Issues Identified in the Assignment of One-Time Childbirth Benefit: Ombudsman

Issues have been identified in the assignment of the one-time childbirth benefit, particularly concerning legislative changes related to differentiated approaches towards parents. This has been reported by the Ombudsman.

It is noted that there are concerns regarding which child the benefit should be assigned for in a family with a newly born child. Although legislative changes have been made to address the issue, practical problems persist.

In particular, the amendment stipulates that when determining the order number of a newly born child in a family, the children and dependents from the parent of the newborn must be taken into account as of the date of application for the benefit, provided that there is a notarized act confirming the fact that the siblings of the newborn are under the care of the parent.

In cases where the marriage of the newborn’s parents is not registered or was registered on or after the birth of the newborn, and paternity is acknowledged, a notarized act confirming the fact that the newborn is under the care of the parent must be submitted simultaneously with the application to the pension fund.

Complaints have indicated that in practice, notaries refuse to perform such transactions or confirm inadequate documents.

As an alternative solution to the problem, it is suggested that the other parent submit a declaration regarding the residence of the children they are related to and that they are not carrying out care. However, the examination of complaints shows that divorced parents tend to avoid submitting such declarations.

The goal of determining the order numbers of children born in the family is fundamentally to ensure that the social security benefits provided address the needs arising from having a large family and have a stimulating effect. Therefore, the right to the one-time childbirth benefit for the newborn should be acquired by considering the number of children actually cared for in the new family, and effective mechanisms should be established and applied for this purpose. Thus, the Ombudsman suggests ensuring solutions that do not create unnecessary difficulties for parents.