First law: 1922.
Current law: 1990, as amended 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998.
Type of program: Social insurance system.
Exchange rate: U.S.$1.00 equals 18.1 rubles (R).
Republics, local authorities, and employers can provide supplementary benefits out of their own budgets.
Employed citizens, self-employed, and independent farmers.
Special provisions for professional athletes, cosmonauts, military servicemen, policemen, public prosecutors, judges, victims of political repression, and other specified groups.
Insured person: 1% of earnings for employees. 20.6% of earnings for self-employed and independent farmers.
Employer: 28% of payroll; 20.6% for agricultural and small enterprises; contributions exempted for organizations of and for the disabled and pensioners.
Government: Subsidies as needed. Full cost of social pensions.
Above contributions also finance work-injury disability and survivor pensions.
Funding of early pensions, see Unemployment Insurance below.
Old-age pension: Age 60 and 25 years of covered employment (men) or age 55 and 20 years of work (women); requirements reduced for work in the far north region, hazardous or dangerous work, and to mothers of 5 or more children, or of disabled children.
Disability pension: Insured has a minimum of 1 to 15 years of covered employment, depending on age of onset of disability.
Total disability (incapacity for any work): Group I disability, requiring constant attendance; Group II disability, not requiring constant attendance.
Partial disability (incapacity for usual work): Group III disability.
Survivor pension: Insured has 1 to 15 years of work; payable to surviving, non-working dependents (including children; spouse; either parent, if disabled or of pensionable age; grandparents, if no other support available; and other relatives--regardless of their age or ability to work--if employed by the deceased to care for grandchildren, children, or siblings under age 8).
Social pension: Disabled citizens or those meeting the age requirements (i.e., age 65 for men or 60 if women; orphans under age 18; or disabled children under age 16), and who are not eligible for employment-related old-age, disability, or survivor pension.
Old-age pension: 55% of wage base, if 25 years (men), or 20 years (women) of work; plus 1% of wage for each year in excess of 25 years (men), or 20 years (women). Payable monthly.
Maximum: 75% of wage base, not to exceed 3 times the minimum pension.
Minimum pension: R83.49 (R94.29 as of May 1, 1999).
Wage base equals gross average earnings in 2 years preceding retirement or any continuous 5-year period.
Partial pension (if insufficient years of covered employment): Monthly benefit reduced in proportion to number of years below required years of coverage; minimum, 2/3 of minimum old-age pension.
Supplement for disabled dependents: Monthly benefit at 2/3 of minimum old-age pension for each disabled dependent of non-working pensioner.
Constant-attendance supplement (pensioner aged 80 or over): 2/3 of minimum old-age pension per month.
Early pension to unemployed older workers (men aged 58-59; women aged 53-54): Same as old-age pension (excluding supplementary benefits).
Veteran's supplement: Additional benefit equal to minimum old-age pension per month payable to veterans of World War II.
Social pension: 2/3 of minimum old-age pension per month.
Adjustment: Quarterly review of pensions according to changes in average wage.
Disability pension: Total disability pension: Group I disability pension, 75% of wage base (see old-age pension) plus constant attendance supplement; Group II disability pension, 75% of wage base. Minimum: 100% of minimum old-age pension.
Maximum: same as old-age pension.
Partial pension for total disability (if insufficient years of covered employment): Same as under old-age pension.
Supplement for disabled dependents: Same as under old-age pension.
Constant-attendance supplement (Group I disabled and other medically certified pensioners): Same as under old-age pension.
Partial disability, 30% of wage base (see old-age pension); minimum, 2/3 of minimum old-age pension. Payable monthly.
Social pension for totally disabled, or disabled children under age 16: 100% of minimum old-age pension; plus constant attendance supplement (for totally disabled, if disability began in childhood, or disabled children). Same as under old-age pension.
Social pension for partial disability: 50% of minimum old-age pension per month.
Adjustment: Same as old-age pension.
Survivor pension: Payable monthly at 30% of wage base (see old-age pension) for each dependent. Minimum: 2/3 of minimum old-age pension. Full orphans: 100% of minimum old-age pension.
Partial pension (if insufficient period of covered employment): Same as under old-age pension.
Social pension for totally disabled and full orphans: 100% of minimum old-age pension.
Adjustment: Same as under old-age pension.
Pension Fund of the Russian Federation and its regional counterparts: collection and management of payroll contributions and financing of benefit payments.
Russian Federation Ministry of Labor and Social Development and regional social protection departments, administration of benefit awards and payments.
First law: 1912.
Current law: 1955, as amended 1984 and 1990; medical care, 1992.
Type of program: Dual social insurance (cash benefits) and universal (medical care) systems. Implementation of medical insurance depends on regional governments.
Cash benefits: Employed citizens (including members of collective and state farms, self-employed, and independent farmers), and non-working citizens (including students and the unemployed).
Medical care: All residents.
Insured person: None for cash benefits or compulsory medical insurance. May contribute to voluntary supplementary medical insurance, rate varies according to plan.
Employer: Cash benefits: 5.4% of payroll to social insurance fund; medical care: 3.6% of payroll for compulsory medical insurance.
Contribution rate for voluntary supplementary insurance varies according to plan.
Government: Central government: cash benefits for non-working citizens; central and local governments: costs of compulsory medical insurance for non-working citizens, including children, students, pensioners, and the unemployed.
Cash and medical benefits: No minimum qualifying period.
