Social Security

1. 1)A Sickness and Maternity Insurance Fund (1) is hereby established; its organisation shall be defined in this Part and its resources in Chapter Three, Part One, Book Three of this Law.
2. 2)The contingencies covered by the insurance are:
3. 3)Any sickness not resulting from an occupational accident or not recognised as an occupational disease.
4. 4)Maternity (pregnancy, childbirth, and their sequelae).
5. 5)Temporary incapacity for work resulting from sickness or maternity which causes an interruption in the insured person's earnings.
6. 6)Death not resulting from an occupational accident or occupational disease.

1- The insurance shall cover insured persons and their family members. For purposes of this Article, the term «insured person» shall refer to an insured male or an insured female without any distinction.

1. 1)The following persons shall be considered members of the insured person's family, provided they live under the same roof and at his expense:
2. 2)The father and mother who have attained the age of sixty years or who are unable to provide for themselves due to a physical or mental disability.
3. 3)The insured person's lawful wife; in the event of polygamy, the first wife only (2).
4. 4)The insured female's husband who has attained the age of sixty years or who is unable to provide for himself due to a physical or mental disability.
5. 5)The insured person's legitimate (1) and adopted children up to eighteen years of age; if the children are unable to provide for themselves because they devote their full time to their studies, they shall benefit from the insurance up to twenty-five years of age (2).

1. 1)The benefits of the Sickness and Maternity Insurance shall comprise:
2. 2)Preventive and curative medical care.
3. 3)In the case of maternity, antenatal examinations and care, and postnatal care during and after childbirth.
4. 4)In the case of temporary incapacity for work resulting from sickness or maternity, sickness or maternity compensation (3).
5. 5)In the case of death, funeral expense compensation.
6. 6)Sickness and Maternity Insurance benefits shall not be due to an insured person if, in the same situation, that person is entitled to Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance benefits.
7. 7)The benefits necessary in cases of pathological pregnancy or morbid conditions resulting from childbirth shall be treated as sickness benefits from the date on which the morbid condition is established by a medical auditor appointed by the Fund.

1- Sickness and Maternity benefits shall not be due unless the insured person has been affiliated to the insurance for at least three consecutive months during the six months preceding the date of medical certification or the date of death. For this purpose, a month of insurance means a month during which the employee was continuously subject to the insurance and in respect of which contributions were paid or were required to be paid by the employer. If the employee was not continuously subject to insurance, a period equivalent to twenty-five days or four weeks in respect of which contributions were paid or required shall be deemed a month of insurance. Periods during which the employee's incapacity for work due to sickness, maternity, or occupational accident is established shall likewise be counted as insurance periods.

1. 1)In addition to the foregoing, in order for an insured female to benefit from maternity compensation, she must have been affiliated to the insurance for at least ten months before the presumed date of delivery.
2. 2)The provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article shall not apply if the sickness or death resulted from an occupational accident, provided the insured person was registered before the date the accident occurred.
3. 3)An insured person who no longer satisfies the conditions required for coverage under sickness insurance shall be entitled to sickness benefits not only for illnesses that appeared before the end of his coverage, but also for illnesses appearing during the three months following the said date; likewise, an insured female shall be entitled to maternity benefits if the presumed date of delivery falls within the three months following the end of her coverage.
4. 4)To enable the insured person to establish his entitlement to benefits, the employer is required to provide each of his employees registered with the Fund with an earnings statement (1) in the form prescribed or accepted by the Fund.

A Fund for Occupational Accidents and Occupational Diseases Insurance (1) is hereby established; its organisation shall be defined in this Part and its resources in Chapter Three, Part One, Book Three of this Law: For the purposes of this Law, an occupational accident means:

1. 1)An accident befalling the insured person in the course of or in connection with the performance of his work.
2. 2)An accident befalling the insured person during his journey from home to the workplace or back, provided the journey is uninterrupted and deviates from the normal route for no reason connected with his work.
3. 3)An accident befalling the insured person in the course of or in connection with rescue operations taking place at the institution where he works.
4. 4)An accident befalling the insured person outside Lebanese territory in the course of or in connection with the performance of his work.
5. 5)The date of commencement of this branch and the conditions for its application shall be fixed by a decree (2) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors of the Fund.

1. 1)The provisions of this Law relating to occupational accidents shall apply to occupational diseases. The date of the first medical examination of the patient shall be deemed the date of the accident, without prejudice to the right of audit by the Fund's medical audit service.
2. 2)A list of pathological conditions recognised as occupational diseases in respect of workers habitually exposed to noxious agents or to special conditions arising from the nature of their work shall be established by a decree (3) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors. The list may include certain types of work that give rise to such diseases.
3. 3)Occupational diseases that do not manifest themselves until after the date on which the worker's exposure to the noxious agents ceased shall not be borne by the Fund unless they arise within the period specified in the said list. The list may be reviewed or supplemented by decrees adopted in the same manner.

The Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance branch shall cover the following risks when they result from an occupational accident or occupational disease:

1. 1)Any morbid condition of the insured person.
2. 2)Temporary incapacity for work resulting in an interruption of earnings.
3. 3)Permanent total or partial disability of the insured person.
4. 4)Death of the insured person.

1. 1)The persons entitled to the benefits of the preceding Article are the insured persons themselves and, in the event of an insured person's death, the surviving entitled beneficiaries.
2. 2)The entitled beneficiaries following the death of an insured person are:
3. 3)The persons specified in paragraph 2 of Article 14 of this Law.
4. 4)The insured person's father and mother and his minor siblings, if they were dependent upon him at the time of his death.

The benefits of the Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance shall comprise:

1. 1)Medical care.
2. 2)Compensation for temporary incapacity for work.
3. 3)A disability pension or a lump-sum compensation in the event of permanent total or partial disability.
4. 4)A survivors' pension as defined in Article 39 of this Law, and funeral expense compensation in the event of the insured person's death.

1. 1)Each branch of social security listed in Article 7 of this Law shall enjoy financial independence and shall meet its obligations from its own resources. The Fund's revenues and assets may only be used for the purposes specified in this Law.
2. 2)A Financial Committee (2) shall be established by a decree adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and the Minister of Finance and following deliberation by the Fund's Board of Directors. It shall be entrusted with investing the Fund's assets for short, medium, and long terms. Its composition and powers shall be defined in the decree, and it shall operate under the authority of the Fund's Board of Directors, which bears responsibility for investment policy.
3. 3)The Committee's primary functions are:
4. 4)To ensure that the Fund's capital earns at least the minimum return specified in the internal regulations.
5. 5)To determine the social investments that may be carried out each year without undermining the Fund's financial balance.
6. 6)Medium- or long-term investments may only cover:
7. 7)Government bonds.
8. 8)Loans granted to public institutions and bodies guaranteed by the State.
9. 9)Immovable property.
10. 10)Loans granted directly by the Fund for the purpose of providing housing for the insured categories of all or any branches of social security and for public sector employees other than military personnel and members of the Internal Security Forces and General Security, subject to special regulations and conditions established for this purpose.
11. 11)Pursuant to applicable legal provisions, the Fund may attach all end-of-service, severance, or retirement benefits and pension payments that have accrued or will accrue in favour of an employee or official benefiting from a loan granted for the purpose described above. Upon settlement of such benefits or pensions, only the amounts exceeding the value of outstanding instalments at the date of settlement shall be paid to the entitled parties; the balance shall remain attached in favour of the Fund until the loan is fully repaid with interest.
12. 12)Any dispute arising between the Fund's Board of Directors and the Financial Committee shall be submitted to the arbitration of the Minister of Labour.

First: Financing of the social security branches referred to in Article 7 of this Law, pursuant to the provisions of Articles 71 to 76 below.

Second:

1. 1)Every employer, whether a natural person or a legal entity under private law, is required to obtain from the Fund a clearance certificate proving that it has paid contributions and fulfilled all financial obligations arising from the implementation of this Law, in the cases specified in this Article and subsequent Articles of this Law. The receipt issued by the Fund shall constitute the required clearance certificate and shall be valid for a period of six months from its date (1). Where appropriate, the validity of the clearance certificate may be extended by a decree adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour.
2. 2)The clearance certificate referred to in clause 1 of this section must be presented where the transaction is in the interest of the enterprise and not in the personal interest of individuals, in the following cases:
3. 3)- Transactions in the Commercial Register and in the special register attached thereto as referred to in Legislative Decree No. 11 dated 11/7/1967 and its amendments.
4. 4)- Registration transactions in the Chambers of Commerce and Industry as referred to in Legislative Decree No. 36 dated 5/8/1967 (2) and its amendments, as well as in the cases specified in paragraphs 3, 8, and 9 of Article 8 of that Legislative Decree.
5. 5)- Real estate transactions for the dissolution and liquidation of commercial establishments and commercial companies owned by employers, before the Land Registry or any other official authority.
6. 6)- Import, export, and re-export licence transactions and customs transactions of all kinds relating to commercial establishments and commercial companies.
7. 7)- Participation in public and restricted tenders, calls for bids, and negotiated contracts with all State administrations, independent services, municipalities, and other public institutions.
8. 8)- Banking credit, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and tourism loan transactions conducted by public-sector institutions.
9. 9)- Assistance transactions granted or provided by public administrations and other public-sector institutions to associations, syndicates, federations, and other professional organisations.
10. 10)- Transactions for the registration of private educational institutions of all types, or amendments thereto, with the Ministry of National Education and Fine Arts, as well as transactions for the payment of grants to free private schools.

1. 1)A permanent reserve fund shall be established for each branch of social security referred to in sub-paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of Article 7 of this Law, with a minimum level at the end of each financial year of:
2. 2)One-sixth, for Sickness and Maternity Insurance and the Family and Educational Allowances system.
3. 3)One-third of the expenditure recorded during the three years preceding the financial year under review, for Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance.
4. 4)The minimum level referred to above must be reached for each branch at the latest by the end of the fourth financial year following the date the branch is placed into force.
5. 5)If the receipts of any branch referred to in the preceding paragraph, other than the Sickness and Maternity Insurance branch, exceed its expenditure during a single financial year, the difference shall be automatically deducted from its reserve fund. If it appears at the end of the same financial year that the reserve fund has not reached the minimum level, the Council of Ministers, upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and following deliberation by the Board of Directors, shall decide to raise the contribution rate as of 1 July of the year following the financial year showing a deficit, so that contributions are sufficient to restore financial balance and bring the reserve fund to the required minimum level within a maximum period of three years. If the receipts of the Sickness and Maternity Insurance branch exceed expenditure, the contribution rate shall be raised within the same framework at the following rates:
6. 6)40% State.
7. 7)40% employers.
8. 8)20% employees.
9. 9)During a financial year, the State may grant advances to the Fund to achieve balance in its budget, subject to conditions and repayment terms fixed by a decree adopted in the Council of Ministers.
10. 10)In the event of a national disaster causing a severe deficit in the Fund, the State may grant the Fund exceptional assistance fixed on the basis of restoring financial balance without increasing contributions.

1. 1)The Fund shall be exempt from paying all taxes and fees, including stamp duties, court fees, registration fees, and taxes on transactions that the Fund may enter into. Correspondence addressed to and issued by the Fund shall benefit from postal exemption.
2. 2)Pharmaceutical preparations, prosthetic appliances, spectacles, and other medical or surgical tools imported for the account of the Fund may be exempt from customs duties. The terms of this exemption shall be determined by the Supreme Customs Council and the Minister of Finance.
3. 3)Insured persons benefiting from social security services shall be exempt from all taxes and fees on amounts received and on all transactions and disputes arising from the application of this Law, in particular applications for benefits submitted by insured persons.

1. 1)Every person subject for this purpose to Sickness and Maternity Insurance, and every person who has or may have the right to sickness or maternity compensation, as well as his family members referred to in paragraph 2 of Article 14 of this Law, shall be entitled to medical care.
2. 2)Medical care shall comprise at minimum:
3. 3)In case of sickness:
4. 4)First – Medical examinations: radiography, laboratory tests and analyses.
5. 5)Second – General medical consultations, including home visits when necessary, and specialist consultations, within the conditions specified in the Fund's internal regulations.
6. 6)Third – Dental care, after the issuance of a special decree adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and following deliberation by the Board of Directors, defining the benefits covered and the methods of their provision (1).
7. 7)Fourth – Medicines and pharmaceutical preparations that are necessary, provided they appear on the schedule approved by the Fund and are prescribed by a physician or, where appropriate, a dental surgeon.
8. 8)Fifth – Hospitalisation (accommodation, meals, medical treatment, and surgical operations) in a hospital or other medical institution belonging to the State or to the Fund or approved by the Fund, when a physician determines that hospitalisation is necessary.
9. 9)Sixth – Supply of prosthetic and orthopaedic appliances listed in the schedule drawn up by the Fund, subject to approval of the medical audit.
10. 10)In case of maternity:
11. 11)First – Antenatal and postnatal examinations and care provided by a physician or a legally recognised midwife.
12. 12)Second – Medicines and pharmaceutical preparations that are necessary, provided they appear on the schedule approved by the Fund and are prescribed by a physician or a qualified midwife.
13. 13)Third – Hospitalisation (accommodation, meals, medical treatment, and surgical operations) in a hospital, maternity home, or other medical institution belonging to the State or to the Fund or approved by the Fund, when a physician or qualified midwife determines that such hospitalisation is necessary.
14. 14)- In the event that the permanent reserve fund exceeds the minimum referred to in Article 66 of this Law, the Board of Directors may, after approval of the Council of Ministers, propose a reduction in contributions or an increase in benefits.

1. 1)Medical care must aim to protect the health of insured persons and to cure them in case of sickness and restore their capacity for work.
2. 2)Physicians are required in their prescriptions to seek the best balance between maximum economy and effective treatment.
3. 3)In order to monitor the health of insured persons, the Fund may, in accordance with the methods determined by the Board of Directors, require them to undergo a medical examination by a physician chosen by the Fund, and when appropriate in cooperation with the physician of the institution in which the insured person is employed (2).
4. 4)The Fund's internal regulations shall specify the number and type of antenatal and postnatal examinations to which women benefiting from insurance must submit, as well as the conditions under which these examinations are to be conducted.
5. 5)The organisation and operation of the medical audit service shall be defined by a decree (3) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall also define in the internal regulations the manner of providing medical care and the rules to be observed for this purpose by insured persons, physicians, dental surgeons, midwives, and medical and pharmaceutical institutions.

1. 1)Medical care (1) shall be provided for each episode of illness for a maximum period of 26 weeks.
2. 2)At the end of the 26-week period, if the Fund's supervising physician considers that the illness can be cured during a new treatment period not exceeding 13 weeks, the Fund shall decide to continue the benefits until the end of this second period.
3. 3)In cases of illness which the Board of Directors considers to require medical treatment for a cumulative period exceeding 39 weeks, the Board may fix the maximum duration of treatment at one year. At the end of this period, the Fund shall notify the public welfare institutions of the case concerned.
4. 4)In cases of chronic or intractable illness that does not require continuous absence from work, a special scheme shall define the conditions for providing care and medicines after the expiry of the period specified in paragraph 3 of this Article.

1. 1)The Council of Ministers shall, by a decree adopted upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and following deliberation by the Board of Directors, fix the share (2) of insured persons in the cost of medical care provided in the event of sickness and maternity pursuant to Article 17, paragraph 2 of this Law.
2. 2)Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event of the insured person's temporary incapacity for work, the insured person shall be exempt from co-payment for medical care as of the sixth week of incapacity.

