Kazakhstan Simplifies Social Payment Rules

From July 12, updated rules on social payments will come into force in Kazakhstan. The changes were approved by a new order from the minister of labor and social protection, Orda.kz reports.

One of the main changes concerns payment refusals. State bodies will no longer be able to issue a negative decision immediately. No later than three working days before a refusal, the applicant must receive a preliminary response and be given the opportunity to explain their position. Within two working days, the person may submit additional documents or arguments.

An appeal procedure has also been introduced. If, for example, compensation for the consequences of nuclear testing or reimbursement for the cost of educating a child with a disability at home is denied, the applicant may file a complaint. It must be considered within five working days.

A separate mechanism concerns pensioners. Each year until March 1, the system will check whether recipients of the basic pension have unclaimed savings in the ENPF. If funds are found, an SMS will be sent to the person’s phone with an offer to arrange the payment remotely. The recipient will have 24 hours to confirm. Those who do not respond will still be able to apply in person, according to the order.

The rules also set out procedures in case of technical failures. If the digital systems of the Ministry of Labor or the ENPF go down, an employee must immediately send a screenshot of the error, the person’s IIN and the application number to technical support. Separate support addresses are provided for each type of service.

Original author: Ilya Astakhov

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