Sickness benefit: 60% of earnings, if less than 5 years' uninterrupted work; 80% if 5-8 years; 100%, if over 8 years (or if 3 or more dependent children). Minimum: 90% of minimum wage (minimum wage: R83.49 (R94.29 as of May 1, 1999).
Maternity benefit: 100% of earnings payable for 10-12 weeks before and 10-16 weeks after confinement. Monthly benefits equal to 200% of minimum wage paid to employees on parental leave to care for children under 18 months old.
Medical benefits: Compulsory medical insurance: Medical services provided directly to patients by public and private health providers.
General, preventive, and emergency care, hospitalization, laboratory services, dental care, maternity care, vaccination, and transportation.
Medicines are free if provided with hospitalization, for disabled persons, or children under age 3.
Voluntary medical insurance: specialized care, expensive medicines, and appliances.
Medical benefits for dependents: Same as for head of household.
Cash benefits: Social Insurance Fund of the Russian Federation and regional social insurance funds, financing of sickness and maternity cash benefits; regional departments of social protection, administration of maternity benefits for the unemployed and other non-working citizens; enterprises and employers pay benefits to own employees.
Medical care: Federation Ministry of Health and regional health departments, implementation of state health care policy and development of health care programs; provision of medical services through clinics, hospitals, maternity homes, and other medical facilities, including private health providers.
First law: 1903.
Current laws: 1993 (pensions); 1993 (basic law), as amended 1995.
(1998 law not yet implemented, not presented below.)
Republics, local authorities, and employers can provide supplementary pension benefits at their own expense.
Type of program: Social insurance system.
Employed citizens, self-employed, independent farmers, and students. Medical care available to all residents.
Insured person: None.
Employer: Cash benefits: see sickness benefits and pension contributions above.
Government: Cash benefits: see sickness benefits and pension contributions above; medical care: see general medical care, above.
Work-injury benefits: No minimum qualifying period.
Temporary disability benefit: 100% of earnings prior to certification of disability; thereafter, benefit level equal to average wage of last 12 months, prorated according to percentage of lost capacity for work. Payable from first day of incapacity, until recovery or award of disability pension.
Permanent disability pension: Same as general disability pensions, above.
Medical benefits: Same as compulsory medical insurance, plus free appliances and medicines, and specialized care under terms of enterprise voluntary supplementary insurance coverage.
Survivor pension: Same as general survivor pensions, above.
Temporary disability benefits: Payment financed out of the
Russian Federation and regional social insurance funds; enterprises and employers pay benefits to employees.
Pensions: Same as under old-age, disability, and survivor pensions, above.
Medical care: Same as under general medical care, above.
First law: 1921.
Current law: 1991, as amended 1992, 1994 and 1996.
Republic and local governments may establish supplemental benefits to the unemployed and their dependents out of their own budgets.
Type of program: Dual Social insurance system.
Citizens aged 16-59 (men) or 16-54 (women).
Employee: None.
Employer: 1.5% of payroll.
Government: Subsidies as needed from Federal and local governments.
Unemployment benefit: Registered at employment office, employed for at least 12 weeks in the last 26 months, and able and willing to work. Benefits may be reduced, postponed, suspended or terminated if worker is discharged for violating work discipline; leaving employment without good cause; violating conditions for job placement or vocational training; or filing fraudulent claims.
Unemployment benefit: Russian Federation minimum standards: Severance pay equal to 3 months' average monthly wage paid by former employer. Unemployment benefits are paid by the Federal Employment Service for 12 months, plus an additional 2 weeks of benefits for every year worked over 25 years (20 for women), up to a total of 24 months within 36 calendar months. Benefits are payable equal to 75% of average monthly wage during last 2 months preceding unemployment for the first 3 months; 60% for next 4 months; and 45% for last 5 months. Maximum: not to exceed 100% of average wage in the given region; minimum: 100% of minimum wage (R83.49; R94.29 as of May 1, 1999).
For unemployed persons who do not meet the prior work condition, or never worked before: 100% of minimum wage.
Dependent supplement: 50% of minimum wage for each dependent, not to exceed 150% of minimum wage in total. Early pension to unemployed older workers (men aged 58-59; women aged 53-54): Same as old-age pension (excluding supplementary benefits).
Russian Federation Federal Employment Service, general supervision.
Regional employment services, administration of program.
First law: 1944.
Current law: 1995.
Republics, local authorities, and employers can provide supplementary pension benefits out of their own budgets.
Type of program: Universal system.
Children under age 16 (or until completion of general education).
Insured person: None.
Employer: See contributions for sickness and maternity cash benefits above. (Social Insurance Fund of the Russian Federation pays monthly benefits to employees on leave to care for children under 18 months old, see cash benefits for sickness and maternity above).
Government: Federal and local budgets pay for remainder of benefits.
Family allowances: Vary according to benefits.
Family allowances: Child-care allowance: Monthly benefit at 200% of minimum wage for each child under 18 months old, 70% of minimum wage for each child from 18 months to 16 years old (or until completion of general education).
Supplementary child-care allowances to children of single mothers (or of parents evading support): 50% of monthly benefit for each child under age 16 (or until completion of general education).
Birth grant: Lump sum equal to 5 times minimum wage.
Funeral grant: Lump sum equal to 5 times minimum wage.
Russian Federation Ministry of Labor and Social Development, general oversight of the program. Regional and local departments of social protection, administration of benefit awards and payments to non-working parents; enterprises and employers, benefit awards and payments to own employees.