1. 1)Medical care shall be provided through physicians, dental surgeons, legally recognised or approved midwives, hospitals, clinics, and other medical and pharmaceutical institutions approved by the Fund. Physicians, dental surgeons, and legally recognised midwives who practise their profession in accordance with professional regulations, as well as legally licensed hospitals and other medical or pharmaceutical institutions, shall be automatically approved subject to their acceptance of the Fund's regulations. Their fees shall be paid in accordance with the rules established by the Fund regarding medical care, after consultation with the relevant professional organisations.
2. 2)However, in urgent and emergency cases, patients who are unable to consult one of the persons or institutions referred to in the preceding paragraph may resort to a person or institution not approved by the Fund (3), subject to the conditions specified in a decree (4) adopted in the Council of Ministers.
3. 3)The Fund shall periodically publish a list showing, by area, the names of the persons and medical or pharmaceutical institutions approved by the Fund to provide medical care to insured persons. This list shall be drawn up after consultation with professional organisations and medical institutions, and shall be reviewed using the same procedure.

1. 1)Within the scope of the investments referred to in Article 3 of this Law, the Fund may construct, establish, or operate for its own account dispensaries and medical or pharmaceutical institutions, subject to compliance with the legal provisions governing the practice of medicine and pharmacy.
2. 2)The Fund may directly import from abroad the pharmaceutical preparations and medical or surgical materials it requires. With the approval of the Council of Ministers, it may distribute these pharmaceutical preparations, medical materials, and surgical equipment at cost price to public administrations, public institutions, or institutions of public benefit.
3. 3)The Board of Directors may, by way of negotiated agreement, transfer the provision of medical treatments, wholly or partially, to the employer or to any natural or legal person who possesses, for this purpose, facilities and equipment that the Board considers satisfactory.

1. 1)Medical care shall include:
2. 2)The types of medical care defined in sub-paragraph (a) of paragraph 2 of Article 17 of this Law.
3. 3)Provision, maintenance, and replacement of prosthetic appliances, provision of spectacles, and other medical or surgical aids not covered in the preceding sub-paragraph, provided the medical audit certifies the necessity of such items in connection with the accident or occupational disease causing the treatment.
4. 4)The provisions of Articles 21 and 22 shall apply to all types of medical care provided in the event of an occupational accident or occupational disease.

1. 1)The earnings used as the basis for calculating contributions shall comprise all income derived from employment, including all components and supplements, particularly overtime pay paid on a regular basis, amounts usually paid by third parties (gratuities), and benefits in kind provided to the worker.
2. 2)The maximum assessable earnings shall be LBP 30,000 (thirty thousand) per year, or LBP 2,500 (two thousand five hundred) per month, or LBP 588 (five hundred and eighty-eight) per week (1). This maximum may be adjusted by a decree adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors.
3. 3)The provisions of paragraph 2 above shall not apply to the calculation of end-of-service indemnity. The wage used for that calculation is the one defined in Article 51 of this Law.
4. 4)Contributions for Lebanese nationals working for municipalities shall be calculated on the basis of the earnings specified in the preceding paragraphs, provided that these earnings are in no case less than the minimum wage applicable in public administrations. If municipalities fail to pay the contributions due from them, their amount shall be automatically and annually deducted from the revenue allocated to the relevant municipalities from the Independent Municipal Fund (1) in the same decree distributing such revenue, and shall be directly remitted by the Ministry of Interior to the National Social Security Fund.

The monetary value of benefits in kind, in particular food and accommodation, shall be assessed in the Fund's internal regulations, having regard to average local prices.

The Fund's internal regulations shall determine the assessable earnings for persons maintaining their insurance on a voluntary basis pursuant to Article 11 of this Law.

1. 1)An insured person who suffers from an illness causing temporary incapacity for work certified by an approved physician and resulting in the interruption of earnings, shall be entitled to sickness compensation (1) for each day of incapacity, with no distinction between working days and days off, as of the fourth day of incapacity.
2. 2)The average daily earnings used as the basis for calculating sickness compensation is the amount derived by dividing by 90 the total earnings, as determined in Articles 68 et seq. of this Law, received by the person concerned during the three months preceding the date of illness. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Council of Ministers may fix a minimum for these earnings by a decree (2) adopted upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and following deliberation by the Board of Directors, taking into account the minimum wage legislation.
3. 3)During the first thirty consecutive days of incapacity, sickness compensation equals 50% of the average daily earnings, and 30% if the patient is hospitalised. These rates shall be raised to 75% and 50% respectively as of the thirty-first day of incapacity, provided the Fund's supervising physician confirms the continuation of the incapacity. In no case shall the compensation exceed the maximum assessable earnings ceiling prescribed in Article 68, paragraph 2 of this Law.

1. 1)Sickness compensation shall be paid for a maximum period of 26 weeks for each episode of temporary incapacity.
2. 2)When the conditions set out in paragraph 3 of Article 17 of this Law are met, the Board of Directors may extend the maximum period for payment of sickness compensation to 39 weeks at most in the cases referred to in paragraph 2 of Article 19, and to one year at most in the cases referred to in paragraph 3 of the same Article; if incapacity continues beyond the expiry of the last period, the Fund shall notify the public welfare institutions accordingly.
3. 3)Sickness compensation shall be paid at the end of each week. Exceptions to this rule may be provided for in the Fund's internal regulations.

1. 1)Without prejudice to all other rights, the Fund may cancel sickness compensation, and if necessary reclaim compensation paid without entitlement, in the following cases:
2. 2)Where the person concerned obtained or attempted to obtain, by fraudulent means, benefits to which he was not entitled.
3. 3)Where the illness resulted from a felony or misdemeanour committed by the person concerned, or from a deliberate act on his part to obtain benefits.
4. 4)The Fund may suspend payment of compensation or reduce its amount:
5. 5)Where the person concerned refuses to submit to the medical and administrative monitoring and examinations provided for in the Fund's internal regulations, or fails to comply with medical instructions after being given permission to cease work.
6. 6)During any stay by the person concerned outside the country, unless the internal regulations provide otherwise.
7. 7)During any period in which the person concerned is serving a custodial sentence.

1. 1)An insured person who suffers, as a result of an occupational accident or occupational disease, a temporary incapacity for work certified by a physician approved by the Fund, shall be entitled to temporary disability compensation for loss of wages for each day of absence from work, with no distinction between the institution's working days and its days off, as from the eleventh day from the date of cessation of work. The employer shall be obliged to pay the full wages for the first ten days of incapacity, and shall also bear, in the cases specified by a decree (1) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and following deliberation by the Board of Directors, according to the types of occupational activities of the institutions, all or part of the difference between the disability compensation as determined in paragraph 2 of this Article and the average daily earnings defined in paragraph 3 thereof, for the periods specified by the same decree.
2. 2)The amount of the temporary disability compensation equals three-quarters of the average daily earnings, and one-half thereof when the insured person is hospitalised.
3. 3)The average daily earnings used as the basis for calculating temporary disability compensation is derived by dividing by 360 the total earnings, as determined in Articles 68 et seq. of this Law, received by the person concerned during the twelve months preceding the date of cessation of work. If the insured person had not worked during the preceding twelve months, or if his employment began less than twelve months prior, the earnings used for calculating the average daily earnings shall be those the insured person would have actually received had he worked under the same conditions during the said period.
4. 4)If the annual earnings used as the basis for calculating the compensation exceed twice the maximum annual ceiling defined in Article 68 of the Social Security Law, they shall be reduced to that amount.
5. 5)The Council of Ministers may fix a minimum for the daily compensation for temporary disability by a decree (1) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors, taking into account the minimum wage legislation and cost-of-living increases.
6. 6)Temporary disability compensation shall be paid until the insured person's recovery or until the date of commencement of the permanent disability pension as defined in paragraph 6 of Article 35 below.
7. 7)The provisions of paragraph 3 of Article 24 and Article 25 of this Law shall apply to occupational accident compensation.
8. 8)The Fund's internal regulations shall define the procedure for applying the provisions of the foregoing paragraphs.

Contribution rates shall be fixed by a decree (3) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors; they shall be expressed as a percentage of assessable earnings, enabling their revenues to cover benefits, administrative expenses, and the permanent reserve fund referred to in Article 66 of this Law. Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance contribution rates may be differentiated according to the type of occupational activities.

The Board of Directors may fix a flat-rate contribution amount payable by the following categories:

1. 1)Enterprises employing fewer than ten employees.
2. 2)Trainees and apprentices.
3. 3)Agricultural workers referred to in Article 9, paragraph 2 of this Law (1), as well as certain categories of agricultural workers referred to in Article 10 of this Law.
4. 4)Employees whose total income or part thereof consists of gratuities or allowances paid by persons other than employers.
5. 5)Domestic workers employed in private households.
6. 6)Daily workers referred to in the internal regulations.
7. 7)Institutions that have been granted public benefit status by the Government (2).
8. 8)The contribution payable by associations for persons with disabilities and service institutions shall be fixed at fifteen per cent (15%) of the contribution applicable to institutions not subject to a reduced or flat-rate contribution, for all branches except End-of-Service Indemnity. The application for this exemption shall be submitted on the basis of a certificate issued by the Ministry of Social Affairs in accordance with the applicable procedures. As regards the End-of-Service Indemnity branch, the Board of Directors of the National Social Security Fund shall fix the contribution payable by this category of institutions or associations.

1- Contributions for Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance, Family and Educational Allowances, and End-of-Service Indemnity shall all be borne by employers. Where an employee's wage is reduced during employment with the same employer, the employer's contribution shall continue to be calculated on the basis of the higher wage. The employer's obligation to pay contributions to the End-of-Service Indemnity Fund ceases when the compulsorily or voluntarily insured employee reaches sixty years of age, or the insured female reaches fifty-five, at which point they become entitled to receive the end-of-service indemnity (3). If an employee who has not yet reached age 55 or 60 continues in service after receiving end-of-service indemnity, the employer shall pay the annual contribution until the employee reaches that age, after which the account shall be settled at the rate of one month per year of service with no additional compensation.

1. 1)Sickness and Maternity Insurance contributions shall be borne by the insured persons, their employers, and the State. The State shall bear 25% of the cost of benefits relating to that insurance; the contribution rates borne by employers and employees shall be fixed by a decree adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors. Contributions relating to trainees and persons who do not receive cash wages exceeding an amount determined by the Board of Directors shall be borne entirely by employers.
2. 2)Contributions of persons affiliated to voluntary insurance as provided in Article 11 of this Law shall be borne entirely by those persons; however, the State contribution referred to in the preceding paragraph shall apply to voluntary Sickness and Maternity Insurance.
3. 3)4-
4. 4)The limitation period for contributions and late-payment surcharges referred to in Articles 71 et seq. of the Social Security Law, and for all other debts owed to the Fund by employers, is five years from the date of the declaration relating to the insured person in respect of whom the debt is owed, subject to a maximum of ten years from the date of entitlement.
5. 5)The limitation period shall be suspended and interrupted for the reasons set out in the Code of Obligations and Contracts (1), and by the formal notice referred to in Article 78 of the Social Security Law.
6. 6)The limitation period for amounts paid to the Fund that were not due is five years from the date of payment.
7. 7)The limitation period for settlement amounts arising upon liquidation of the insured person's account pursuant to paragraph 4 of Article 54 of the Social Security Law is five years from the date of entitlement as defined in the Fund's internal regulations.
8. 8)5-
9. 9)Debts owed to the Fund may be written off and removed from the accounts or recorded in special off-budget accounts pursuant to a decision of a special committee of the Fund if the debt is trivial or irrecoverable. The Fund's internal regulations shall define the value of accumulated amounts considered trivial and the conditions required for a debt to be deemed irrecoverable.
10. 10)The decisions of the committee referred to in the preceding sub-paragraph shall be final and binding on the Fund.
11. 11)The Fund's internal regulations shall define the details and procedures for applying this paragraph, as well as the composition of this committee and its working methods. The committee shall be appointed by a decision of the Board of Directors upon the proposal of the Director General, for a term of one year, renewable.
12. 12)All debts owed to the Fund by employers and persons subject to insurance, particularly contributions, late-payment surcharges, and settlement amounts referred to in paragraph 4 of Article 54 of the Social Security Law, shall rank as privileged debts classified immediately after the State's debt, and this privilege shall attach from registration.

Sickness and Maternity Insurance contributions payable by insured persons who benefit only from medical care shall be fixed at a percentage rate lower than the contribution rate applicable to other insured persons.

1. 1)Without prejudice to the penalties provided for in other laws, the Fund may, with respect to Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance, impose on an employer who commits negligence, or whose equipment does not comply with the regulatory provisions on worker protection, safety, and health, or where the rate of exposure to occupational accidents and diseases is high, an additional surcharge on the contributions referred to in Article 71 of this Law. The Fund may, upon the employer's request, refund part of the contributions paid if the employer's equipment and the measures taken comply with the provisions of this Law and the rate of exposure to accidents in the institution is low. The conditions of application of this Article shall be defined in the Fund's internal regulations.
2. 2)An employer who fails to report an occupational accident or occupational disease within the period specified in paragraph one of Article 58 shall be liable to a fine ranging between one hundred and one thousand Lebanese pounds (1). Fines shall be imposed in proportion to the violations. In the event of recurrence within the same year, the penalties shall be doubled.

The Board of Directors shall, in accordance with the provisions of Article 3 of this Law, define the rules governing the registration of employers and insured persons, declarations of entry into and departure from employment, methods of paying contributions, surcharges, and advances, as well as all other measures necessary for the application of this Law.

1. 1)Every insured female is entitled to maternity compensation (1) for the period of ten weeks during which the delivery occurs (2), provided she refrains from work and does not receive any wage during that period.
2. 2)Maternity compensation equals two-thirds of the average daily earnings specified in paragraph 2 of Article 23 of this Law, which would have been used as the basis for calculating sickness compensation as of the date the person concerned ceased work.
3. 3)The provisions of paragraph 3 of Article 23 and paragraph 2 of Article 25 of this Law shall apply mutatis mutandis to maternity compensation.

1. 1)An insured person who, as a result of an occupational accident or occupational disease, suffers a permanent and total disability certified by the Fund's medical audit service, shall be entitled to a lifelong disability pension equal to two-thirds of his annual earnings.
2. 2)An insured person who, as a result of an occupational accident or occupational disease, suffers a permanent and partial disability certified by the Fund's medical audit service, shall be entitled to:
3. 3)If the assessed degree of disability is at least 30%, a disability pension whose amount is determined in proportion to the degree of disability relative to the pension he would have received in the event of permanent total disability.
4. 4)If the assessed degree of disability is less than 30%, a lump-sum compensation fixed once and for all, equal to three annual instalments of the partial disability pension to which he would be entitled if such a pension were payable for the degree of disability he sustained.
5. 5)The rate of permanent disability applicable to the various types of injury shall be defined in a schedule established by a decree (2) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and following deliberation by the Board of Directors.
6. 6)An insured person receiving a permanent disability pension who requires continuous assistance from another person shall be entitled to an additional compensation whose amount is fixed in the internal regulations.
7. 7)The annual earnings used as the basis for calculating the disability pension equal 360 times the average daily earnings as defined in paragraph 3 of Article 34 of this Law, or the income actually earned during the twelve consecutive months immediately preceding the month in which the accident occurred or the disease manifested itself, whichever is more favourable to the insured person. The provisions on the minimum and maximum limits set out in Article 34 of this Law shall apply to the annual earnings used as the basis for calculating the disability pension and to the disability pension itself.
8. 8)The disability pension becomes payable at the latest as of the first day of the thirteenth month following the month in which the accident occurred or the occupational disease manifested itself. However, this period may be extended for a maximum of one further year upon the request of the treating physician and with the approval of the Fund's medical audit.
9. 9)The disability pension shall be paid in advance; the methods of payment shall be defined in the internal regulations.

1. 1)The Fund shall review the amount of the pension, either spontaneously or upon request of the person concerned, if the Fund's medical audit certifies a significant aggravation or improvement following the settlement of the disability pension. A review shall also be conducted in the event of the beneficiary's return to work.
2. 2)Notwithstanding the foregoing, a pension may not be reviewed once six months have elapsed since its settlement, except year by year at minimum. This rule shall not apply if a new curative treatment was used in the meantime, if the temporary aggravation of the effects of the occupational accident or occupational disease has subsided, or in the event of the beneficiary's return to work.

If a beneficiary of a disability pension suffers a further occupational accident or occupational disease, the amount of the pension shall be redetermined taking into account the cumulative total of all injuries sustained. If the beneficiary's annual earnings at the time of the subsequent accident or disease exceed the annual earnings used as the basis for calculating the first pension, the new pension shall be calculated on the basis of the higher earnings.

1. 1)The occupational accident or occupational disease pension shall be cancelled and, where appropriate, compensation paid without entitlement shall be recovered, in the following cases:
2. 2)Where the person concerned obtained or attempted to obtain, by fraudulent means, benefits to which he was not entitled.
3. 3)Where the disease or accident resulted from a felony or misdemeanour committed by the person concerned, or from a deliberate act on his part.
4. 4)The Fund may suspend payment of compensation or reduce its amount:
5. 5)Where the person concerned refuses to submit to the medical and administrative monitoring and examinations provided for in the Fund's internal regulations, or fails to comply with medical instructions after being authorised to stop work.
6. 6)During any stay by the person concerned outside the country, unless the internal regulations provide otherwise.
7. 7)During any period in which the person concerned is serving a custodial sentence.

1. 1)Employers shall be subject to the Fund's supervision with respect to the application of the provisions of this Law and the implementing decrees and regulations.
2. 2)The supervisory functions shall be performed by inspectors in the Fund's establishment. The Fund's internal regulations shall define the special inspection establishment, the inspectors' powers, the rules of supervision referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article and the procedures for conducting it, as well as the procedures for submitting documentary objections to the reports and financial statements drawn up by inspectors.
3. 3)Fund inspectors referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article must, before commencing their duties, take the following oath before the civil courts in Beirut: «I swear to carry out my duties with full integrity and faithfulness, and not to disclose trade secrets or investment methods that I may learn of in the exercise of my duties».
4. 4)Any violation of the oath referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article shall expose the inspector to the penalties provided in Article 579 of the Penal Code.
5. 5)The violation reports, financial assessment notices, and reports drawn up by inspectors as a result of their supervisory work pursuant to paragraph 2 of this Article shall be deemed authentic until proven otherwise. Information relating to the identity and address of the offender shall be obtained through the public prosecutor's office if the offender refuses to provide such information or obstructs the inspector from obtaining it.
6. 6)Employers are required to record, without blanks, insertions, erasures, or corrections, in a special register maintained in accordance with a model drawn up by the Fund's administration, the name, date and place of birth, wage, and additional benefits of each person subject to insurance, before they commence work, as well as the date of cessation of work or dismissal within three days at the most following such cessation.
7. 7)Employers are required to make available to Fund inspectors the register referred to in paragraph 6 of this Article, as well as all books, papers, and accounting documents containing or capable of containing wage records and details of persons subject to insurance and information relating to them.
8. 8)Employers or their representatives must receive Fund inspectors at the times fixed for them, and provide them with the explanations, information, documents, and supporting evidence requested relating in particular to the enterprise's activities, changes in the situation of insured persons, the dates of commencement and cessation of their employment, their place of work, and the type, amount, and method of calculating their wages or earnings.
9. 9)If an employer or his representative or any person connected with them or the enterprise obstructs an inspector in the performance of his duties or for any reason related thereto, or prevents him from carrying out those duties, or impedes his work, the offender shall be liable, in addition to the penalties provided in the Penal Code, to a fine ranging between 500 and 1,000 Lebanese pounds (1) and imprisonment for one to three months, or either of these penalties, with the penalty doubled in the event of recurrence.
10. 10)Fund inspectors may request the assistance of public administrations and security forces to carry out their assigned duties.

Where an employer fails to submit, within the prescribed time limits, the documents relating to wages, or fails within the same time limits to submit the registers or other declarations provided for in the Fund's internal regulations, or if these documents are incomplete, the Fund shall send him a registered letter requesting him to rectify his situation and comply with the legal and regulatory provisions within eight days of receiving the notice. If the employer fails to comply with the content of the notice within that period, the Fund shall be entitled to unilaterally assess the contributions due on a definitive basis. Decisions relating to the assessment of contributions shall be enforced through the enforcement departments (2).

1. 1)Contributions not paid within the prescribed period shall automatically be increased at the rate of one-half per thousand per day of delay.
2. 2)The late-payment increase referred to in the preceding paragraph shall be collected by the Fund when contributions are paid; if the employer refuses to pay it upon settling the contributions, it shall be collected in accordance with the procedures applicable to the collection of contributions and other debts owed to the Fund.

1. 1)An employer who unlawfully withholds the contribution deducted from the wage or earnings of a person subject to insurance and due to the Fund shall be liable to imprisonment from three to six months or a fine of between 100 and 1,000 Lebanese pounds (4) or both penalties, if he fails to pay the amount owed within a maximum period of fifteen days from the date of service upon him by legal means of a formal demand for payment.
2. 2)An employer who fails to maintain the register referred to in paragraph 6 of Article 77 of this Law shall be liable to a fixed fine of 400 Lebanese pounds for each person omitted from the register, or for whom the required information was not recorded or was not recorded in time. The penalty shall be doubled if the employer fails to pay the fine within fifteen days of the date of drawing up the violation report.
3. 3)a- The employer is required to inform the Fund within one month at most of the date of occurrence of any legal or administrative changes to his enterprise that may affect the application of the Social Security Law. These cases shall be defined in the Fund's internal regulations.
4. 4)An employer who fails to notify the Fund of the changes referred to in the preceding sub-paragraph shall be liable to a fine of between 200 and 1,000 Lebanese pounds.
5. 5)Where an enterprise is sold, transferred, or made the subject of any contract referred to in Legislative Decree No. 11 dated 11/7/1967, all parties to the contract are required to notify the Fund of this fact within three days at most of the date of its occurrence.
6. 6)Any person who fails to fulfil the obligations specified in the preceding sub-paragraph shall be liable to the fine provided in sub-paragraph (b) of this paragraph and shall become jointly and severally liable with the principal debtor or debtors for the amounts owed to the Fund, notwithstanding any contrary provision.
7. 7)a- An employer who fails to declare the entry into employment or the departure from employment of a person subject to insurance within fifteen days of the date of entry or departure shall be liable to a fine of between 100 and 1,000 Lebanese pounds. If the delay in declaration exceeds three months from the date of entry or departure, the offender shall be liable to an additional fine of 50 Lebanese pounds per month per person, subject to a maximum total fine in all cases of 1,000 Lebanese pounds per person.
8. 8)The Fund shall not require a declaration in respect of a person subject to insurance who worked for fewer than ten days, unless that person belongs to a category for which the Fund's internal regulations provide special treatment. This does not exempt the employer from registering such a person in the special register referred to in paragraph 6 of Article 77 of this Law.
9. 9)An employer who fails to submit the annual nominal declaration required by the Fund's internal regulations within the prescribed period shall be liable to a fine of 500 Lebanese pounds if the enterprise pays contributions on a monthly basis, and 200 Lebanese pounds if contributions are paid on a non-monthly basis. If the delay exceeds three months, the offender shall be liable to an additional fine of 10 Lebanese pounds per month per person subject to insurance; a fraction of a month counts as a full month, subject to a minimum total fine of five hundred pounds and a maximum of five thousand Lebanese pounds. The fine shall be automatically collected by the Fund upon submission of the annual nominal declaration; if the employer refuses to pay it at the time of submission, it shall be collected in accordance with the procedures for collecting contributions and other Fund debts.
10. 10)Offenders against the provisions of paragraphs 1, 3, and 4 of this Article shall not be prosecuted before courts if they pay the minimum basic fine and any additional fines due in proportion to the period of delay for violations under paragraph 4 above, within fifteen days of the date of drawing up the violation report. This paragraph shall not apply in the event of recurrence within one year.
11. 11)a- Fines imposed shall be paid to the administration of the National Social Security Fund.
12. 12)The penalty shall be doubled in the event of recurrence within one year.

Without prejudice to the provisions of Articles 25 and 34 of this Law, any person who intentionally benefits personally or intentionally enables another to benefit from benefits to which he is not entitled, through fraud or by submitting false or untrue declarations, shall be liable to a fine of between 500 and 2,000 Lebanese pounds, in addition to any custodial sentence to which he may be subject under the Penal Code, and shall be obliged to reimburse the Fund for the amounts paid without entitlement.

In cases other than those provided for in Articles 80 and 81 above: if an employer fails to comply with the provisions of this Law, the Director General of the Fund shall send him a registered letter calling upon him to rectify his situation within eight days; the Director General must refer the matter to the labour courts for adjudication pursuant to Article 85 below if the employer fails to comply with the request.

With respect to the Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance branch, where an employee has not been declared or where the employer is in arrears in paying the contributions due from him, wholly or partly, up to and including the day of the accident, the Fund shall provide the employee with all benefits due to him, and the employer shall remain a debtor of the Fund for an amount equal to the total benefits due or paid to the employee or to the entitled beneficiaries after him, until full payment of the contributions and the corresponding surcharges.

Funeral expense compensation is fixed at 150% of the official minimum wage in force and is paid:

1. 1)To the insured person himself, in the event of the death of one of his family members specified in Article 14, paragraph 2 of this Law.
2. 2)To the entitled beneficiaries referred to in Article 14, paragraph 2 of this Law, in the event of the death of the insured person.

In the event of an insured person's death as a result of an occupational accident or occupational disease, the persons exhaustively listed in the law placed into force by Decree No. 8496 dated 2/8/1974, in accordance with the order of priority and the proportions set out therein, shall be entitled to the survivors' pension determined in Article 40 below.

1. 1)This pension shall equal two-thirds of the annual earnings as defined in paragraph 5 of Article 35 above.
2. 2)If there is only one entitled beneficiary, this pension shall be reduced to 50% of the said earnings.

If the insured person leaves several lawful widows, they shall share equally the compensation provided for a widow.

The survivors' pension shall become payable:

1. 1)In the event of the death of an insured person who was in receipt of a disability pension, as of the first day of the month following the month in which the insured person died.
2. 2)In the event of the death of an insured person who had not yet received a disability pension, as of the date of death.
3. 3)The pension shall be due as of the dates specified in (a) and (b) above if the application for the pension is submitted within one year following the date of death. In other cases, the pension shall become payable as of the first day of the month following the month in which the application was submitted.

The survivors' pension shall be paid in advance; the methods of payment shall be defined in the internal regulations.

The right to a pension shall be forfeited upon the death of the beneficiary or upon the remarriage of the widow or widower. In the latter case, the widow or widower shall receive a lump sum equal to three years' worth of pension instalments. The right of the remaining beneficiaries to the survivors' pension shall lapse if they no longer satisfy the conditions required for entitlement, as of the end of the month in which those conditions ceased to be met. Where the right of a beneficiary lapses for the reasons stated above, his share shall be redistributed among the remaining beneficiaries, without prejudice to the application of the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article 40.

1. 1)A Sickness and Maternity Insurance Fund (1) is hereby established; its organisation shall be defined in this Part and its resources in Chapter Three, Part One, Book Three of this Law.
2. 2)The contingencies covered by the insurance are:
3. 3)Any sickness not resulting from an occupational accident or not recognised as an occupational disease.
4. 4)Maternity (pregnancy, childbirth, and their sequelae).
5. 5)Temporary incapacity for work resulting from sickness or maternity which causes an interruption in the insured person's earnings.
6. 6)Death not resulting from an occupational accident or occupational disease.

1- The insurance shall cover insured persons and their family members. For purposes of this Article, the term «insured person» shall refer to an insured male or an insured female without any distinction.

1. 1)The following persons shall be considered members of the insured person's family, provided they live under the same roof and at his expense:
2. 2)The father and mother who have attained the age of sixty years or who are unable to provide for themselves due to a physical or mental disability.
3. 3)The insured person's lawful wife; in the event of polygamy, the first wife only (2).
4. 4)The insured female's husband who has attained the age of sixty years or who is unable to provide for himself due to a physical or mental disability.
5. 5)The insured person's legitimate (1) and adopted children up to eighteen years of age; if the children are unable to provide for themselves because they devote their full time to their studies, they shall benefit from the insurance up to twenty-five years of age (2).

1. 1)The benefits of the Sickness and Maternity Insurance shall comprise:
2. 2)Preventive and curative medical care.
3. 3)In the case of maternity, antenatal examinations and care, and postnatal care during and after childbirth.
4. 4)In the case of temporary incapacity for work resulting from sickness or maternity, sickness or maternity compensation (3).
5. 5)In the case of death, funeral expense compensation.
6. 6)Sickness and Maternity Insurance benefits shall not be due to an insured person if, in the same situation, that person is entitled to Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance benefits.
7. 7)The benefits necessary in cases of pathological pregnancy or morbid conditions resulting from childbirth shall be treated as sickness benefits from the date on which the morbid condition is established by a medical auditor appointed by the Fund.

1- Sickness and Maternity benefits shall not be due unless the insured person has been affiliated to the insurance for at least three consecutive months during the six months preceding the date of medical certification or the date of death. For this purpose, a month of insurance means a month during which the employee was continuously subject to the insurance and in respect of which contributions were paid or were required to be paid by the employer. If the employee was not continuously subject to insurance, a period equivalent to twenty-five days or four weeks in respect of which contributions were paid or required shall be deemed a month of insurance. Periods during which the employee's incapacity for work due to sickness, maternity, or occupational accident is established shall likewise be counted as insurance periods.

1. 1)In addition to the foregoing, in order for an insured female to benefit from maternity compensation, she must have been affiliated to the insurance for at least ten months before the presumed date of delivery.
2. 2)The provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article shall not apply if the sickness or death resulted from an occupational accident, provided the insured person was registered before the date the accident occurred.
3. 3)An insured person who no longer satisfies the conditions required for coverage under sickness insurance shall be entitled to sickness benefits not only for illnesses that appeared before the end of his coverage, but also for illnesses appearing during the three months following the said date; likewise, an insured female shall be entitled to maternity benefits if the presumed date of delivery falls within the three months following the end of her coverage.
4. 4)To enable the insured person to establish his entitlement to benefits, the employer is required to provide each of his employees registered with the Fund with an earnings statement (1) in the form prescribed or accepted by the Fund.

A Fund for Occupational Accidents and Occupational Diseases Insurance (1) is hereby established; its organisation shall be defined in this Part and its resources in Chapter Three, Part One, Book Three of this Law: For the purposes of this Law, an occupational accident means:

1. 1)An accident befalling the insured person in the course of or in connection with the performance of his work.
2. 2)An accident befalling the insured person during his journey from home to the workplace or back, provided the journey is uninterrupted and deviates from the normal route for no reason connected with his work.
3. 3)An accident befalling the insured person in the course of or in connection with rescue operations taking place at the institution where he works.
4. 4)An accident befalling the insured person outside Lebanese territory in the course of or in connection with the performance of his work.
5. 5)The date of commencement of this branch and the conditions for its application shall be fixed by a decree (2) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors of the Fund.

1. 1)The provisions of this Law relating to occupational accidents shall apply to occupational diseases. The date of the first medical examination of the patient shall be deemed the date of the accident, without prejudice to the right of audit by the Fund's medical audit service.
2. 2)A list of pathological conditions recognised as occupational diseases in respect of workers habitually exposed to noxious agents or to special conditions arising from the nature of their work shall be established by a decree (3) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors. The list may include certain types of work that give rise to such diseases.
3. 3)Occupational diseases that do not manifest themselves until after the date on which the worker's exposure to the noxious agents ceased shall not be borne by the Fund unless they arise within the period specified in the said list. The list may be reviewed or supplemented by decrees adopted in the same manner.

The Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance branch shall cover the following risks when they result from an occupational accident or occupational disease:

1. 1)Any morbid condition of the insured person.
2. 2)Temporary incapacity for work resulting in an interruption of earnings.
3. 3)Permanent total or partial disability of the insured person.
4. 4)Death of the insured person.

1. 1)The persons entitled to the benefits of the preceding Article are the insured persons themselves and, in the event of an insured person's death, the surviving entitled beneficiaries.
2. 2)The entitled beneficiaries following the death of an insured person are:
3. 3)The persons specified in paragraph 2 of Article 14 of this Law.
4. 4)The insured person's father and mother and his minor siblings, if they were dependent upon him at the time of his death.

The benefits of the Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance shall comprise:

1. 1)Medical care.
2. 2)Compensation for temporary incapacity for work.
3. 3)A disability pension or a lump-sum compensation in the event of permanent total or partial disability.
4. 4)A survivors' pension as defined in Article 39 of this Law, and funeral expense compensation in the event of the insured person's death.

1. 1)Each branch of social security listed in Article 7 of this Law shall enjoy financial independence and shall meet its obligations from its own resources. The Fund's revenues and assets may only be used for the purposes specified in this Law.
2. 2)A Financial Committee (2) shall be established by a decree adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and the Minister of Finance and following deliberation by the Fund's Board of Directors. It shall be entrusted with investing the Fund's assets for short, medium, and long terms. Its composition and powers shall be defined in the decree, and it shall operate under the authority of the Fund's Board of Directors, which bears responsibility for investment policy.
3. 3)The Committee's primary functions are:
4. 4)To ensure that the Fund's capital earns at least the minimum return specified in the internal regulations.
5. 5)To determine the social investments that may be carried out each year without undermining the Fund's financial balance.
6. 6)Medium- or long-term investments may only cover:
7. 7)Government bonds.
8. 8)Loans granted to public institutions and bodies guaranteed by the State.
9. 9)Immovable property.
10. 10)Loans granted directly by the Fund for the purpose of providing housing for the insured categories of all or any branches of social security and for public sector employees other than military personnel and members of the Internal Security Forces and General Security, subject to special regulations and conditions established for this purpose.
11. 11)Pursuant to applicable legal provisions, the Fund may attach all end-of-service, severance, or retirement benefits and pension payments that have accrued or will accrue in favour of an employee or official benefiting from a loan granted for the purpose described above. Upon settlement of such benefits or pensions, only the amounts exceeding the value of outstanding instalments at the date of settlement shall be paid to the entitled parties; the balance shall remain attached in favour of the Fund until the loan is fully repaid with interest.
12. 12)Any dispute arising between the Fund's Board of Directors and the Financial Committee shall be submitted to the arbitration of the Minister of Labour.

First: Financing of the social security branches referred to in Article 7 of this Law, pursuant to the provisions of Articles 71 to 76 below.

Second:

1. 1)Every employer, whether a natural person or a legal entity under private law, is required to obtain from the Fund a clearance certificate proving that it has paid contributions and fulfilled all financial obligations arising from the implementation of this Law, in the cases specified in this Article and subsequent Articles of this Law. The receipt issued by the Fund shall constitute the required clearance certificate and shall be valid for a period of six months from its date (1). Where appropriate, the validity of the clearance certificate may be extended by a decree adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour.
2. 2)The clearance certificate referred to in clause 1 of this section must be presented where the transaction is in the interest of the enterprise and not in the personal interest of individuals, in the following cases:
3. 3)- Transactions in the Commercial Register and in the special register attached thereto as referred to in Legislative Decree No. 11 dated 11/7/1967 and its amendments.
4. 4)- Registration transactions in the Chambers of Commerce and Industry as referred to in Legislative Decree No. 36 dated 5/8/1967 (2) and its amendments, as well as in the cases specified in paragraphs 3, 8, and 9 of Article 8 of that Legislative Decree.
5. 5)- Real estate transactions for the dissolution and liquidation of commercial establishments and commercial companies owned by employers, before the Land Registry or any other official authority.
6. 6)- Import, export, and re-export licence transactions and customs transactions of all kinds relating to commercial establishments and commercial companies.
7. 7)- Participation in public and restricted tenders, calls for bids, and negotiated contracts with all State administrations, independent services, municipalities, and other public institutions.
8. 8)- Banking credit, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and tourism loan transactions conducted by public-sector institutions.
9. 9)- Assistance transactions granted or provided by public administrations and other public-sector institutions to associations, syndicates, federations, and other professional organisations.
10. 10)- Transactions for the registration of private educational institutions of all types, or amendments thereto, with the Ministry of National Education and Fine Arts, as well as transactions for the payment of grants to free private schools.

1. 1)A permanent reserve fund shall be established for each branch of social security referred to in sub-paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of Article 7 of this Law, with a minimum level at the end of each financial year of:
2. 2)One-sixth, for Sickness and Maternity Insurance and the Family and Educational Allowances system.
3. 3)One-third of the expenditure recorded during the three years preceding the financial year under review, for Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance.
4. 4)The minimum level referred to above must be reached for each branch at the latest by the end of the fourth financial year following the date the branch is placed into force.
5. 5)If the receipts of any branch referred to in the preceding paragraph, other than the Sickness and Maternity Insurance branch, exceed its expenditure during a single financial year, the difference shall be automatically deducted from its reserve fund. If it appears at the end of the same financial year that the reserve fund has not reached the minimum level, the Council of Ministers, upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and following deliberation by the Board of Directors, shall decide to raise the contribution rate as of 1 July of the year following the financial year showing a deficit, so that contributions are sufficient to restore financial balance and bring the reserve fund to the required minimum level within a maximum period of three years. If the receipts of the Sickness and Maternity Insurance branch exceed expenditure, the contribution rate shall be raised within the same framework at the following rates:
6. 6)40% State.
7. 7)40% employers.
8. 8)20% employees.
9. 9)During a financial year, the State may grant advances to the Fund to achieve balance in its budget, subject to conditions and repayment terms fixed by a decree adopted in the Council of Ministers.
10. 10)In the event of a national disaster causing a severe deficit in the Fund, the State may grant the Fund exceptional assistance fixed on the basis of restoring financial balance without increasing contributions.

1. 1)The Fund shall be exempt from paying all taxes and fees, including stamp duties, court fees, registration fees, and taxes on transactions that the Fund may enter into. Correspondence addressed to and issued by the Fund shall benefit from postal exemption.
2. 2)Pharmaceutical preparations, prosthetic appliances, spectacles, and other medical or surgical tools imported for the account of the Fund may be exempt from customs duties. The terms of this exemption shall be determined by the Supreme Customs Council and the Minister of Finance.
3. 3)Insured persons benefiting from social security services shall be exempt from all taxes and fees on amounts received and on all transactions and disputes arising from the application of this Law, in particular applications for benefits submitted by insured persons.

1. 1)Every person subject for this purpose to Sickness and Maternity Insurance, and every person who has or may have the right to sickness or maternity compensation, as well as his family members referred to in paragraph 2 of Article 14 of this Law, shall be entitled to medical care.
2. 2)Medical care shall comprise at minimum:
3. 3)In case of sickness:
4. 4)First – Medical examinations: radiography, laboratory tests and analyses.
5. 5)Second – General medical consultations, including home visits when necessary, and specialist consultations, within the conditions specified in the Fund's internal regulations.
6. 6)Third – Dental care, after the issuance of a special decree adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and following deliberation by the Board of Directors, defining the benefits covered and the methods of their provision (1).
7. 7)Fourth – Medicines and pharmaceutical preparations that are necessary, provided they appear on the schedule approved by the Fund and are prescribed by a physician or, where appropriate, a dental surgeon.
8. 8)Fifth – Hospitalisation (accommodation, meals, medical treatment, and surgical operations) in a hospital or other medical institution belonging to the State or to the Fund or approved by the Fund, when a physician determines that hospitalisation is necessary.
9. 9)Sixth – Supply of prosthetic and orthopaedic appliances listed in the schedule drawn up by the Fund, subject to approval of the medical audit.
10. 10)In case of maternity:
11. 11)First – Antenatal and postnatal examinations and care provided by a physician or a legally recognised midwife.
12. 12)Second – Medicines and pharmaceutical preparations that are necessary, provided they appear on the schedule approved by the Fund and are prescribed by a physician or a qualified midwife.
13. 13)Third – Hospitalisation (accommodation, meals, medical treatment, and surgical operations) in a hospital, maternity home, or other medical institution belonging to the State or to the Fund or approved by the Fund, when a physician or qualified midwife determines that such hospitalisation is necessary.
14. 14)- In the event that the permanent reserve fund exceeds the minimum referred to in Article 66 of this Law, the Board of Directors may, after approval of the Council of Ministers, propose a reduction in contributions or an increase in benefits.

1. 1)Medical care must aim to protect the health of insured persons and to cure them in case of sickness and restore their capacity for work.
2. 2)Physicians are required in their prescriptions to seek the best balance between maximum economy and effective treatment.
3. 3)In order to monitor the health of insured persons, the Fund may, in accordance with the methods determined by the Board of Directors, require them to undergo a medical examination by a physician chosen by the Fund, and when appropriate in cooperation with the physician of the institution in which the insured person is employed (2).
4. 4)The Fund's internal regulations shall specify the number and type of antenatal and postnatal examinations to which women benefiting from insurance must submit, as well as the conditions under which these examinations are to be conducted.
5. 5)The organisation and operation of the medical audit service shall be defined by a decree (3) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall also define in the internal regulations the manner of providing medical care and the rules to be observed for this purpose by insured persons, physicians, dental surgeons, midwives, and medical and pharmaceutical institutions.

1. 1)Medical care (1) shall be provided for each episode of illness for a maximum period of 26 weeks.
2. 2)At the end of the 26-week period, if the Fund's supervising physician considers that the illness can be cured during a new treatment period not exceeding 13 weeks, the Fund shall decide to continue the benefits until the end of this second period.
3. 3)In cases of illness which the Board of Directors considers to require medical treatment for a cumulative period exceeding 39 weeks, the Board may fix the maximum duration of treatment at one year. At the end of this period, the Fund shall notify the public welfare institutions of the case concerned.
4. 4)In cases of chronic or intractable illness that does not require continuous absence from work, a special scheme shall define the conditions for providing care and medicines after the expiry of the period specified in paragraph 3 of this Article.

1. 1)The Council of Ministers shall, by a decree adopted upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and following deliberation by the Board of Directors, fix the share (2) of insured persons in the cost of medical care provided in the event of sickness and maternity pursuant to Article 17, paragraph 2 of this Law.
2. 2)Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event of the insured person's temporary incapacity for work, the insured person shall be exempt from co-payment for medical care as of the sixth week of incapacity.

1. 1)Medical care shall be provided through physicians, dental surgeons, legally recognised or approved midwives, hospitals, clinics, and other medical and pharmaceutical institutions approved by the Fund. Physicians, dental surgeons, and legally recognised midwives who practise their profession in accordance with professional regulations, as well as legally licensed hospitals and other medical or pharmaceutical institutions, shall be automatically approved subject to their acceptance of the Fund's regulations. Their fees shall be paid in accordance with the rules established by the Fund regarding medical care, after consultation with the relevant professional organisations.
2. 2)However, in urgent and emergency cases, patients who are unable to consult one of the persons or institutions referred to in the preceding paragraph may resort to a person or institution not approved by the Fund (3), subject to the conditions specified in a decree (4) adopted in the Council of Ministers.
3. 3)The Fund shall periodically publish a list showing, by area, the names of the persons and medical or pharmaceutical institutions approved by the Fund to provide medical care to insured persons. This list shall be drawn up after consultation with professional organisations and medical institutions, and shall be reviewed using the same procedure.

1. 1)Within the scope of the investments referred to in Article 3 of this Law, the Fund may construct, establish, or operate for its own account dispensaries and medical or pharmaceutical institutions, subject to compliance with the legal provisions governing the practice of medicine and pharmacy.
2. 2)The Fund may directly import from abroad the pharmaceutical preparations and medical or surgical materials it requires. With the approval of the Council of Ministers, it may distribute these pharmaceutical preparations, medical materials, and surgical equipment at cost price to public administrations, public institutions, or institutions of public benefit.
3. 3)The Board of Directors may, by way of negotiated agreement, transfer the provision of medical treatments, wholly or partially, to the employer or to any natural or legal person who possesses, for this purpose, facilities and equipment that the Board considers satisfactory.

1. 1)Medical care shall include:
2. 2)The types of medical care defined in sub-paragraph (a) of paragraph 2 of Article 17 of this Law.
3. 3)Provision, maintenance, and replacement of prosthetic appliances, provision of spectacles, and other medical or surgical aids not covered in the preceding sub-paragraph, provided the medical audit certifies the necessity of such items in connection with the accident or occupational disease causing the treatment.
4. 4)The provisions of Articles 21 and 22 shall apply to all types of medical care provided in the event of an occupational accident or occupational disease.

1. 1)The earnings used as the basis for calculating contributions shall comprise all income derived from employment, including all components and supplements, particularly overtime pay paid on a regular basis, amounts usually paid by third parties (gratuities), and benefits in kind provided to the worker.
2. 2)The maximum assessable earnings shall be LBP 30,000 (thirty thousand) per year, or LBP 2,500 (two thousand five hundred) per month, or LBP 588 (five hundred and eighty-eight) per week (1). This maximum may be adjusted by a decree adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors.
3. 3)The provisions of paragraph 2 above shall not apply to the calculation of end-of-service indemnity. The wage used for that calculation is the one defined in Article 51 of this Law.
4. 4)Contributions for Lebanese nationals working for municipalities shall be calculated on the basis of the earnings specified in the preceding paragraphs, provided that these earnings are in no case less than the minimum wage applicable in public administrations. If municipalities fail to pay the contributions due from them, their amount shall be automatically and annually deducted from the revenue allocated to the relevant municipalities from the Independent Municipal Fund (1) in the same decree distributing such revenue, and shall be directly remitted by the Ministry of Interior to the National Social Security Fund.

The monetary value of benefits in kind, in particular food and accommodation, shall be assessed in the Fund's internal regulations, having regard to average local prices.

The Fund's internal regulations shall determine the assessable earnings for persons maintaining their insurance on a voluntary basis pursuant to Article 11 of this Law.

1. 1)An insured person who suffers from an illness causing temporary incapacity for work certified by an approved physician and resulting in the interruption of earnings, shall be entitled to sickness compensation (1) for each day of incapacity, with no distinction between working days and days off, as of the fourth day of incapacity.
2. 2)The average daily earnings used as the basis for calculating sickness compensation is the amount derived by dividing by 90 the total earnings, as determined in Articles 68 et seq. of this Law, received by the person concerned during the three months preceding the date of illness. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Council of Ministers may fix a minimum for these earnings by a decree (2) adopted upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and following deliberation by the Board of Directors, taking into account the minimum wage legislation.
3. 3)During the first thirty consecutive days of incapacity, sickness compensation equals 50% of the average daily earnings, and 30% if the patient is hospitalised. These rates shall be raised to 75% and 50% respectively as of the thirty-first day of incapacity, provided the Fund's supervising physician confirms the continuation of the incapacity. In no case shall the compensation exceed the maximum assessable earnings ceiling prescribed in Article 68, paragraph 2 of this Law.

1. 1)Sickness compensation shall be paid for a maximum period of 26 weeks for each episode of temporary incapacity.
2. 2)When the conditions set out in paragraph 3 of Article 17 of this Law are met, the Board of Directors may extend the maximum period for payment of sickness compensation to 39 weeks at most in the cases referred to in paragraph 2 of Article 19, and to one year at most in the cases referred to in paragraph 3 of the same Article; if incapacity continues beyond the expiry of the last period, the Fund shall notify the public welfare institutions accordingly.
3. 3)Sickness compensation shall be paid at the end of each week. Exceptions to this rule may be provided for in the Fund's internal regulations.

1. 1)Without prejudice to all other rights, the Fund may cancel sickness compensation, and if necessary reclaim compensation paid without entitlement, in the following cases:
2. 2)Where the person concerned obtained or attempted to obtain, by fraudulent means, benefits to which he was not entitled.
3. 3)Where the illness resulted from a felony or misdemeanour committed by the person concerned, or from a deliberate act on his part to obtain benefits.
4. 4)The Fund may suspend payment of compensation or reduce its amount:
5. 5)Where the person concerned refuses to submit to the medical and administrative monitoring and examinations provided for in the Fund's internal regulations, or fails to comply with medical instructions after being given permission to cease work.
6. 6)During any stay by the person concerned outside the country, unless the internal regulations provide otherwise.
7. 7)During any period in which the person concerned is serving a custodial sentence.

1. 1)An insured person who suffers, as a result of an occupational accident or occupational disease, a temporary incapacity for work certified by a physician approved by the Fund, shall be entitled to temporary disability compensation for loss of wages for each day of absence from work, with no distinction between the institution's working days and its days off, as from the eleventh day from the date of cessation of work. The employer shall be obliged to pay the full wages for the first ten days of incapacity, and shall also bear, in the cases specified by a decree (1) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and following deliberation by the Board of Directors, according to the types of occupational activities of the institutions, all or part of the difference between the disability compensation as determined in paragraph 2 of this Article and the average daily earnings defined in paragraph 3 thereof, for the periods specified by the same decree.
2. 2)The amount of the temporary disability compensation equals three-quarters of the average daily earnings, and one-half thereof when the insured person is hospitalised.
3. 3)The average daily earnings used as the basis for calculating temporary disability compensation is derived by dividing by 360 the total earnings, as determined in Articles 68 et seq. of this Law, received by the person concerned during the twelve months preceding the date of cessation of work. If the insured person had not worked during the preceding twelve months, or if his employment began less than twelve months prior, the earnings used for calculating the average daily earnings shall be those the insured person would have actually received had he worked under the same conditions during the said period.
4. 4)If the annual earnings used as the basis for calculating the compensation exceed twice the maximum annual ceiling defined in Article 68 of the Social Security Law, they shall be reduced to that amount.
5. 5)The Council of Ministers may fix a minimum for the daily compensation for temporary disability by a decree (1) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors, taking into account the minimum wage legislation and cost-of-living increases.
6. 6)Temporary disability compensation shall be paid until the insured person's recovery or until the date of commencement of the permanent disability pension as defined in paragraph 6 of Article 35 below.
7. 7)The provisions of paragraph 3 of Article 24 and Article 25 of this Law shall apply to occupational accident compensation.
8. 8)The Fund's internal regulations shall define the procedure for applying the provisions of the foregoing paragraphs.

Contribution rates shall be fixed by a decree (3) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors; they shall be expressed as a percentage of assessable earnings, enabling their revenues to cover benefits, administrative expenses, and the permanent reserve fund referred to in Article 66 of this Law. Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance contribution rates may be differentiated according to the type of occupational activities.

The Board of Directors may fix a flat-rate contribution amount payable by the following categories:

1. 1)Enterprises employing fewer than ten employees.
2. 2)Trainees and apprentices.
3. 3)Agricultural workers referred to in Article 9, paragraph 2 of this Law (1), as well as certain categories of agricultural workers referred to in Article 10 of this Law.
4. 4)Employees whose total income or part thereof consists of gratuities or allowances paid by persons other than employers.
5. 5)Domestic workers employed in private households.
6. 6)Daily workers referred to in the internal regulations.
7. 7)Institutions that have been granted public benefit status by the Government (2).
8. 8)The contribution payable by associations for persons with disabilities and service institutions shall be fixed at fifteen per cent (15%) of the contribution applicable to institutions not subject to a reduced or flat-rate contribution, for all branches except End-of-Service Indemnity. The application for this exemption shall be submitted on the basis of a certificate issued by the Ministry of Social Affairs in accordance with the applicable procedures. As regards the End-of-Service Indemnity branch, the Board of Directors of the National Social Security Fund shall fix the contribution payable by this category of institutions or associations.

1- Contributions for Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance, Family and Educational Allowances, and End-of-Service Indemnity shall all be borne by employers. Where an employee's wage is reduced during employment with the same employer, the employer's contribution shall continue to be calculated on the basis of the higher wage. The employer's obligation to pay contributions to the End-of-Service Indemnity Fund ceases when the compulsorily or voluntarily insured employee reaches sixty years of age, or the insured female reaches fifty-five, at which point they become entitled to receive the end-of-service indemnity (3). If an employee who has not yet reached age 55 or 60 continues in service after receiving end-of-service indemnity, the employer shall pay the annual contribution until the employee reaches that age, after which the account shall be settled at the rate of one month per year of service with no additional compensation.

1. 1)Sickness and Maternity Insurance contributions shall be borne by the insured persons, their employers, and the State. The State shall bear 25% of the cost of benefits relating to that insurance; the contribution rates borne by employers and employees shall be fixed by a decree adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors. Contributions relating to trainees and persons who do not receive cash wages exceeding an amount determined by the Board of Directors shall be borne entirely by employers.
2. 2)Contributions of persons affiliated to voluntary insurance as provided in Article 11 of this Law shall be borne entirely by those persons; however, the State contribution referred to in the preceding paragraph shall apply to voluntary Sickness and Maternity Insurance.
3. 3)4-
4. 4)The limitation period for contributions and late-payment surcharges referred to in Articles 71 et seq. of the Social Security Law, and for all other debts owed to the Fund by employers, is five years from the date of the declaration relating to the insured person in respect of whom the debt is owed, subject to a maximum of ten years from the date of entitlement.
5. 5)The limitation period shall be suspended and interrupted for the reasons set out in the Code of Obligations and Contracts (1), and by the formal notice referred to in Article 78 of the Social Security Law.
6. 6)The limitation period for amounts paid to the Fund that were not due is five years from the date of payment.
7. 7)The limitation period for settlement amounts arising upon liquidation of the insured person's account pursuant to paragraph 4 of Article 54 of the Social Security Law is five years from the date of entitlement as defined in the Fund's internal regulations.
8. 8)5-
9. 9)Debts owed to the Fund may be written off and removed from the accounts or recorded in special off-budget accounts pursuant to a decision of a special committee of the Fund if the debt is trivial or irrecoverable. The Fund's internal regulations shall define the value of accumulated amounts considered trivial and the conditions required for a debt to be deemed irrecoverable.
10. 10)The decisions of the committee referred to in the preceding sub-paragraph shall be final and binding on the Fund.
11. 11)The Fund's internal regulations shall define the details and procedures for applying this paragraph, as well as the composition of this committee and its working methods. The committee shall be appointed by a decision of the Board of Directors upon the proposal of the Director General, for a term of one year, renewable.
12. 12)All debts owed to the Fund by employers and persons subject to insurance, particularly contributions, late-payment surcharges, and settlement amounts referred to in paragraph 4 of Article 54 of the Social Security Law, shall rank as privileged debts classified immediately after the State's debt, and this privilege shall attach from registration.

Sickness and Maternity Insurance contributions payable by insured persons who benefit only from medical care shall be fixed at a percentage rate lower than the contribution rate applicable to other insured persons.

1. 1)Without prejudice to the penalties provided for in other laws, the Fund may, with respect to Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance, impose on an employer who commits negligence, or whose equipment does not comply with the regulatory provisions on worker protection, safety, and health, or where the rate of exposure to occupational accidents and diseases is high, an additional surcharge on the contributions referred to in Article 71 of this Law. The Fund may, upon the employer's request, refund part of the contributions paid if the employer's equipment and the measures taken comply with the provisions of this Law and the rate of exposure to accidents in the institution is low. The conditions of application of this Article shall be defined in the Fund's internal regulations.
2. 2)An employer who fails to report an occupational accident or occupational disease within the period specified in paragraph one of Article 58 shall be liable to a fine ranging between one hundred and one thousand Lebanese pounds (1). Fines shall be imposed in proportion to the violations. In the event of recurrence within the same year, the penalties shall be doubled.

The Board of Directors shall, in accordance with the provisions of Article 3 of this Law, define the rules governing the registration of employers and insured persons, declarations of entry into and departure from employment, methods of paying contributions, surcharges, and advances, as well as all other measures necessary for the application of this Law.

1. 1)Every insured female is entitled to maternity compensation (1) for the period of ten weeks during which the delivery occurs (2), provided she refrains from work and does not receive any wage during that period.
2. 2)Maternity compensation equals two-thirds of the average daily earnings specified in paragraph 2 of Article 23 of this Law, which would have been used as the basis for calculating sickness compensation as of the date the person concerned ceased work.
3. 3)The provisions of paragraph 3 of Article 23 and paragraph 2 of Article 25 of this Law shall apply mutatis mutandis to maternity compensation.

1. 1)An insured person who, as a result of an occupational accident or occupational disease, suffers a permanent and total disability certified by the Fund's medical audit service, shall be entitled to a lifelong disability pension equal to two-thirds of his annual earnings.
2. 2)An insured person who, as a result of an occupational accident or occupational disease, suffers a permanent and partial disability certified by the Fund's medical audit service, shall be entitled to:
3. 3)If the assessed degree of disability is at least 30%, a disability pension whose amount is determined in proportion to the degree of disability relative to the pension he would have received in the event of permanent total disability.
4. 4)If the assessed degree of disability is less than 30%, a lump-sum compensation fixed once and for all, equal to three annual instalments of the partial disability pension to which he would be entitled if such a pension were payable for the degree of disability he sustained.
5. 5)The rate of permanent disability applicable to the various types of injury shall be defined in a schedule established by a decree (2) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and following deliberation by the Board of Directors.
6. 6)An insured person receiving a permanent disability pension who requires continuous assistance from another person shall be entitled to an additional compensation whose amount is fixed in the internal regulations.
7. 7)The annual earnings used as the basis for calculating the disability pension equal 360 times the average daily earnings as defined in paragraph 3 of Article 34 of this Law, or the income actually earned during the twelve consecutive months immediately preceding the month in which the accident occurred or the disease manifested itself, whichever is more favourable to the insured person. The provisions on the minimum and maximum limits set out in Article 34 of this Law shall apply to the annual earnings used as the basis for calculating the disability pension and to the disability pension itself.
8. 8)The disability pension becomes payable at the latest as of the first day of the thirteenth month following the month in which the accident occurred or the occupational disease manifested itself. However, this period may be extended for a maximum of one further year upon the request of the treating physician and with the approval of the Fund's medical audit.
9. 9)The disability pension shall be paid in advance; the methods of payment shall be defined in the internal regulations.

1. 1)The Fund shall review the amount of the pension, either spontaneously or upon request of the person concerned, if the Fund's medical audit certifies a significant aggravation or improvement following the settlement of the disability pension. A review shall also be conducted in the event of the beneficiary's return to work.
2. 2)Notwithstanding the foregoing, a pension may not be reviewed once six months have elapsed since its settlement, except year by year at minimum. This rule shall not apply if a new curative treatment was used in the meantime, if the temporary aggravation of the effects of the occupational accident or occupational disease has subsided, or in the event of the beneficiary's return to work.

If a beneficiary of a disability pension suffers a further occupational accident or occupational disease, the amount of the pension shall be redetermined taking into account the cumulative total of all injuries sustained. If the beneficiary's annual earnings at the time of the subsequent accident or disease exceed the annual earnings used as the basis for calculating the first pension, the new pension shall be calculated on the basis of the higher earnings.

1. 1)The occupational accident or occupational disease pension shall be cancelled and, where appropriate, compensation paid without entitlement shall be recovered, in the following cases:
2. 2)Where the person concerned obtained or attempted to obtain, by fraudulent means, benefits to which he was not entitled.
3. 3)Where the disease or accident resulted from a felony or misdemeanour committed by the person concerned, or from a deliberate act on his part.
4. 4)The Fund may suspend payment of compensation or reduce its amount:
5. 5)Where the person concerned refuses to submit to the medical and administrative monitoring and examinations provided for in the Fund's internal regulations, or fails to comply with medical instructions after being authorised to stop work.
6. 6)During any stay by the person concerned outside the country, unless the internal regulations provide otherwise.
7. 7)During any period in which the person concerned is serving a custodial sentence.

1. 1)Employers shall be subject to the Fund's supervision with respect to the application of the provisions of this Law and the implementing decrees and regulations.
2. 2)The supervisory functions shall be performed by inspectors in the Fund's establishment. The Fund's internal regulations shall define the special inspection establishment, the inspectors' powers, the rules of supervision referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article and the procedures for conducting it, as well as the procedures for submitting documentary objections to the reports and financial statements drawn up by inspectors.
3. 3)Fund inspectors referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article must, before commencing their duties, take the following oath before the civil courts in Beirut: «I swear to carry out my duties with full integrity and faithfulness, and not to disclose trade secrets or investment methods that I may learn of in the exercise of my duties».
4. 4)Any violation of the oath referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article shall expose the inspector to the penalties provided in Article 579 of the Penal Code.
5. 5)The violation reports, financial assessment notices, and reports drawn up by inspectors as a result of their supervisory work pursuant to paragraph 2 of this Article shall be deemed authentic until proven otherwise. Information relating to the identity and address of the offender shall be obtained through the public prosecutor's office if the offender refuses to provide such information or obstructs the inspector from obtaining it.
6. 6)Employers are required to record, without blanks, insertions, erasures, or corrections, in a special register maintained in accordance with a model drawn up by the Fund's administration, the name, date and place of birth, wage, and additional benefits of each person subject to insurance, before they commence work, as well as the date of cessation of work or dismissal within three days at the most following such cessation.
7. 7)Employers are required to make available to Fund inspectors the register referred to in paragraph 6 of this Article, as well as all books, papers, and accounting documents containing or capable of containing wage records and details of persons subject to insurance and information relating to them.
8. 8)Employers or their representatives must receive Fund inspectors at the times fixed for them, and provide them with the explanations, information, documents, and supporting evidence requested relating in particular to the enterprise's activities, changes in the situation of insured persons, the dates of commencement and cessation of their employment, their place of work, and the type, amount, and method of calculating their wages or earnings.
9. 9)If an employer or his representative or any person connected with them or the enterprise obstructs an inspector in the performance of his duties or for any reason related thereto, or prevents him from carrying out those duties, or impedes his work, the offender shall be liable, in addition to the penalties provided in the Penal Code, to a fine ranging between 500 and 1,000 Lebanese pounds (1) and imprisonment for one to three months, or either of these penalties, with the penalty doubled in the event of recurrence.
10. 10)Fund inspectors may request the assistance of public administrations and security forces to carry out their assigned duties.

Where an employer fails to submit, within the prescribed time limits, the documents relating to wages, or fails within the same time limits to submit the registers or other declarations provided for in the Fund's internal regulations, or if these documents are incomplete, the Fund shall send him a registered letter requesting him to rectify his situation and comply with the legal and regulatory provisions within eight days of receiving the notice. If the employer fails to comply with the content of the notice within that period, the Fund shall be entitled to unilaterally assess the contributions due on a definitive basis. Decisions relating to the assessment of contributions shall be enforced through the enforcement departments (2).

1. 1)Contributions not paid within the prescribed period shall automatically be increased at the rate of one-half per thousand per day of delay.
2. 2)The late-payment increase referred to in the preceding paragraph shall be collected by the Fund when contributions are paid; if the employer refuses to pay it upon settling the contributions, it shall be collected in accordance with the procedures applicable to the collection of contributions and other debts owed to the Fund.

1. 1)An employer who unlawfully withholds the contribution deducted from the wage or earnings of a person subject to insurance and due to the Fund shall be liable to imprisonment from three to six months or a fine of between 100 and 1,000 Lebanese pounds (4) or both penalties, if he fails to pay the amount owed within a maximum period of fifteen days from the date of service upon him by legal means of a formal demand for payment.
2. 2)An employer who fails to maintain the register referred to in paragraph 6 of Article 77 of this Law shall be liable to a fixed fine of 400 Lebanese pounds for each person omitted from the register, or for whom the required information was not recorded or was not recorded in time. The penalty shall be doubled if the employer fails to pay the fine within fifteen days of the date of drawing up the violation report.
3. 3)a- The employer is required to inform the Fund within one month at most of the date of occurrence of any legal or administrative changes to his enterprise that may affect the application of the Social Security Law. These cases shall be defined in the Fund's internal regulations.
4. 4)An employer who fails to notify the Fund of the changes referred to in the preceding sub-paragraph shall be liable to a fine of between 200 and 1,000 Lebanese pounds.
5. 5)Where an enterprise is sold, transferred, or made the subject of any contract referred to in Legislative Decree No. 11 dated 11/7/1967, all parties to the contract are required to notify the Fund of this fact within three days at most of the date of its occurrence.
6. 6)Any person who fails to fulfil the obligations specified in the preceding sub-paragraph shall be liable to the fine provided in sub-paragraph (b) of this paragraph and shall become jointly and severally liable with the principal debtor or debtors for the amounts owed to the Fund, notwithstanding any contrary provision.
7. 7)a- An employer who fails to declare the entry into employment or the departure from employment of a person subject to insurance within fifteen days of the date of entry or departure shall be liable to a fine of between 100 and 1,000 Lebanese pounds. If the delay in declaration exceeds three months from the date of entry or departure, the offender shall be liable to an additional fine of 50 Lebanese pounds per month per person, subject to a maximum total fine in all cases of 1,000 Lebanese pounds per person.
8. 8)The Fund shall not require a declaration in respect of a person subject to insurance who worked for fewer than ten days, unless that person belongs to a category for which the Fund's internal regulations provide special treatment. This does not exempt the employer from registering such a person in the special register referred to in paragraph 6 of Article 77 of this Law.
9. 9)An employer who fails to submit the annual nominal declaration required by the Fund's internal regulations within the prescribed period shall be liable to a fine of 500 Lebanese pounds if the enterprise pays contributions on a monthly basis, and 200 Lebanese pounds if contributions are paid on a non-monthly basis. If the delay exceeds three months, the offender shall be liable to an additional fine of 10 Lebanese pounds per month per person subject to insurance; a fraction of a month counts as a full month, subject to a minimum total fine of five hundred pounds and a maximum of five thousand Lebanese pounds. The fine shall be automatically collected by the Fund upon submission of the annual nominal declaration; if the employer refuses to pay it at the time of submission, it shall be collected in accordance with the procedures for collecting contributions and other Fund debts.
10. 10)Offenders against the provisions of paragraphs 1, 3, and 4 of this Article shall not be prosecuted before courts if they pay the minimum basic fine and any additional fines due in proportion to the period of delay for violations under paragraph 4 above, within fifteen days of the date of drawing up the violation report. This paragraph shall not apply in the event of recurrence within one year.
11. 11)a- Fines imposed shall be paid to the administration of the National Social Security Fund.
12. 12)The penalty shall be doubled in the event of recurrence within one year.

Without prejudice to the provisions of Articles 25 and 34 of this Law, any person who intentionally benefits personally or intentionally enables another to benefit from benefits to which he is not entitled, through fraud or by submitting false or untrue declarations, shall be liable to a fine of between 500 and 2,000 Lebanese pounds, in addition to any custodial sentence to which he may be subject under the Penal Code, and shall be obliged to reimburse the Fund for the amounts paid without entitlement.

In cases other than those provided for in Articles 80 and 81 above: if an employer fails to comply with the provisions of this Law, the Director General of the Fund shall send him a registered letter calling upon him to rectify his situation within eight days; the Director General must refer the matter to the labour courts for adjudication pursuant to Article 85 below if the employer fails to comply with the request.

With respect to the Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance branch, where an employee has not been declared or where the employer is in arrears in paying the contributions due from him, wholly or partly, up to and including the day of the accident, the Fund shall provide the employee with all benefits due to him, and the employer shall remain a debtor of the Fund for an amount equal to the total benefits due or paid to the employee or to the entitled beneficiaries after him, until full payment of the contributions and the corresponding surcharges.

Funeral expense compensation is fixed at 150% of the official minimum wage in force and is paid:

1. 1)To the insured person himself, in the event of the death of one of his family members specified in Article 14, paragraph 2 of this Law.
2. 2)To the entitled beneficiaries referred to in Article 14, paragraph 2 of this Law, in the event of the death of the insured person.

In the event of an insured person's death as a result of an occupational accident or occupational disease, the persons exhaustively listed in the law placed into force by Decree No. 8496 dated 2/8/1974, in accordance with the order of priority and the proportions set out therein, shall be entitled to the survivors' pension determined in Article 40 below.

1. 1)This pension shall equal two-thirds of the annual earnings as defined in paragraph 5 of Article 35 above.
2. 2)If there is only one entitled beneficiary, this pension shall be reduced to 50% of the said earnings.

If the insured person leaves several lawful widows, they shall share equally the compensation provided for a widow.

The survivors' pension shall become payable:

1. 1)In the event of the death of an insured person who was in receipt of a disability pension, as of the first day of the month following the month in which the insured person died.
2. 2)In the event of the death of an insured person who had not yet received a disability pension, as of the date of death.
3. 3)The pension shall be due as of the dates specified in (a) and (b) above if the application for the pension is submitted within one year following the date of death. In other cases, the pension shall become payable as of the first day of the month following the month in which the application was submitted.

The survivors' pension shall be paid in advance; the methods of payment shall be defined in the internal regulations.

The right to a pension shall be forfeited upon the death of the beneficiary or upon the remarriage of the widow or widower. In the latter case, the widow or widower shall receive a lump sum equal to three years' worth of pension instalments. The right of the remaining beneficiaries to the survivors' pension shall lapse if they no longer satisfy the conditions required for entitlement, as of the end of the month in which those conditions ceased to be met. Where the right of a beneficiary lapses for the reasons stated above, his share shall be redistributed among the remaining beneficiaries, without prejudice to the application of the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article 40.

In the event of an insured person's death as a result of an occupational accident or occupational disease, a lump-sum compensation shall be paid to the entitled beneficiaries defined in Article 39 of this Law, whose amount shall be fixed by a decree (1) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors of the Fund.

1. 1)A Sickness and Maternity Insurance Fund (1) is hereby established; its organisation shall be defined in this Part and its resources in Chapter Three, Part One, Book Three of this Law.
2. 2)The contingencies covered by the insurance are:
3. 3)Any sickness not resulting from an occupational accident or not recognised as an occupational disease.
4. 4)Maternity (pregnancy, childbirth, and their sequelae).
5. 5)Temporary incapacity for work resulting from sickness or maternity which causes an interruption in the insured person's earnings.
6. 6)Death not resulting from an occupational accident or occupational disease.

1- The insurance shall cover insured persons and their family members. For purposes of this Article, the term «insured person» shall refer to an insured male or an insured female without any distinction.

1. 1)The following persons shall be considered members of the insured person's family, provided they live under the same roof and at his expense:
2. 2)The father and mother who have attained the age of sixty years or who are unable to provide for themselves due to a physical or mental disability.
3. 3)The insured person's lawful wife; in the event of polygamy, the first wife only (2).
4. 4)The insured female's husband who has attained the age of sixty years or who is unable to provide for himself due to a physical or mental disability.
5. 5)The insured person's legitimate (1) and adopted children up to eighteen years of age; if the children are unable to provide for themselves because they devote their full time to their studies, they shall benefit from the insurance up to twenty-five years of age (2).

1. 1)The benefits of the Sickness and Maternity Insurance shall comprise:
2. 2)Preventive and curative medical care.
3. 3)In the case of maternity, antenatal examinations and care, and postnatal care during and after childbirth.
4. 4)In the case of temporary incapacity for work resulting from sickness or maternity, sickness or maternity compensation (3).
5. 5)In the case of death, funeral expense compensation.
6. 6)Sickness and Maternity Insurance benefits shall not be due to an insured person if, in the same situation, that person is entitled to Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance benefits.
7. 7)The benefits necessary in cases of pathological pregnancy or morbid conditions resulting from childbirth shall be treated as sickness benefits from the date on which the morbid condition is established by a medical auditor appointed by the Fund.

1- Sickness and Maternity benefits shall not be due unless the insured person has been affiliated to the insurance for at least three consecutive months during the six months preceding the date of medical certification or the date of death. For this purpose, a month of insurance means a month during which the employee was continuously subject to the insurance and in respect of which contributions were paid or were required to be paid by the employer. If the employee was not continuously subject to insurance, a period equivalent to twenty-five days or four weeks in respect of which contributions were paid or required shall be deemed a month of insurance. Periods during which the employee's incapacity for work due to sickness, maternity, or occupational accident is established shall likewise be counted as insurance periods.

1. 1)In addition to the foregoing, in order for an insured female to benefit from maternity compensation, she must have been affiliated to the insurance for at least ten months before the presumed date of delivery.
2. 2)The provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article shall not apply if the sickness or death resulted from an occupational accident, provided the insured person was registered before the date the accident occurred.
3. 3)An insured person who no longer satisfies the conditions required for coverage under sickness insurance shall be entitled to sickness benefits not only for illnesses that appeared before the end of his coverage, but also for illnesses appearing during the three months following the said date; likewise, an insured female shall be entitled to maternity benefits if the presumed date of delivery falls within the three months following the end of her coverage.
4. 4)To enable the insured person to establish his entitlement to benefits, the employer is required to provide each of his employees registered with the Fund with an earnings statement (1) in the form prescribed or accepted by the Fund.

A Fund for Occupational Accidents and Occupational Diseases Insurance (1) is hereby established; its organisation shall be defined in this Part and its resources in Chapter Three, Part One, Book Three of this Law: For the purposes of this Law, an occupational accident means:

1. 1)An accident befalling the insured person in the course of or in connection with the performance of his work.
2. 2)An accident befalling the insured person during his journey from home to the workplace or back, provided the journey is uninterrupted and deviates from the normal route for no reason connected with his work.
3. 3)An accident befalling the insured person in the course of or in connection with rescue operations taking place at the institution where he works.
4. 4)An accident befalling the insured person outside Lebanese territory in the course of or in connection with the performance of his work.
5. 5)The date of commencement of this branch and the conditions for its application shall be fixed by a decree (2) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors of the Fund.

1. 1)The provisions of this Law relating to occupational accidents shall apply to occupational diseases. The date of the first medical examination of the patient shall be deemed the date of the accident, without prejudice to the right of audit by the Fund's medical audit service.
2. 2)A list of pathological conditions recognised as occupational diseases in respect of workers habitually exposed to noxious agents or to special conditions arising from the nature of their work shall be established by a decree (3) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors. The list may include certain types of work that give rise to such diseases.
3. 3)Occupational diseases that do not manifest themselves until after the date on which the worker's exposure to the noxious agents ceased shall not be borne by the Fund unless they arise within the period specified in the said list. The list may be reviewed or supplemented by decrees adopted in the same manner.

The Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance branch shall cover the following risks when they result from an occupational accident or occupational disease:

1. 1)Any morbid condition of the insured person.
2. 2)Temporary incapacity for work resulting in an interruption of earnings.
3. 3)Permanent total or partial disability of the insured person.
4. 4)Death of the insured person.

1. 1)The persons entitled to the benefits of the preceding Article are the insured persons themselves and, in the event of an insured person's death, the surviving entitled beneficiaries.
2. 2)The entitled beneficiaries following the death of an insured person are:
3. 3)The persons specified in paragraph 2 of Article 14 of this Law.
4. 4)The insured person's father and mother and his minor siblings, if they were dependent upon him at the time of his death.

The benefits of the Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance shall comprise:

1. 1)Medical care.
2. 2)Compensation for temporary incapacity for work.
3. 3)A disability pension or a lump-sum compensation in the event of permanent total or partial disability.
4. 4)A survivors' pension as defined in Article 39 of this Law, and funeral expense compensation in the event of the insured person's death.

1. 1)Each branch of social security listed in Article 7 of this Law shall enjoy financial independence and shall meet its obligations from its own resources. The Fund's revenues and assets may only be used for the purposes specified in this Law.
2. 2)A Financial Committee (2) shall be established by a decree adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and the Minister of Finance and following deliberation by the Fund's Board of Directors. It shall be entrusted with investing the Fund's assets for short, medium, and long terms. Its composition and powers shall be defined in the decree, and it shall operate under the authority of the Fund's Board of Directors, which bears responsibility for investment policy.
3. 3)The Committee's primary functions are:
4. 4)To ensure that the Fund's capital earns at least the minimum return specified in the internal regulations.
5. 5)To determine the social investments that may be carried out each year without undermining the Fund's financial balance.
6. 6)Medium- or long-term investments may only cover:
7. 7)Government bonds.
8. 8)Loans granted to public institutions and bodies guaranteed by the State.
9. 9)Immovable property.
10. 10)Loans granted directly by the Fund for the purpose of providing housing for the insured categories of all or any branches of social security and for public sector employees other than military personnel and members of the Internal Security Forces and General Security, subject to special regulations and conditions established for this purpose.
11. 11)Pursuant to applicable legal provisions, the Fund may attach all end-of-service, severance, or retirement benefits and pension payments that have accrued or will accrue in favour of an employee or official benefiting from a loan granted for the purpose described above. Upon settlement of such benefits or pensions, only the amounts exceeding the value of outstanding instalments at the date of settlement shall be paid to the entitled parties; the balance shall remain attached in favour of the Fund until the loan is fully repaid with interest.
12. 12)Any dispute arising between the Fund's Board of Directors and the Financial Committee shall be submitted to the arbitration of the Minister of Labour.

First: Financing of the social security branches referred to in Article 7 of this Law, pursuant to the provisions of Articles 71 to 76 below.

Second:

1. 1)Every employer, whether a natural person or a legal entity under private law, is required to obtain from the Fund a clearance certificate proving that it has paid contributions and fulfilled all financial obligations arising from the implementation of this Law, in the cases specified in this Article and subsequent Articles of this Law. The receipt issued by the Fund shall constitute the required clearance certificate and shall be valid for a period of six months from its date (1). Where appropriate, the validity of the clearance certificate may be extended by a decree adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour.
2. 2)The clearance certificate referred to in clause 1 of this section must be presented where the transaction is in the interest of the enterprise and not in the personal interest of individuals, in the following cases:
3. 3)- Transactions in the Commercial Register and in the special register attached thereto as referred to in Legislative Decree No. 11 dated 11/7/1967 and its amendments.
4. 4)- Registration transactions in the Chambers of Commerce and Industry as referred to in Legislative Decree No. 36 dated 5/8/1967 (2) and its amendments, as well as in the cases specified in paragraphs 3, 8, and 9 of Article 8 of that Legislative Decree.
5. 5)- Real estate transactions for the dissolution and liquidation of commercial establishments and commercial companies owned by employers, before the Land Registry or any other official authority.
6. 6)- Import, export, and re-export licence transactions and customs transactions of all kinds relating to commercial establishments and commercial companies.
7. 7)- Participation in public and restricted tenders, calls for bids, and negotiated contracts with all State administrations, independent services, municipalities, and other public institutions.
8. 8)- Banking credit, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and tourism loan transactions conducted by public-sector institutions.
9. 9)- Assistance transactions granted or provided by public administrations and other public-sector institutions to associations, syndicates, federations, and other professional organisations.
10. 10)- Transactions for the registration of private educational institutions of all types, or amendments thereto, with the Ministry of National Education and Fine Arts, as well as transactions for the payment of grants to free private schools.

1. 1)A permanent reserve fund shall be established for each branch of social security referred to in sub-paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of Article 7 of this Law, with a minimum level at the end of each financial year of:
2. 2)One-sixth, for Sickness and Maternity Insurance and the Family and Educational Allowances system.
3. 3)One-third of the expenditure recorded during the three years preceding the financial year under review, for Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance.
4. 4)The minimum level referred to above must be reached for each branch at the latest by the end of the fourth financial year following the date the branch is placed into force.
5. 5)If the receipts of any branch referred to in the preceding paragraph, other than the Sickness and Maternity Insurance branch, exceed its expenditure during a single financial year, the difference shall be automatically deducted from its reserve fund. If it appears at the end of the same financial year that the reserve fund has not reached the minimum level, the Council of Ministers, upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and following deliberation by the Board of Directors, shall decide to raise the contribution rate as of 1 July of the year following the financial year showing a deficit, so that contributions are sufficient to restore financial balance and bring the reserve fund to the required minimum level within a maximum period of three years. If the receipts of the Sickness and Maternity Insurance branch exceed expenditure, the contribution rate shall be raised within the same framework at the following rates:
6. 6)40% State.
7. 7)40% employers.
8. 8)20% employees.
9. 9)During a financial year, the State may grant advances to the Fund to achieve balance in its budget, subject to conditions and repayment terms fixed by a decree adopted in the Council of Ministers.
10. 10)In the event of a national disaster causing a severe deficit in the Fund, the State may grant the Fund exceptional assistance fixed on the basis of restoring financial balance without increasing contributions.

1. 1)The Fund shall be exempt from paying all taxes and fees, including stamp duties, court fees, registration fees, and taxes on transactions that the Fund may enter into. Correspondence addressed to and issued by the Fund shall benefit from postal exemption.
2. 2)Pharmaceutical preparations, prosthetic appliances, spectacles, and other medical or surgical tools imported for the account of the Fund may be exempt from customs duties. The terms of this exemption shall be determined by the Supreme Customs Council and the Minister of Finance.
3. 3)Insured persons benefiting from social security services shall be exempt from all taxes and fees on amounts received and on all transactions and disputes arising from the application of this Law, in particular applications for benefits submitted by insured persons.

1. 1)Every person subject for this purpose to Sickness and Maternity Insurance, and every person who has or may have the right to sickness or maternity compensation, as well as his family members referred to in paragraph 2 of Article 14 of this Law, shall be entitled to medical care.
2. 2)Medical care shall comprise at minimum:
3. 3)In case of sickness:
4. 4)First – Medical examinations: radiography, laboratory tests and analyses.
5. 5)Second – General medical consultations, including home visits when necessary, and specialist consultations, within the conditions specified in the Fund's internal regulations.
6. 6)Third – Dental care, after the issuance of a special decree adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and following deliberation by the Board of Directors, defining the benefits covered and the methods of their provision (1).
7. 7)Fourth – Medicines and pharmaceutical preparations that are necessary, provided they appear on the schedule approved by the Fund and are prescribed by a physician or, where appropriate, a dental surgeon.
8. 8)Fifth – Hospitalisation (accommodation, meals, medical treatment, and surgical operations) in a hospital or other medical institution belonging to the State or to the Fund or approved by the Fund, when a physician determines that hospitalisation is necessary.
9. 9)Sixth – Supply of prosthetic and orthopaedic appliances listed in the schedule drawn up by the Fund, subject to approval of the medical audit.
10. 10)In case of maternity:
11. 11)First – Antenatal and postnatal examinations and care provided by a physician or a legally recognised midwife.
12. 12)Second – Medicines and pharmaceutical preparations that are necessary, provided they appear on the schedule approved by the Fund and are prescribed by a physician or a qualified midwife.
13. 13)Third – Hospitalisation (accommodation, meals, medical treatment, and surgical operations) in a hospital, maternity home, or other medical institution belonging to the State or to the Fund or approved by the Fund, when a physician or qualified midwife determines that such hospitalisation is necessary.
14. 14)- In the event that the permanent reserve fund exceeds the minimum referred to in Article 66 of this Law, the Board of Directors may, after approval of the Council of Ministers, propose a reduction in contributions or an increase in benefits.

1. 1)Medical care must aim to protect the health of insured persons and to cure them in case of sickness and restore their capacity for work.
2. 2)Physicians are required in their prescriptions to seek the best balance between maximum economy and effective treatment.
3. 3)In order to monitor the health of insured persons, the Fund may, in accordance with the methods determined by the Board of Directors, require them to undergo a medical examination by a physician chosen by the Fund, and when appropriate in cooperation with the physician of the institution in which the insured person is employed (2).
4. 4)The Fund's internal regulations shall specify the number and type of antenatal and postnatal examinations to which women benefiting from insurance must submit, as well as the conditions under which these examinations are to be conducted.
5. 5)The organisation and operation of the medical audit service shall be defined by a decree (3) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall also define in the internal regulations the manner of providing medical care and the rules to be observed for this purpose by insured persons, physicians, dental surgeons, midwives, and medical and pharmaceutical institutions.

1. 1)Medical care (1) shall be provided for each episode of illness for a maximum period of 26 weeks.
2. 2)At the end of the 26-week period, if the Fund's supervising physician considers that the illness can be cured during a new treatment period not exceeding 13 weeks, the Fund shall decide to continue the benefits until the end of this second period.
3. 3)In cases of illness which the Board of Directors considers to require medical treatment for a cumulative period exceeding 39 weeks, the Board may fix the maximum duration of treatment at one year. At the end of this period, the Fund shall notify the public welfare institutions of the case concerned.
4. 4)In cases of chronic or intractable illness that does not require continuous absence from work, a special scheme shall define the conditions for providing care and medicines after the expiry of the period specified in paragraph 3 of this Article.

1. 1)The Council of Ministers shall, by a decree adopted upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and following deliberation by the Board of Directors, fix the share (2) of insured persons in the cost of medical care provided in the event of sickness and maternity pursuant to Article 17, paragraph 2 of this Law.
2. 2)Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event of the insured person's temporary incapacity for work, the insured person shall be exempt from co-payment for medical care as of the sixth week of incapacity.

1. 1)Medical care shall be provided through physicians, dental surgeons, legally recognised or approved midwives, hospitals, clinics, and other medical and pharmaceutical institutions approved by the Fund. Physicians, dental surgeons, and legally recognised midwives who practise their profession in accordance with professional regulations, as well as legally licensed hospitals and other medical or pharmaceutical institutions, shall be automatically approved subject to their acceptance of the Fund's regulations. Their fees shall be paid in accordance with the rules established by the Fund regarding medical care, after consultation with the relevant professional organisations.
2. 2)However, in urgent and emergency cases, patients who are unable to consult one of the persons or institutions referred to in the preceding paragraph may resort to a person or institution not approved by the Fund (3), subject to the conditions specified in a decree (4) adopted in the Council of Ministers.
3. 3)The Fund shall periodically publish a list showing, by area, the names of the persons and medical or pharmaceutical institutions approved by the Fund to provide medical care to insured persons. This list shall be drawn up after consultation with professional organisations and medical institutions, and shall be reviewed using the same procedure.

1. 1)Within the scope of the investments referred to in Article 3 of this Law, the Fund may construct, establish, or operate for its own account dispensaries and medical or pharmaceutical institutions, subject to compliance with the legal provisions governing the practice of medicine and pharmacy.
2. 2)The Fund may directly import from abroad the pharmaceutical preparations and medical or surgical materials it requires. With the approval of the Council of Ministers, it may distribute these pharmaceutical preparations, medical materials, and surgical equipment at cost price to public administrations, public institutions, or institutions of public benefit.
3. 3)The Board of Directors may, by way of negotiated agreement, transfer the provision of medical treatments, wholly or partially, to the employer or to any natural or legal person who possesses, for this purpose, facilities and equipment that the Board considers satisfactory.

1. 1)Medical care shall include:
2. 2)The types of medical care defined in sub-paragraph (a) of paragraph 2 of Article 17 of this Law.
3. 3)Provision, maintenance, and replacement of prosthetic appliances, provision of spectacles, and other medical or surgical aids not covered in the preceding sub-paragraph, provided the medical audit certifies the necessity of such items in connection with the accident or occupational disease causing the treatment.
4. 4)The provisions of Articles 21 and 22 shall apply to all types of medical care provided in the event of an occupational accident or occupational disease.

1. 1)The earnings used as the basis for calculating contributions shall comprise all income derived from employment, including all components and supplements, particularly overtime pay paid on a regular basis, amounts usually paid by third parties (gratuities), and benefits in kind provided to the worker.
2. 2)The maximum assessable earnings shall be LBP 30,000 (thirty thousand) per year, or LBP 2,500 (two thousand five hundred) per month, or LBP 588 (five hundred and eighty-eight) per week (1). This maximum may be adjusted by a decree adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors.
3. 3)The provisions of paragraph 2 above shall not apply to the calculation of end-of-service indemnity. The wage used for that calculation is the one defined in Article 51 of this Law.
4. 4)Contributions for Lebanese nationals working for municipalities shall be calculated on the basis of the earnings specified in the preceding paragraphs, provided that these earnings are in no case less than the minimum wage applicable in public administrations. If municipalities fail to pay the contributions due from them, their amount shall be automatically and annually deducted from the revenue allocated to the relevant municipalities from the Independent Municipal Fund (1) in the same decree distributing such revenue, and shall be directly remitted by the Ministry of Interior to the National Social Security Fund.

The monetary value of benefits in kind, in particular food and accommodation, shall be assessed in the Fund's internal regulations, having regard to average local prices.

The Fund's internal regulations shall determine the assessable earnings for persons maintaining their insurance on a voluntary basis pursuant to Article 11 of this Law.

1. 1)An insured person who suffers from an illness causing temporary incapacity for work certified by an approved physician and resulting in the interruption of earnings, shall be entitled to sickness compensation (1) for each day of incapacity, with no distinction between working days and days off, as of the fourth day of incapacity.
2. 2)The average daily earnings used as the basis for calculating sickness compensation is the amount derived by dividing by 90 the total earnings, as determined in Articles 68 et seq. of this Law, received by the person concerned during the three months preceding the date of illness. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Council of Ministers may fix a minimum for these earnings by a decree (2) adopted upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and following deliberation by the Board of Directors, taking into account the minimum wage legislation.
3. 3)During the first thirty consecutive days of incapacity, sickness compensation equals 50% of the average daily earnings, and 30% if the patient is hospitalised. These rates shall be raised to 75% and 50% respectively as of the thirty-first day of incapacity, provided the Fund's supervising physician confirms the continuation of the incapacity. In no case shall the compensation exceed the maximum assessable earnings ceiling prescribed in Article 68, paragraph 2 of this Law.

1. 1)Sickness compensation shall be paid for a maximum period of 26 weeks for each episode of temporary incapacity.
2. 2)When the conditions set out in paragraph 3 of Article 17 of this Law are met, the Board of Directors may extend the maximum period for payment of sickness compensation to 39 weeks at most in the cases referred to in paragraph 2 of Article 19, and to one year at most in the cases referred to in paragraph 3 of the same Article; if incapacity continues beyond the expiry of the last period, the Fund shall notify the public welfare institutions accordingly.
3. 3)Sickness compensation shall be paid at the end of each week. Exceptions to this rule may be provided for in the Fund's internal regulations.

1. 1)Without prejudice to all other rights, the Fund may cancel sickness compensation, and if necessary reclaim compensation paid without entitlement, in the following cases:
2. 2)Where the person concerned obtained or attempted to obtain, by fraudulent means, benefits to which he was not entitled.
3. 3)Where the illness resulted from a felony or misdemeanour committed by the person concerned, or from a deliberate act on his part to obtain benefits.
4. 4)The Fund may suspend payment of compensation or reduce its amount:
5. 5)Where the person concerned refuses to submit to the medical and administrative monitoring and examinations provided for in the Fund's internal regulations, or fails to comply with medical instructions after being given permission to cease work.
6. 6)During any stay by the person concerned outside the country, unless the internal regulations provide otherwise.
7. 7)During any period in which the person concerned is serving a custodial sentence.

1. 1)An insured person who suffers, as a result of an occupational accident or occupational disease, a temporary incapacity for work certified by a physician approved by the Fund, shall be entitled to temporary disability compensation for loss of wages for each day of absence from work, with no distinction between the institution's working days and its days off, as from the eleventh day from the date of cessation of work. The employer shall be obliged to pay the full wages for the first ten days of incapacity, and shall also bear, in the cases specified by a decree (1) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and following deliberation by the Board of Directors, according to the types of occupational activities of the institutions, all or part of the difference between the disability compensation as determined in paragraph 2 of this Article and the average daily earnings defined in paragraph 3 thereof, for the periods specified by the same decree.
2. 2)The amount of the temporary disability compensation equals three-quarters of the average daily earnings, and one-half thereof when the insured person is hospitalised.
3. 3)The average daily earnings used as the basis for calculating temporary disability compensation is derived by dividing by 360 the total earnings, as determined in Articles 68 et seq. of this Law, received by the person concerned during the twelve months preceding the date of cessation of work. If the insured person had not worked during the preceding twelve months, or if his employment began less than twelve months prior, the earnings used for calculating the average daily earnings shall be those the insured person would have actually received had he worked under the same conditions during the said period.
4. 4)If the annual earnings used as the basis for calculating the compensation exceed twice the maximum annual ceiling defined in Article 68 of the Social Security Law, they shall be reduced to that amount.
5. 5)The Council of Ministers may fix a minimum for the daily compensation for temporary disability by a decree (1) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors, taking into account the minimum wage legislation and cost-of-living increases.
6. 6)Temporary disability compensation shall be paid until the insured person's recovery or until the date of commencement of the permanent disability pension as defined in paragraph 6 of Article 35 below.
7. 7)The provisions of paragraph 3 of Article 24 and Article 25 of this Law shall apply to occupational accident compensation.
8. 8)The Fund's internal regulations shall define the procedure for applying the provisions of the foregoing paragraphs.

Contribution rates shall be fixed by a decree (3) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors; they shall be expressed as a percentage of assessable earnings, enabling their revenues to cover benefits, administrative expenses, and the permanent reserve fund referred to in Article 66 of this Law. Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance contribution rates may be differentiated according to the type of occupational activities.

The Board of Directors may fix a flat-rate contribution amount payable by the following categories:

1. 1)Enterprises employing fewer than ten employees.
2. 2)Trainees and apprentices.
3. 3)Agricultural workers referred to in Article 9, paragraph 2 of this Law (1), as well as certain categories of agricultural workers referred to in Article 10 of this Law.
4. 4)Employees whose total income or part thereof consists of gratuities or allowances paid by persons other than employers.
5. 5)Domestic workers employed in private households.
6. 6)Daily workers referred to in the internal regulations.
7. 7)Institutions that have been granted public benefit status by the Government (2).
8. 8)The contribution payable by associations for persons with disabilities and service institutions shall be fixed at fifteen per cent (15%) of the contribution applicable to institutions not subject to a reduced or flat-rate contribution, for all branches except End-of-Service Indemnity. The application for this exemption shall be submitted on the basis of a certificate issued by the Ministry of Social Affairs in accordance with the applicable procedures. As regards the End-of-Service Indemnity branch, the Board of Directors of the National Social Security Fund shall fix the contribution payable by this category of institutions or associations.

