Dear Claudienne

I am writing you this letter on behalf of my mother, who retired from the teaching profession on February 20, 2012. Over one year later she has not received one cent of her pension from the Ministry of Education. She has dedicated over 30 years of service to the teaching profession.

For one year now my mother has been unable to pay her mortgage, and the National Housing Trust has become increasingly impatient as the arrears have grown.

I, too, am a teacher and the salary of a teacher with a diploma is “chicken feed”. My salary is inadequate to pay my mortgage, plus my mother’s mortgage and other bills.

How does the ministry expect her to survive, especially in an economy like this when prices are constantly rising? We can hardly find our dinner and sometimes we go to bed hungry at nights.

I am currently on medication for stress and depression and I recently tried to commit suicide. The bill collectors keep calling and threatening us and my blood pressure has skyrocketed to the point where the doctor told me that if it is not reduced I will have a stroke. I am only 32 years old.

I have written to the Jamaica Teachers’ Association, the Public Defender, and the offices of the prIme minister, governor general and leader of the opposition, but no help has been forthcoming.

As you can see from my handwritten letter, I could not even find the $100 to go to the Internet cafe´to type this letter.

I implore you to help my mother to get her benefits.

CB

Dear CB

The Ministry of Finance has advised Tell Claudienne that they did not receive your mother’s pension particulars until March 2013. The finance ministry opened a file for her on March 25, 2013. The ministry has computed the advance and alimentary allowance that she applied for and the Accountant General was advised on April 19 to effect payment.

The advance she will receive will be 70 per cent of what she is due. The remaining portion due to your mother has to be checked by the Auditor General’s department, but she will have to wait for six months or more for the process to be completed. We will follow this up.

Good luck.

Dear Claudienne

In September 2012 my wife and I made separate applications for our National Insurance Scheme (NIS) benefits. However, to date we have not been favoured with a reply. We now live overseas, but I was employed to the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) and she worked with the government.

Please find out for us what is the status of our applications.

WC

Dear WC

According to the NIS office, your separate applications have been approved for payment and sent to the bank for the drafts to be prepared. The NIS explained that the drafts to be sent overseas are done in batches and that the bank sometimes takes a month or more to prepare them. Good luck.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company: telephone 936-9436 or write to: Tell Claudienne c/o Sunday Finance, Jamaica Observer, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail: edwardsc@jamaicaobserver.com. Please include a contact phone number.