UNIT II. SOCIAL SECURITY IN GREAT BRITAIN AND

THE USA.

Social Security in the USA.

Most Americans today have some insurance against long-term illness or injury, or the death of the family wage-earner. Nearly all who work, including the self-employed, are covered by retirement programs. Four out of five employees now have access to unemployment benefits.

The Social Security law, which covers more than 90 percent of the work force, provides a national system of payments in old age and survivors’ and disability benefits. Over the years the law has been broadened to give greater protection in all categories.

The Social Security system is financed through a tax paid by workers and their employers during the years of employment. Self-employed persons, who also pay into the system, are covered as well. When workers retire at age 65, they receive monthly payments on a scale related to their previous earnings; reduced benefits are paid to those retiring at ages 62 through 64. Benefits are also paid to non-working widows and widowers, to children under 18 and to dependent parents. More than 35 million people currently receive these monthly payments. A 65-year-old worker retiring in 1984 could receive as much as $703 per month, a limit that rises to $1,232 if the worker has a dependant spouse and children.

Unemployment insurance is financed through a payroll tax paid by the employer. The federal government provides money to the states to cover the costs of operating this program; the states determine the conditions under which benefits are paid. In 1982 the average weekly unemployment payment was $119 for over an average of 15.9 weeks. In some industries wage contracts with labor unions provide for higher payments.

Civilians who work for the federal government share the costs of their pension system and group health insurance programs. Most state and city government workers have similar protections. The federal government also has programs to protect railroad workers and members of the armed forces. In addition, all the states have “workers’ compensation” laws that provide payments to workers or their families for job-connected injury or death.

The federal government makes grants to the states to help them finance public assistance and social services programs for the needy and those who have exhausted their unemployment benefits. The federal government also helps the states meet the medical costs of the needy aged, the blind and disabled, and dependant children.

Millions of workers in industry get extra protection through private plans offered by their employers on a fully paid or share-the-costs basis. These usually provide sickness and accident benefits, hospitalization and medical care costs, disability and retirement payments. More than 800,000 business organizations offer some such plan.

Social Benefits in Great Britain

In Great Britain some categories of people are entitled to financial help. The benefit paid to retired people is the state pension or retirement pension, to which women are entitled at the age of 60 and men at 65. Anyone below the retirement age of 65 who has previously worked for a certain minimum period of time can receive unemployment benefit.

Women who leave work to have a baby receive maternity pay from their employer. Woman who do not qualify for this, for example, the self-employed, receive a maternity allowance from the government.

A woman, whose husband dies before he retires, receives a widow’s pension if she is aged 45 or over. If she has children, she receives a widowed mother’s pension.

Some people are entitled to neither pension nor unemployment benefit because they haven’t previously worked for long enough or because they have been unemployed for a long time. These people can apply for income support. And if they have no significant savings, they will receive it.

Child benefit is a small weekly payment for each child, usually paid directly to mothers. Other examples are housing benefit (distributed by the local authority, to help with rent payments), sickness benefit, and death grants (to cover funeral expenses).

Family credit is for working families on modest incomes. Income support is for those without work and with low financial resources.

There is also a housing benefit scheme, a mobility allowance available to the disabled to pay for transport or to buy a special vehicle. Invalidity pension is paid to a person who is unable to work after a sickness period.

VOCABULARY

1. long-term illness – длительная болезнь

2. injury – увечье

3. family wage-earner – кормилец в семье

4. unemployment benefit – пособие по безработице

5. to cover – покрывать, охватывать

6. survivors’ benefit - пенсия по случаю смерти кормильца

7. disability benefit – пенсия по инвалидности / нетрудоспособности

8. protection – защита

9. non-working widows and widowers – неработающие вдовы и вдовцы

10. monthly payments – ежемесячные выплаты

11. spouse – супруг / супруга

12. a payroll tax – налог на заработную плату

13. conditions – условия

14. to share the costs – делить, распределять расходы

15. job-connected injury or death – увечье или смерть, связанное с работой (на рабочем месте)

16. to meet the medical costs – покрыть медицинские расходы

17. dependant child – ребёнок, находящийся на иждивении

18. sickness – болезнь

19. accident – несчастный случай, авария

20. retirement pension – пенсия по выслуге лет

21. maternity pay – пособие по беременности и родам

22. maternity allowance – пособие в связи с рождением ребёнка

23. widow’s pension – пенсия по потере кормильца

24. widowed mother’s pension – пенсия по потере кормильца вдовствующим матерям

25. child benefit – детское пособие

26. housing benefit – жилищные выплаты

27. sickness benefit – пособие по болезни

28. death grants – выплаты по случаю смерти

29. family credit – семейный кредит

30. mobility allowance – льгота на приобретение транспортного средства

31. invalidity pension – пенсия по инвалидности

Vocabulary exercises:

1. Give Russian equivalents:

The National Insurance and the Social Benefits are paid to different categories of people.

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