NIS complaint

Oct 30, 2019 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,

Please allow me space in your letters columns to highlight a wrong that is perpetuated by the National Insurance Scheme against some hapless applicants for NIS pensions. I am using my own experience as an example.
In anticipation of my turning sixty years in December 2017, I sought for and obtained information on my eligibility for an NIS pension which I knew I was eligible for. I received from the NIS a print out showing that I had made 620 contributions in the jobs I had done but on reviewing it I discovered that 7 years worth of contribution from the military (1978 – 1984 inclusive) was missing with only 3 years worth out of a total of ten years being mentioned. I approached the NIS Brickdam Office and commenced a circuit of running around as variously directed to have the missing years entered and then to be processed to access my pension.
At the Brickdam Georgetown office in July of 2018 I was directed to a particular Inspector who I was told was the Inspector in charge of verification of the service records of submissions of Joint Services personnel. I saw him and submitted the printout to him along with other documents and he told me to check back with him.
I did so about one month after and I was told that he did not reach to my matter in the pile of matters he had. I saw him one other time and he said that he could not find photocopies of my records which I submitted so he photocopied my records and told me to check him back in a month’s time. This time he said if I had any evidence that I was in the army for the time not mentioned and I gave him photocopies of my army certificates. I checked with him again and he still had not touched my matter since, as he said, he was overwhelmed with similar matters but he said if I wanted, I myself could obtain a statement from the army concerning the relevant particulars of my service there. I then went to the General Personnel Department of the Army on the 30th July 2018 and obtained a typed statement to the full effect signed by the Officer Commanding the General Personnel Department which I gave him and was advised to return in a month’s time.
When I went back I was told he had proceeded on leave but another staffer advised me to obtain a statement of my contributions from the Army. This I obtained on the 27th June 2019 from the Finance Officer (Acting) of the GDF. It stated that due to the floods of 2005 much records were lost but it showed the extent of my service, supplied a record of the contributions which they had available and stated that “I however do confirm that all contributions were remitted, and there are no outstanding arrears owed to the National Insurance Scheme by the Guyana Defence Force for me”. I took that back and handed a copy to the staffer who advised me to return in approximately six weeks, that is, by mid September by which time the inspector would return from leave and have settled back in.
I returned approximately ten weeks after, on the 27th October. I saw the Inspector (the one responsible for Joint Services verifications) and he said that he had returned back to his desk but had not been able to do much but I was to return one month after. He gave me his phone number which is 618-4392 and told me I must call him. I chose to write this letter instead. I intend to check with him in the month he told me to and if the process of verifying my submissions has not started then I would have to take legal steps to compel NIS to do so. But I have a number of questions

1. Is the NIS broke and unable to service contributors’ claims for pensions entitled to?
2. Is the inspector responsible for verifying submissions for Joint Services Personnel working in a niche by himself without anyone supervising his work output?
3. Are all applications made for pensions entitled to, left to random chance with respect to processing and without time frames?
4. Why is one single person who does not seem to be a paragon of production left alone to process verification for all of the Joint Services personnel whose time for receipt of pension is due?
5. To quote Shakespeare ‘Is something rotten in the State of Denmark” where the NIS is concerned?
I think it is a shame that Joint services personnel who have given patriotic service have to find themselves pushed around with bruising disregard when they attempt to avail themselves of their entitlement.

I want to make clear that I know things take time to be processed but it is unconscionable that such a matter should take an unlimited amount of time to even start to be processed. I am calling on all the relevant authorities especially in the NIS to take an interest. My phone number is 6782629 and I am inviting any former soldier or Joint Services personnel who have the same problem to link with me.

Pensioner

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