NIS complaints should not be delayed-NIS Chairman

Oct 13, 2019 News

As the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) celebrates its 50th anniversary, the Chairman, John Seeram, in his address to the General Assembly, said that when dealing with complaints from the public, there should not be delays.
“There is some delay in addressing matters brought to NIS’s attention.”
He further pointed out that because of the present electronic age, responses to complaints should be within the “accepted norm”.
Seeram explained that one of the many challenges that NIS faces is “its public relations with its various stakeholders. Evidence, he says, can be seen in the many letters written to the media.
This newspaper had also been a recipient of many such letters with complaints about matters faced by such stakeholders.
One letter written to this publication was back on July 27, last, by a concerned GuySuCo worker. The worker claimed that he was hospitalised and made claim for benefits from NIS. However, to his surprise, he was told that he could not receive any benefits because his employer (Guysuco) had not paid off his contributions.
The worker was disgusted at fact that his payslip showed that his contributions were deducted.
On August 4, a following letter was written in response to this ill plighted worker.
The letter was written by Attorney-at-law Christopher Thompson, where he advised the worker that according to the Constitution, his benefits were payable.
In the letter, he stated that “, I will quote directly from the National Insurance and Social Security Act Cap. 36:01, Regulation 6 of the National Insurance and Social Security (Contributions) Regulations, which states as follows: Where a contribution payable by an employer in respect or on behalf of an insured person is paid after the due date or is not paid, and the delay or failure in making payment thereof is shown to the satisfaction of the Board not to have been with the consent or connivance of, or attributable to any negligence on the part of the insured person, the contribution shall, for the purpose of any right to benefit (emphasis added), be treated as paid on the due date.”
Later, on August 7, last, Kaieteur News further enforced the matter by publishing it as a news article.
According to Seeram, NIS was able to address a matter back in May. This matter, he explained, was whereby pensioners spent a lot of time at the entity to collect their pension during the first week of pension payments.
He pointed out that no pensioner who has given long and dedicated service to Guyana should have to spend more than hour in order to receive his or her pension.
The system was, said the Chairman, that during the first five days of a month in which pension payments were made, business began at 6AM and end at 4PM. When 4PM arrived, he explained if a pensioner was unable to receive his payment for that day he was told to return the following day.
This practice he says was changed and a number of pensioners expressed how pleased they are with the improved service.
The Chairman said that staff members have been advised to improve on this level of service when it comes to dealing with matters brought to their attention and also to give prompt responses.

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