Vietnam's Defense Ministry clarifies seniority allowances for local political officers

Vietnam's Ministry of National Defense has addressed inquiries regarding seniority allowances for political officers serving at the commune level within the local military command structure.

A citizen posed a question to the Ministry through the "People Ask - Ministers Answer" program, seeking clarification on whether commune-level political officers are entitled to seniority allowances and which provincial agency is responsible for guiding the procedures.

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Commanders, political officers, deputy commanders, deputy political officers of commune-level military commands with at least 60 months of service are entitled to seniority allowances.

In its response, the Ministry of National Defense cited Article 4, Clause 3 of the 2019 Law on Militia and Self-Defense Forces. This provision stipulates that commanders, political officers, deputy commanders, and deputy political officers of commune-level military commands are eligible for seniority allowances if they have served for at least 60 months.

Furthermore, the Ministry referenced Article 10 of Government Decree No. 72, which details the seniority allowance regime for command and assistant positions within commune-level military commands. The allowance is set at 5% of the current salary and position allowance, plus any applicable vượt khung (above-ceiling) or monthly allowances. For each year of service beyond the fifth year, an additional 1% is added.

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Based on the above regulations, there is currently no regulation requiring a decision to be issued for commune-level political officers to receive seniority allowances.

The Ministry also clarified that previous service in other professions, if eligible for seniority allowances, can be combined with time served in commune-level military command positions to calculate the total allowance. Any breaks in service are also cumulative for this calculation. The allowances are disbursed monthly along with regular salary and other payments.

Crucially, the Ministry affirmed that based on current regulations, there is no requirement to issue a formal decision for commune-level political officers to receive these seniority allowances. At the provincial level, the Provincial Military Command, in coordination with relevant provincial agencies, is responsible for providing guidance on the procedures for implementing these allowances.

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At the provincial level, the Provincial Military Command coordinates with relevant provincial agencies to guide the procedures for implementing seniority allowances for Political Officers of the Commune-level Military Command.