National Insurance Act (Cap. 229) SVG

Part B, Section 17 of the National Insurance (Benefits) Regulations provides that maternity benefit is payable to a woman who is an insured person in relation to her pregnancy and confinement. Under Section 19, to qualify, she must have been insured for at least 30 weeks, with a minimum of 20 contributions paid or credited during the 30 weeks before either: the contribution week that is six weeks before her expected confinement, or the week from which the benefit is claimed, whichever is later. The regulations also set the benefit rate and the duration of maternity leave.

Amendments to the National Insurance Act in 2002 increased the maternity grant from $300 to $500 and introduced a non-contributory assistance age pension. In 2005, the grant was raised again to $550, alongside adjustments to the insurable earnings cap and other benefits. The 2013 amendment focused on gender equity, aligning retirement benefit provisions between men and women.

Topics

• Gender discrimination

Geographical location

• Central America & the Caribbean
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Keywords

• maternity leave
• paid parental leave

Year

• 2013

External URL

• National Insurance Act (Cap. 229) SVG

Type

• Legislation

Jurisdiction

• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines