Dependent's rejection in social security: Impact on pension and solution

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development in Saudi Arabia, through its enhanced social security platform, clarified the procedures and consequences if a dependent mistakenly declines a request to join the unified family file. These clarifications are part of the Ministry's commitment to ensuring that support reaches those who are entitled to it and to correcting any misconceptions that may affect the value of the monthly pension.

The impact of a dependent's refusal on pension eligibility and disbursement

The platform confirmed via its official beneficiary care account that a dependent's refusal of an addition request does not mean their complete exclusion from the eligibility calculation. Rather, it creates a special situation that could negatively impact the beneficiary family's interests. In this case, the dependent's income is included in the family's total income when assessing eligibility, which may increase the family's calculated income and affect its eligibility.

Conversely, despite his income being taken into account, this dependent is not counted among the family members when the pension is disbursed , which means not receiving the increase allocated for the additional individual, which necessitates quickly correcting the situation to ensure full benefit from the support.

Steps to correct the "Rejected Join" error

To rectify this technical or unintentional error, the ministry clarified the correct procedure that the head of the household (the family provider) should follow, which is as follows:

• Accessing the unified file via the social support and protection platform.
• Delete the dependent who rejected the request from the dependents list.
• Re-add the dependent and send a new request.
• The dependent must log into their account on the platform (or via the National Access) to re-approve the family joining request.

Context of the developed system and the importance of data accuracy

The enhanced social security system is part of legislation aimed at achieving social protection and supporting the most vulnerable groups in Saudi society. The system relies entirely on digital data and electronic links with various government agencies to ensure the accuracy of information.

The "dependent approval" step is a crucial procedure for ensuring transparency and reliability, as it aims to verify the accuracy of housing and financial dependency data and prevent any fictitious or inaccurate registrations. Therefore, any flaw in this step directly impacts the actuarial calculations of the pension amount due.

Types of dependents that can be added to the system

In a related context, the program reiterated the categories that can be added as dependents in the unified file, which are divided into three main categories to ensure comprehensive support:

• Close relative: This includes first and second degree relatives (father, mother, husband, wife, children, siblings, and grandparents).
• Recommended dependent: These are people who fall under the legal care of the family, such as a foster parent.
• Co-occupier: This is the individual who shares the same housing unit with the family without a direct kinship relationship between them, and this is proven through lease agreements or joint ownership deeds.