Dear Claudienne

We live in Canada and fortunately my wife and I read the Jamaica Observer almost everyday.

In 2016 I contacted Service Canada and was advised that my application for old age benefits (OAB) was sent to Jamaica. I complained to the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Dr Peter Phillips and several other government officials about my OAB and they ignored me.

THE FACTS:

1. In May 2016 (my 65th birthday) the OAB application was submitted to the ministry

2. The ministry requested more documents and they were all submitted by September 2016

3. My application was stamped and returned to me.

Shortly after the application was returned to me I called the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and was told that they had no application for me.

An unsigned handwritten note was sent to me requesting my passport and account number and I complained to the PS about the unusual unsigned document.

Shortly afterwards I called the overseas section at the ministry and was advised that they have everything that was required to process the application.

I spent a huge sum of money to do a medical and the doctor then notarised a second application which I sent by registered mail to the ministry. When I called the ministry I was told that they had received the notarised application.

At the time of writing to you (July 27, 2017), it is now one year and two months since I applied for my OAB and I don’t understand why there is so much confusion at the OAB.

I worked and contributed to the NIS scheme for 12 years and would appreciate your help as I need to know when the processing of my application will be completed.

EE

Dear EE

The governments of Jamaica and Canada have an agreement in respect of Social Security.

When Tell Claudienne contacted the NIS Claims Department, the records showed that because of the agreement the NIS had written to their Canadian counterpart seeking to find additional contributions you would have made during the time you worked in Canada.

The Accounts Department at the NIS office has now received the information from Canada and it has been calculated that you are to receive a lump sum payment of $213,462.02.

The money, which is to be converted to US dollars will be paid to you in May, the NIS spokesman told Tell Claudienne.

Thereafter, you will receive two OAB cheques from the NIS annually. You will receive the cheques in the months of March and September.

We wish you all the best.

Dear Claudienne

I am writing to you on behalf of my grandmother who is an NIS pensioner. She was receiving $7,000 per fortnight from the NIS but it has been reduced to $1,800. Can you please find out from the NIS why her benefit has been so drastically reduced.

AM

Dear AM

The NIS spokesman has informed Tell Claudienne that an error resulted in your grandmother being awarded a full-rate pension benefit while she was still working. The error also resulted in your grandmother, who should have been awarded a half-rate pension, being paid a full-rate pension. The NIS discovered that she was overpaid $444,778.88 from August 1, 2008 to August 7, 2014.

As the NIS is in the process of recovering the overpayment, your grandmother who should be receiving a half-rate pension of $3,000 per fortnight is now receiving $1,191.26 per fortnight. We wish you all the best.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 876-936-9436 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.