1- Contributions for Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance, Family and Educational Allowances, and End-of-Service Indemnity shall all be borne by employers. Where an employee's wage is reduced during employment with the same employer, the employer's contribution shall continue to be calculated on the basis of the higher wage. The employer's obligation to pay contributions to the End-of-Service Indemnity Fund ceases when the compulsorily or voluntarily insured employee reaches sixty years of age, or the insured female reaches fifty-five, at which point they become entitled to receive the end-of-service indemnity (3). If an employee who has not yet reached age 55 or 60 continues in service after receiving end-of-service indemnity, the employer shall pay the annual contribution until the employee reaches that age, after which the account shall be settled at the rate of one month per year of service with no additional compensation.

1. 1)Sickness and Maternity Insurance contributions shall be borne by the insured persons, their employers, and the State. The State shall bear 25% of the cost of benefits relating to that insurance; the contribution rates borne by employers and employees shall be fixed by a decree adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and following deliberation by the Board of Directors. Contributions relating to trainees and persons who do not receive cash wages exceeding an amount determined by the Board of Directors shall be borne entirely by employers.
2. 2)Contributions of persons affiliated to voluntary insurance as provided in Article 11 of this Law shall be borne entirely by those persons; however, the State contribution referred to in the preceding paragraph shall apply to voluntary Sickness and Maternity Insurance.
3. 3)4-
4. 4)The limitation period for contributions and late-payment surcharges referred to in Articles 71 et seq. of the Social Security Law, and for all other debts owed to the Fund by employers, is five years from the date of the declaration relating to the insured person in respect of whom the debt is owed, subject to a maximum of ten years from the date of entitlement.
5. 5)The limitation period shall be suspended and interrupted for the reasons set out in the Code of Obligations and Contracts (1), and by the formal notice referred to in Article 78 of the Social Security Law.
6. 6)The limitation period for amounts paid to the Fund that were not due is five years from the date of payment.
7. 7)The limitation period for settlement amounts arising upon liquidation of the insured person's account pursuant to paragraph 4 of Article 54 of the Social Security Law is five years from the date of entitlement as defined in the Fund's internal regulations.
8. 8)5-
9. 9)Debts owed to the Fund may be written off and removed from the accounts or recorded in special off-budget accounts pursuant to a decision of a special committee of the Fund if the debt is trivial or irrecoverable. The Fund's internal regulations shall define the value of accumulated amounts considered trivial and the conditions required for a debt to be deemed irrecoverable.
10. 10)The decisions of the committee referred to in the preceding sub-paragraph shall be final and binding on the Fund.
11. 11)The Fund's internal regulations shall define the details and procedures for applying this paragraph, as well as the composition of this committee and its working methods. The committee shall be appointed by a decision of the Board of Directors upon the proposal of the Director General, for a term of one year, renewable.
12. 12)All debts owed to the Fund by employers and persons subject to insurance, particularly contributions, late-payment surcharges, and settlement amounts referred to in paragraph 4 of Article 54 of the Social Security Law, shall rank as privileged debts classified immediately after the State's debt, and this privilege shall attach from registration.

Sickness and Maternity Insurance contributions payable by insured persons who benefit only from medical care shall be fixed at a percentage rate lower than the contribution rate applicable to other insured persons.

1. 1)Without prejudice to the penalties provided for in other laws, the Fund may, with respect to Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance, impose on an employer who commits negligence, or whose equipment does not comply with the regulatory provisions on worker protection, safety, and health, or where the rate of exposure to occupational accidents and diseases is high, an additional surcharge on the contributions referred to in Article 71 of this Law. The Fund may, upon the employer's request, refund part of the contributions paid if the employer's equipment and the measures taken comply with the provisions of this Law and the rate of exposure to accidents in the institution is low. The conditions of application of this Article shall be defined in the Fund's internal regulations.
2. 2)An employer who fails to report an occupational accident or occupational disease within the period specified in paragraph one of Article 58 shall be liable to a fine ranging between one hundred and one thousand Lebanese pounds (1). Fines shall be imposed in proportion to the violations. In the event of recurrence within the same year, the penalties shall be doubled.

The Board of Directors shall, in accordance with the provisions of Article 3 of this Law, define the rules governing the registration of employers and insured persons, declarations of entry into and departure from employment, methods of paying contributions, surcharges, and advances, as well as all other measures necessary for the application of this Law.

1. 1)Every insured female is entitled to maternity compensation (1) for the period of ten weeks during which the delivery occurs (2), provided she refrains from work and does not receive any wage during that period.
2. 2)Maternity compensation equals two-thirds of the average daily earnings specified in paragraph 2 of Article 23 of this Law, which would have been used as the basis for calculating sickness compensation as of the date the person concerned ceased work.
3. 3)The provisions of paragraph 3 of Article 23 and paragraph 2 of Article 25 of this Law shall apply mutatis mutandis to maternity compensation.

1. 1)An insured person who, as a result of an occupational accident or occupational disease, suffers a permanent and total disability certified by the Fund's medical audit service, shall be entitled to a lifelong disability pension equal to two-thirds of his annual earnings.
2. 2)An insured person who, as a result of an occupational accident or occupational disease, suffers a permanent and partial disability certified by the Fund's medical audit service, shall be entitled to:
3. 3)If the assessed degree of disability is at least 30%, a disability pension whose amount is determined in proportion to the degree of disability relative to the pension he would have received in the event of permanent total disability.
4. 4)If the assessed degree of disability is less than 30%, a lump-sum compensation fixed once and for all, equal to three annual instalments of the partial disability pension to which he would be entitled if such a pension were payable for the degree of disability he sustained.
5. 5)The rate of permanent disability applicable to the various types of injury shall be defined in a schedule established by a decree (2) adopted in the Council of Ministers upon the proposal of the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and following deliberation by the Board of Directors.
6. 6)An insured person receiving a permanent disability pension who requires continuous assistance from another person shall be entitled to an additional compensation whose amount is fixed in the internal regulations.
7. 7)The annual earnings used as the basis for calculating the disability pension equal 360 times the average daily earnings as defined in paragraph 3 of Article 34 of this Law, or the income actually earned during the twelve consecutive months immediately preceding the month in which the accident occurred or the disease manifested itself, whichever is more favourable to the insured person. The provisions on the minimum and maximum limits set out in Article 34 of this Law shall apply to the annual earnings used as the basis for calculating the disability pension and to the disability pension itself.
8. 8)The disability pension becomes payable at the latest as of the first day of the thirteenth month following the month in which the accident occurred or the occupational disease manifested itself. However, this period may be extended for a maximum of one further year upon the request of the treating physician and with the approval of the Fund's medical audit.
9. 9)The disability pension shall be paid in advance; the methods of payment shall be defined in the internal regulations.

1. 1)The Fund shall review the amount of the pension, either spontaneously or upon request of the person concerned, if the Fund's medical audit certifies a significant aggravation or improvement following the settlement of the disability pension. A review shall also be conducted in the event of the beneficiary's return to work.
2. 2)Notwithstanding the foregoing, a pension may not be reviewed once six months have elapsed since its settlement, except year by year at minimum. This rule shall not apply if a new curative treatment was used in the meantime, if the temporary aggravation of the effects of the occupational accident or occupational disease has subsided, or in the event of the beneficiary's return to work.

If a beneficiary of a disability pension suffers a further occupational accident or occupational disease, the amount of the pension shall be redetermined taking into account the cumulative total of all injuries sustained. If the beneficiary's annual earnings at the time of the subsequent accident or disease exceed the annual earnings used as the basis for calculating the first pension, the new pension shall be calculated on the basis of the higher earnings.

1. 1)The occupational accident or occupational disease pension shall be cancelled and, where appropriate, compensation paid without entitlement shall be recovered, in the following cases:
2. 2)Where the person concerned obtained or attempted to obtain, by fraudulent means, benefits to which he was not entitled.
3. 3)Where the disease or accident resulted from a felony or misdemeanour committed by the person concerned, or from a deliberate act on his part.
4. 4)The Fund may suspend payment of compensation or reduce its amount:
5. 5)Where the person concerned refuses to submit to the medical and administrative monitoring and examinations provided for in the Fund's internal regulations, or fails to comply with medical instructions after being authorised to stop work.
6. 6)During any stay by the person concerned outside the country, unless the internal regulations provide otherwise.
7. 7)During any period in which the person concerned is serving a custodial sentence.

1. 1)Employers shall be subject to the Fund's supervision with respect to the application of the provisions of this Law and the implementing decrees and regulations.
2. 2)The supervisory functions shall be performed by inspectors in the Fund's establishment. The Fund's internal regulations shall define the special inspection establishment, the inspectors' powers, the rules of supervision referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article and the procedures for conducting it, as well as the procedures for submitting documentary objections to the reports and financial statements drawn up by inspectors.
3. 3)Fund inspectors referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article must, before commencing their duties, take the following oath before the civil courts in Beirut: «I swear to carry out my duties with full integrity and faithfulness, and not to disclose trade secrets or investment methods that I may learn of in the exercise of my duties».
4. 4)Any violation of the oath referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article shall expose the inspector to the penalties provided in Article 579 of the Penal Code.
5. 5)The violation reports, financial assessment notices, and reports drawn up by inspectors as a result of their supervisory work pursuant to paragraph 2 of this Article shall be deemed authentic until proven otherwise. Information relating to the identity and address of the offender shall be obtained through the public prosecutor's office if the offender refuses to provide such information or obstructs the inspector from obtaining it.
6. 6)Employers are required to record, without blanks, insertions, erasures, or corrections, in a special register maintained in accordance with a model drawn up by the Fund's administration, the name, date and place of birth, wage, and additional benefits of each person subject to insurance, before they commence work, as well as the date of cessation of work or dismissal within three days at the most following such cessation.
7. 7)Employers are required to make available to Fund inspectors the register referred to in paragraph 6 of this Article, as well as all books, papers, and accounting documents containing or capable of containing wage records and details of persons subject to insurance and information relating to them.
8. 8)Employers or their representatives must receive Fund inspectors at the times fixed for them, and provide them with the explanations, information, documents, and supporting evidence requested relating in particular to the enterprise's activities, changes in the situation of insured persons, the dates of commencement and cessation of their employment, their place of work, and the type, amount, and method of calculating their wages or earnings.
9. 9)If an employer or his representative or any person connected with them or the enterprise obstructs an inspector in the performance of his duties or for any reason related thereto, or prevents him from carrying out those duties, or impedes his work, the offender shall be liable, in addition to the penalties provided in the Penal Code, to a fine ranging between 500 and 1,000 Lebanese pounds (1) and imprisonment for one to three months, or either of these penalties, with the penalty doubled in the event of recurrence.
10. 10)Fund inspectors may request the assistance of public administrations and security forces to carry out their assigned duties.

Where an employer fails to submit, within the prescribed time limits, the documents relating to wages, or fails within the same time limits to submit the registers or other declarations provided for in the Fund's internal regulations, or if these documents are incomplete, the Fund shall send him a registered letter requesting him to rectify his situation and comply with the legal and regulatory provisions within eight days of receiving the notice. If the employer fails to comply with the content of the notice within that period, the Fund shall be entitled to unilaterally assess the contributions due on a definitive basis. Decisions relating to the assessment of contributions shall be enforced through the enforcement departments (2).

1. 1)Contributions not paid within the prescribed period shall automatically be increased at the rate of one-half per thousand per day of delay.
2. 2)The late-payment increase referred to in the preceding paragraph shall be collected by the Fund when contributions are paid; if the employer refuses to pay it upon settling the contributions, it shall be collected in accordance with the procedures applicable to the collection of contributions and other debts owed to the Fund.

1. 1)An employer who unlawfully withholds the contribution deducted from the wage or earnings of a person subject to insurance and due to the Fund shall be liable to imprisonment from three to six months or a fine of between 100 and 1,000 Lebanese pounds (4) or both penalties, if he fails to pay the amount owed within a maximum period of fifteen days from the date of service upon him by legal means of a formal demand for payment.
2. 2)An employer who fails to maintain the register referred to in paragraph 6 of Article 77 of this Law shall be liable to a fixed fine of 400 Lebanese pounds for each person omitted from the register, or for whom the required information was not recorded or was not recorded in time. The penalty shall be doubled if the employer fails to pay the fine within fifteen days of the date of drawing up the violation report.
3. 3)a- The employer is required to inform the Fund within one month at most of the date of occurrence of any legal or administrative changes to his enterprise that may affect the application of the Social Security Law. These cases shall be defined in the Fund's internal regulations.
4. 4)An employer who fails to notify the Fund of the changes referred to in the preceding sub-paragraph shall be liable to a fine of between 200 and 1,000 Lebanese pounds.
5. 5)Where an enterprise is sold, transferred, or made the subject of any contract referred to in Legislative Decree No. 11 dated 11/7/1967, all parties to the contract are required to notify the Fund of this fact within three days at most of the date of its occurrence.
6. 6)Any person who fails to fulfil the obligations specified in the preceding sub-paragraph shall be liable to the fine provided in sub-paragraph (b) of this paragraph and shall become jointly and severally liable with the principal debtor or debtors for the amounts owed to the Fund, notwithstanding any contrary provision.
7. 7)a- An employer who fails to declare the entry into employment or the departure from employment of a person subject to insurance within fifteen days of the date of entry or departure shall be liable to a fine of between 100 and 1,000 Lebanese pounds. If the delay in declaration exceeds three months from the date of entry or departure, the offender shall be liable to an additional fine of 50 Lebanese pounds per month per person, subject to a maximum total fine in all cases of 1,000 Lebanese pounds per person.
8. 8)The Fund shall not require a declaration in respect of a person subject to insurance who worked for fewer than ten days, unless that person belongs to a category for which the Fund's internal regulations provide special treatment. This does not exempt the employer from registering such a person in the special register referred to in paragraph 6 of Article 77 of this Law.
9. 9)An employer who fails to submit the annual nominal declaration required by the Fund's internal regulations within the prescribed period shall be liable to a fine of 500 Lebanese pounds if the enterprise pays contributions on a monthly basis, and 200 Lebanese pounds if contributions are paid on a non-monthly basis. If the delay exceeds three months, the offender shall be liable to an additional fine of 10 Lebanese pounds per month per person subject to insurance; a fraction of a month counts as a full month, subject to a minimum total fine of five hundred pounds and a maximum of five thousand Lebanese pounds. The fine shall be automatically collected by the Fund upon submission of the annual nominal declaration; if the employer refuses to pay it at the time of submission, it shall be collected in accordance with the procedures for collecting contributions and other Fund debts.
10. 10)Offenders against the provisions of paragraphs 1, 3, and 4 of this Article shall not be prosecuted before courts if they pay the minimum basic fine and any additional fines due in proportion to the period of delay for violations under paragraph 4 above, within fifteen days of the date of drawing up the violation report. This paragraph shall not apply in the event of recurrence within one year.
11. 11)a- Fines imposed shall be paid to the administration of the National Social Security Fund.
12. 12)The penalty shall be doubled in the event of recurrence within one year.

Without prejudice to the provisions of Articles 25 and 34 of this Law, any person who intentionally benefits personally or intentionally enables another to benefit from benefits to which he is not entitled, through fraud or by submitting false or untrue declarations, shall be liable to a fine of between 500 and 2,000 Lebanese pounds, in addition to any custodial sentence to which he may be subject under the Penal Code, and shall be obliged to reimburse the Fund for the amounts paid without entitlement.

In cases other than those provided for in Articles 80 and 81 above: if an employer fails to comply with the provisions of this Law, the Director General of the Fund shall send him a registered letter calling upon him to rectify his situation within eight days; the Director General must refer the matter to the labour courts for adjudication pursuant to Article 85 below if the employer fails to comply with the request.

With respect to the Occupational Accidents and Diseases Insurance branch, where an employee has not been declared or where the employer is in arrears in paying the contributions due from him, wholly or partly, up to and including the day of the accident, the Fund shall provide the employee with all benefits due to him, and the employer shall remain a debtor of the Fund for an amount equal to the total benefits due or paid to the employee or to the entitled beneficiaries after him, until full payment of the contributions and the corresponding surcharges.