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Pensioner frustrated over royal runaround given by NIS
Seventy-two year-old Richard Chandra is claiming that the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) has been giving him the royal run-around during his inquiry to rectify problems arising from the contributions he has paid and the pension he receives.
Chandra told Kaieteur News yesterday that he was entitled to a monthly pension equating to 1900 contributions, however he has been receiving that which equates to 1200 contributions.
72-year-old pensioner, Richard Chandra
Efforts to clarify the matter, Chandra said, have resulted in multiple trips to NIS offices on Camp Street and Brickdam, Georgetown. He related that he has made repeated trips to the offices to sort out the issue but has received little help in coming to a solution.
“Every time I go they (NIS staff) just send me to this body and that body, who end up telling me to come back,” Chandra said, “and when I do come back they say come back again. It’s been like this for over a year.”
For the septuagenarian, the frequent trips to the NIS offices have cost him amounts that he is afraid he cannot continue to afford. Despite possessing the necessary records which outline the details of his contribution, Chandra maintains that the pension agency has been of little assistance.
The persistent senior citizen related that he was not the only one with such issues. According to him, he talked with a female pensioner with similar problems, but she had eventually given up on her quest as it was “too fatiguing”.
But Chandra says he cannot afford to give up. He said that the difference in payment would go a long way in assisting his living condition, as he lives alone.
“Medication for my eyes is something I really can’t afford,” said a clearly frustrated Chandra. He is pleading that the NIS finds a way to hasten the pension and sorts out the discrepancies with his contributions.
When contacted, a representative from the NIS explained that such matters require that the pensioner be reimbursed for the outstanding contributions, as one can only have a maximum of 1700.
In a case like Chandra’s, the representative added, once one reaches the age of retirement, that person cannot be eligible for contributions and would have to sort out the matter with NIS, the business, and the individual.
When questioned about the alleged “royal run-around” which pensioners like Chandra have complained about, the representative was unresponsive.
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