This policy serves as a reliable support pillar helping workers reduce hardships and stabilize their lives early on. In Điện Biên, OA-OD insurance is being implemented in compliance with statutory regulations, though in practice, many workers remain unaware of their full benefits, eligibility conditions, and claim procedures.

In late 2025, while on duty, Cao Thị Huyền, a staff member of the Party Committee Office of Sính Phình commune, was involved in a traffic accident. Following the incident, she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear and meniscus injury, with an assessed work capacity reduction rate of 15%. After medical treatment, once her health stabilized in early 2026, she completed documentation requesting OA-OD insurance benefits at the Tủa Chùa Social Security Office. Under regulations, she was granted a lump-sum allowance of VND 54 million. Cao Thị Huyền shared: “The application and procedural process received comprehensive and convenient guidance from the social security agency. The allowance covered treatment expenses, relieving my financial difficulties after the accident.”

Lò Văn Thức, working at the General Service Center of Búng Lao commune, receives a monthly OA-OD allowance of over VND 1.6 million. In late 2024, he suffered a workplace injury that impaired his leg, resulting in a 41% decrease in work capacity. After finalizing documentation, he has regularly received a monthly allowance since 2025, with payout levels adjusted in line with statutory base salary adjustments. Lò Văn Thức remarked: “No one wants to suffer a workplace accident to receive this support. But when misfortune strikes, this is a practical and humane policy that empowers workers to overcome adversity.”

These are 2 of 12 worker cases across the province receiving payouts from the OA-OD Insurance Fund since 2025. While each case presents distinct circumstances, all underscore the vital role of the policy in supporting laborers facing occupational risks.

Workplace accidents are unforeseen, yet occupational hazards remain an ever-present risk during employment. Such incidents affect health, labor capacity, earnings, and the living conditions of workers and their families. Under these circumstances, the OA-OD insurance regime becomes a social security anchor, easing financial burdens and enabling workers to undergo medical treatment, recover their health, and stabilize their lives step by step.

Under the 2015 Law on Occupational Safety and Health, the OA-OD insurance fund is a component fund under the social insurance fund, utilized to disburse payouts and support workers suffering from occupational accidents and diseases. Workers experiencing a work capacity reduction of 5% or more due to occupational accidents, if eligible under statutory provisions, are entitled to OA-OD benefits. Specifically, cases with a reduction from 5% to under 31% receive a lump-sum allowance, whereas those with a 31% reduction or higher receive monthly allowances. In addition, workers are entitled to benefits such as work capacity assessment, convalescence and health rehabilitation, attendance allowances, occupational transition support, and occupational disease examination and treatment support.

Although policies are established comprehensively, practical realities show that some workers and employers still do not fully grasp eligibility requirements, dossier preparations, procedural steps, and fund benefits. To bring policies closer to the workforce, the Điện Biên provincial Social Security Office has deployed tailored communication methods for various target groups. Alongside publishing information on its web portal and social media channels, the agency integrates outreach into dialogue conferences, training sessions, and on-site dissemination at enterprises and villages, while strengthening counseling and consultations via one-stop receipt and return counters, hotlines, and digital platforms.

By the end of the first six months of 2026, the province recorded 64,736 participants in social insurance. This provides a foundation to continue expanding social security coverage, including safeguarding OA-OD insurance benefits for workers.

Trần Sơn, Director of the Điện Biên provincial Social Security Office, stated: “In the coming time, the Provincial Social Security Office will continue intensifying guidance and assistance for employing units during dossier preparation and claim settlement. We will also coordinate dialogue conferences, consultations, and direct outreach to raise awareness among employers and workers regarding rights, responsibilities, and the practical benefits of the OA-OD insurance policy.”

Concurrently, the provincial Social Security Office continues diversifying outreach channels covering participant eligibility, qualifying criteria, dossier requirements, settlement procedures, and support schemes from the OA-OD Insurance Fund, such as vocational change support, occupational disease examination and treatment, and functional occupational rehabilitation. This contributes to raising legal awareness and compliance among employers and workers, ensuring that laborers enjoy complete and timely statutory benefits while maximizing the efficacy of OA-OD insurance policies in social security governance.