Guatemalan migrants living in Los Angeles had the opportunity to enroll in their home country’s social security program during the 8th Chapín Festival, held on August 24 and 25. Representatives from the Instituto Guatemalteco de Seguridad Social (IGSS) attended the event to provide information and facilitate voluntary registration for Guatemalans residing in California. The initiative is part of the Migrant Protection Program and its Family Core, designed to extend social security coverage to nationals abroad.
The expansion of this coverage is made possible by Board Agreement 1543, which aligns with Objective No. 1 of IGSS’s Institutional Strategic Plan for 2023-2027. This objective focuses on broadening access to social security services.
A multidisciplinary team from IGSS engaged with attendees at the festival, explaining how voluntary enrollment works and addressing questions about benefits. Ovidio González, a former IGSS affiliate who worked in Guatemala for 25 years, expressed satisfaction upon learning he could continue contributing: "I am happy and grateful." He noted that this would help secure his retirement and medical care for his family in Guatemala.
Similarly, another attendee named Miguel welcomed IGSS’s presence at the event: "Now that we are here, we have an easier way to pay those remaining contributions and enjoy benefits in our old age, especially healthcare for our family," he said.
Under Board Agreement 1543, eligible participants can receive a lifetime monthly pension upon reaching age 60 after making 240 contributions. In case of death, surviving beneficiaries will receive a monthly pension equivalent to half of the average monthly income within Guatemala. Those residing inside Guatemala may also claim funeral expense assistance if the migrant contributor passes away. Additionally, medical care is available for spouses and children under seven living in Guatemala.
The opportunity remains open for Guatemalans worldwide to access these social security benefits through voluntary registration.
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