Article 20 of the Saudi Military Retirement Law

This article regulates the pension of beneficiaries of a military member whose service ends by death for work-related reasons, and distinguishes two cases:

Paragraph (a): death during and because of work

The beneficiaries are granted a monthly pension equal to the salary he was receiving at death.

Paragraph (b): martyrdom

If the military member is martyred because of service that was ordered:

• while war was under way, or
• during live-ammunition, air or naval training, or
• while carrying out military missions or movements, or
• as a result of an injury sustained because of service ordered while confronting hostile armed organizations or during gunfire while storming saboteurs' hideouts or chasing smugglers,

then the beneficiaries are granted a retirement pension equal to the maximum scale salary of the rank above his own.

The difference between the two paragraphs is that the first calculates the pension on the member's own salary at death, while the second calculates it on the maximum scale of the higher rank, in recognition of the circumstances of the martyrdom.

In both cases the pension is granted to the beneficiaries; a beneficiary, as defined in Article 2, is a person for whom a pension is set under the law. Article 21 then explains how injuries and deaths are established: the Military Medical Committee establishes them, but if they occurred during war or war operations, a written report from the commander of the military formation is sufficient.

Paragraph (b) was amended by Royal Decree No. (M/50) dated 19/10/1407 AH. Someone who has lost a military breadwinner and needs to know his rights may consult a lawyer who specializes in administrative cases.