, must not have reached the age of the elderly, and must be a resident of the Sultanate of Oman by the provisions of Article (8) of this law. The entitlement to the widows' benefit stops after marriage, and it is not redisbursed except in the event of widowhood again.
Article (36) states that it is permissible to combine the benefits for orphans and widows and all benefits and pensions except for the benefit for the elderly so that the disbursement of the widow’s benefit is stopped for the widow when she is entitled to the benefit for the elderly.
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