Dear Claudienne,

I am a retired policeman.

My gut tells me that I might have sent the life certificate that I should have sent to the accountant general to the wrong address.

However, for over one year now I have not received my pension benefits. I wrote to the accountant general but to date, there is still no positive response.

I received payments only for a few months and then nothing.

I would be grateful if you could follow up on this for me.

SR

Dear SR,

Tell Claudienne contacted the Accountant General’s Department (AGD) and notes that the agency has explained to you in an e-mail the steps you should take to have your pension payments reinstated.

The e-mail stated as follows:

“We are in receipt of your query regarding your pension status. Please be advised that when checks were made of your record, same indicated that your records are currently inactive and this is due to the non-submission of your life certificates over three quarters.

In light of the above, in order to have your pension status reinstated the following actions will be required:

(1) Please send e-mail to info@treasury.gov.jm

(2) The attached overseas inactive pensioner verification form, along with the life certificate, are required to be completed with your information. Please note that you now have the option of having one notary public and a medical doctor, or two notaries public, certify the requisite inactive documents, thereby eliminating the need to visit the Accountant General’s Department in person.

(3) Submit a signed and stamped bank account verification or basic printout which shows your name, bank account number, and status of your account as being ‘active’ — and this is in reference to the account where your pension payments are normally sent.

(4) Submit notarised copies of your birth certificate, marriage certificate, TRN and valid ID, or in the absence of the birth certificate you may send the notarised copy of the biometric page of your passport. (Please be guided by the inactive documents checklist that is attached as not all items might be applicable to you).

Please note that once the required inactive documents are submitted (please submit same by October 31, 2024), the pensions unit will then reinstate your pension payments within two months, and process your inactive arrears within another two months after the reinstatement. The documents may be hand-delivered to our offices or sent via registered mail to:

Mr David King

The Accountant General’s Department

21 Dominica Drive

PO Box 495, GPO

Kingston 5

Finally, going forward, please be guided by the schedule below which outlines the quarters within which the life certificates are issued and the months within which they become due for submission:

1st Quarter

January – March — life certificate is due for submission by January 31st.

2nd Quarter

April – June — life certificate is due for submission by April 30th.

3rd Quarter

July – September — life certificate is due for submission by July 31st.

4th Quarter

October – December — life certificate is due for submission by October 31st.

The life certificates are usually generated and dispatched by the first week in the month they are due, therefore if you are not in receipt of your life certificate by the end of the first week in the month that it is due we encourage you to make immediate contact with the Accountant General’s Department so that same can be forwarded.

You may also contact us through the Accountant General’s WhatsApp number 876-818-6583. Please note, however, only WhatsApp messages are accepted via this medium, therefore neither calls nor voice notes are facilitated. We can also be reached on telephone numbers 876-922-8320-7 or via the live chat option on our website.

Should you require any clarification regarding the information above, please do not hesitate to make contact with the AGD.”

We wish you all the best.

Have a problem with a store, utility 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.