More than 6,000 people with disabilities died before reaching the age to claim an old-age pension, despite meeting the minimum contribution requirement, a lawmaker said Tuesday, calling for earlier access for people with severe or developmental disabilities.
A total of 13,263 people with disabilities died before reaching pension age over the past five years, according to data released by Rep. So Byeong-hun of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee.
Of them, 6,100 — or 46 percent — had contributed to the National Pension for at least 120 months, the minimum period required to qualify for an old-age pension. But they died before becoming eligible to claim it.
Their deaths led to 4,281 survivor pension claims and 766 lump-sum death benefit claims. Benefits were not claimed in the remaining 1,053 cases.
The data also showed shorter contribution periods among people with severe disabilities. As of June, they had been enrolled in the National Pension for an average of 104 months, compared with 160 months for people with less severe disabilities.
"The pension service can no longer ignore the thousands of people with disabilities who die without receiving a single old-age pension payment despite contributing for at least 10 years,” So said.
Coal miners and seafarers can claim old-age pensions five years earlier than the standard age, but the National Pension Service had not conducted simulations or financial projections on extending early access to people with severe or developmental disabilities, according to So’s office.
yunapark@heraldcorp.com