Decision C/7/2023 Issuing the Executive Regulation of the Social Protection Law

This Regulation, comprising 117 articles organized into 7 Chapters, provides in Article 2 that the employer must notify the Social Protection Fund within 14 days of any change in the insured person’s circumstances that may affect the entitlements of the insured person or their beneficiaries. Such changes include amendments to benefits, the commencement or termination of employment, or any other circumstances that may result in an increase or decrease in the amount payable. The insured person, their beneficiaries, or their representatives are likewise required to promptly notify the Fund of any change that may affect their entitlements, including changes in employment, marital status, death, education, disability or medical condition, as well as any increase or decrease in the number of beneficiaries.
The main provisions can be grouped into the following main regulatory areas below (i) Registration, coverage and updating of beneficiaries and insured persons, establishing the procedures for registration in the social protection and social insurance system, defining the obligations of employers, and specifying the categories covered by the system, including employees, self-employed persons and Omanis working abroad. The purpose is to ensure that all eligible persons are correctly enrolled and that entitlement to benefits is based on accurate and up-to-date records; (ii) Contributions, payments and recovery of amounts due, to guarantee the financial sustainability of the social protection system and ensure proper collection of contributions and recovery of unlawful or excess payments; (iii) General rules governing social protection benefits, including among the others entitlement dates, payment methods, priority among different benefits, and the administration of social assistance programmes, providing common rules applicable across the different branches of social protection and to ensure consistent and transparent administration of benefits; Disability Benefit to provide financial support to persons with significant and long-term disabilities while ensuring that eligibility conditions continue to be met; (v) Orphans and Widows Benefit to provide income support to families that have lost a breadwinner; (vi) Family Income Support Benefit, establishing a detailed framework for assessing family eligibility, calculating household income, determining the members of a family unit, reviewing applications, reassessing entitlement, and identifying circumstances that may suspend or terminate benefits. The aim is to support low-income households and guarantee a minimum level of social protection for vulnerable families; (vii) Employment Injury and Occupational Disease Insurance to compensate workers for injuries or diseases arising from their employment and to support occupational safety; (viii) Job Security Benefit (Unemployment Benefit), defining eligibility requirements, contribution periods, obligations to seek employment, participation in training programmes, acceptance of suitable job offers, grounds for suspension and cases where benefits cannot be combined with other pensions; (ix) Sick Leave, Maternity Leave and Paternity Leave Insurance to protect insured persons against loss of income during medically justified absences and family-related leave; (x) Administrative sanctions and enforcement measures, imposing administrative fines and other enforcement measures for non-compliance, including failure to register employees, failure to report changes, non-payment of contributions and refusal to provide information requested by the Social Protection Fund.