A woman who got pregnant during a pandemic could not believe the benefit that awaited her: there are thousands like me

Because many companies had to close during the first quarantine, many of their employees had to go through downtime or partial downtime. According to Aistė, who wrote to Delfi, there were quite a few pregnant women among those people. She too.

“I am in partial downtime due to the coronavirus, I work in aviation but in IT. As the state doled out support to COVID-19 companies, it dispatched workers without laziness. I have been declared partial downtime and that means half the salary is paid and the other half is covered by the state. But I worked all I needed to do, only the salary was much lower. “

According to Aiste, in the fall she began to wait and the delivery is scheduled for July. The decree is expected to come out in May, but there is a problem with the calculation of the benefit.

“Actually, the benefit that I will receive during the care of the children is calculated one year before the decree comes out and does not include the last months, which would be from 2020. April to March 2021. Only from the first quarantine, when the downtime started. Unfortunately, my year’s income is derived from downtime because the change in the law that has not passed lies for almost a year that has not passed. “

She shared a reference to the amendment to the Law on Social Security for Sickness and Maternity No. IX-110 Modification of article 16. The following was added to article 16 (6):

“A woman who has been declared inactive or dismissed due to an emergency and / or quarantine situation declared by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania on the basis of article 47 (1) (2) of the Labor Code of the Republic of Lithuania During the maternity social insurance period, the maternity social insurance period shall be calculated before the date of dismissal and, in the case of time off, deducting the period of time off from the maternity social insurance “.

However, so far no such amendment has been adopted. Therefore, Aistė said, he lost 1,000 revenue each month during downtime.

“Now when I calculate my annual income, I see that the benefit that I will receive is far from reaching the ceiling, and in the next two years I will similarly lose the same benefits that I lost my salary during downtime. Payments of several thousand of euros What happens if I give birth to a second consecutive, I will suffer with lower payments for the next four years!

And there are many mothers like that. However, I have been working for many years, 13 years. and pay taxes continuously. Especially since I have been working for the same salary that reached the limit for the last three years. But it took me a few months to ruin my benefits for several years. “

In his opinion, pregnant women are being abused and various companies continue to receive support.

SADM: We are looking for ways to alleviate the situation.

Edita Banienė, spokesperson for the Ministry of Social Security and Labor (SADM), commented that if the government declares an emergency and quarantine and the employer declares downtime for women expecting a child, the amount of maternity and childcare benefits It may decrease, but remember that benefits are calculated based on a full year, not just the quarantine period.

“In addition, partners can choose which parent has the most financial capacity to take parental leave based on their income. The extent to which maternity and childcare benefits are reduced must be calculated on a case-by-case basis.

Both wages and salaries received and downtime benefits are included in the calculation of maternity and childcare benefits. Since the beginning of 2021, the employer receives compensation of up to 1.5 MMA for the downtime, that is, about 80 percent. the national average salary, so the reduction in maternity and childcare benefits due to downtime benefits will be less than last year. “

He recalled that the maternity benefit is 77.58%. based on the average income of a woman “on paper” and this amount is calculated on the basis of the insured income received during a period of 12 calendar months.

“Maternity benefit is normally paid for 126 calendar days when a woman goes on maternity leave. Maternity leave is usually followed by paternity leave, which can be shared by both partners, which means that both the mother and the father can care for the child and receive childcare benefits. Therefore, the partners can choose the most economically advantageous option.

If you choose to receive the child care benefit before the child is one year old, the benefit reaches 77.58 per cent. the average salary of a person “on paper”. This amount is calculated based on the insured income received during the 12 calendar month period. If the child chooses to receive the benefit before the age of two, 54.31% is paid from the end of the pregnancy and the maternity or paternity leave until the child is one year old, later until the age of two. 31.03%. the average salary of a person “on paper”.

It also stated that if a mother or father caring for a child receives income or benefits from work during the first year of raising a child, they are paid the difference between the amount of the childcare subsidy and the income received. .

“If you have chosen to receive the Child Care Benefit for two years, the benefit is paid in the second year of raising a child, regardless of the income or benefits received at that time. The maximum allowance for childcare cannot exceed the average monthly income of the two countries.

The woman who applied to the newsroom received half her salary as a worker and the other part for being on partial downtime, although she claims that she also worked while she was on downtime. Please note that employees may not be required to perform job functions during downtime. If employees are forced to work during downtime, they should go to the State Labor Inspectorate and defend their rights. “

According to E. Banienė, the ministry listens to the fears and anxieties of pregnant women about declining maternity and childcare benefits when downtime is declared, considers various options and looks for ways to alleviate the situation.