THE St Elizabeth office of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security will be handing out more than 25 birth certificates to people 75 years and older.

Parish Manager Michelle Senior, who made the disclosure, noted that this move aligns with the Government’s bid for the country’s senior citizens to sign up for benefits and support under the Social Pension Programme.

She was addressing the monthly meeting of the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation in Black River on Thursday, April 13.

“We went out and identified them and have printed birth certificates for 25 of these persons. We have contacted them to come in to collect soon,” Senior said.

She added that the presentation will be done by the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development on a date to be announced.

Senior said it is hoped that the handover will take place by the end of April, after which the senior citizens can transition to the social pension programme.

The Social Pension Programme targets all Jamaican citizens 75 years and older who are not currently in receipt of a pension, old-age, or disability benefit or income and are not living in a government institutionalised care facility and are generally described as vulnerable.

Each beneficiary receives funds every two months, which will be credited to their bank account or disbursed via the applicant’s remittance agency of choice.

“Once the person comes in, depending on whether or not they do the application in office, they should be paid by the next payment period. If it is a PATH [Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education] transfer, it is also the same thing,” Senior said.

– JIS