Plight of pensioners at the Department of pensions
It all began in October 2013; when my mother’s pension (which had been regularly paid by the Bank of Ceylon -BOC -since 2004) was not deposited into her account at BOC. On inquiring from the bank I was informed that she had not submitted her ‘Life Certificate’ (Certificate authenticated that the said pensioner is alive) and thus to inquire from the Pension Department at the Thimbirigasyaya Divisional Secretariat which is responsible for her pension payment. I obtained the required Life Certificate and submitted it to the bank in October 2013. After which, I found the payments resumed and my mother started receiving her pension from November 2013. We were relieved.
However, when I wrote to the Pension Department regarding the October 2013 pension that had not been paid, I received no response. To my dismay again in April 2014, my mother’s pension was stopped. This time around, when I visited the Thinbirigasyaya Divisional Secretariat, I met the newly appointed Accountant who informed me that since my mother is a resident in the UK she has to submit the Data Entry Form duly filled and authorized by the High Commission in the UK. She also informed me that my mother’s pension should have been processed at the Maligawatha Department of Pensions and not at the Thimbirigasyaya Pension Department.
Although right at the beginning of processing the widow’s pension, my mother has indicated that she is residing in the UK, the officials have overlooked this fact and had been treating her pension payment as a local and had not transferred the file to the Maligawatta Pension Department (MPD) in accordance with the circulars in 2009. This had also resulted in the Department paying an incorrect allowance. I was advised to sort it out at the MPD. Eventually the duly filled Data-Entry Form along with the Life Certificate from the UK High Commission was submitted on September 30, 2014.
Many visits
Eventually it took many visits to the Thimbirigasyaya Pension Department to get the pension file transferred to the MPD (as I was told initially that the file ‘had gone missing!!’). After all these submissions it took another five months for the MPD to resume paying my mother’s pension in March 2015. However the arrears had not been paid as I was informed that it will take some more time to process since the Pension Department has overpaid her since the 2009 circular and they have to recover this amount before paying the arrears. Although there seem to be some policy on recovering this over-payment in installments the MPD insisted on recovering the entire amount prior to releasing the arrears.
During these five months, in spite of my many visits and emails to the MPD, l still could not get the proper answers to my inquiry as to how the calculations were made regarding the recovery of the over-payment and the payment of arrears. Eventually, I was informed of the methodology and not the calculations. Then I worked out an Excel Worksheet using the information the MPD provides online (public domain-computer system) and compared this with the bank statement and came up with the arrears due to my mother. I sent this to the Assistant Director, Foreign Pensions and asked him to kindly let me know whether what I have worked out was correct.
But I did not get a reply from the MPD. Instead I found they had deposited a lesser amount in April 2015. I had to then visit him several times and finally in October 2015, I was told that they will have to rely on their Computer System and not in the Bank which is an external resource. As I could not handle these officials any more I had to ask the Asst. Director, Foreign Pension ‘who took this money’? The Bank or the Pension Department? In accordance with my mother’s bank account statement the pension for the month of October 2013 was not paid. However, the MPD computer system indicated this as paid. Whose job was it to check this discrepancy? The pensioner?
Proved them wrong
As I did not want to give up I kept on asking them until eventually after many visits to the MPD, bank and Thimbirigasyaya Pension Department I was able to prove that the MPD computer system was wrong. At the Thimbirigasyaya Pension Department, they even had the audacity to ask me why I waited two years to sort out a mistake (Note: their mistake) which had taken place in 2013. I actually lost my patience at that time and I told the accountant that I was amazed her memory was so bad (even though she was very much younger than I) and that she could get corrupted so quickly within these two years working in the public sector just like all the others. Because I told her that I came to see her regarding this in November 2013 at which time she behaved so well for a public servant. It was then I learned that she was very new to her office. So whose fault is it? Finally, on 9th January 2016 the correct arrears were paid into my mother’s pension account.
I only hope this situation will not arise again.
What a saga. Imagine those poor senior citizens, especially those who do not have any one to assist them, what their plight will be? They are basically at the mercy of these ill-mannered, lethargic officials (not worth calling ‘officers’) who do not pay any attention to what they are doing.
They are a wastage of the taxpayers’ money. I just cannot imagine why these public sector employees are unable to do their job properly and have this ‘I know it all’ attitude. After all, there aren’t many adjustments to the pension. How often is an allowance increased? Once the pension is processed it is the same amount that is paid monthly. So, why do these employees find it so difficult to keep paying the same amount every month for these pensioners? If they cannot perform this simple act is it worthwhile to be employing them?
Impossible to reach
Although, the MPD is equipped with new technology, it is impossible to communicate with them either on the phone, email or skype. If you need to sort out anything you have to make a special trip to the MPD and discuss matters personally. And even then it takes months and years to sort out very simple matters. The officials are so rude at one point I had to tell them to remember that one day they too will retire and will get the same treatment that they are offering now. Nothing changes their work attitude. How to transform the public sector employees? It is impossible to get anything done if you do not know anyone personally. Just imagine if not for my perseverance, my mother would not have received the correct amount of arrears. I am sure many people must have been either under or over paid.
This is because of the inefficient public sector employees. This whole scenario made me to look into the process of pension payment and realised that the policy makers were also not conducive towards the pensioner. There is absolutely no communication whatsoever between the Pension Department and the pensioners except the circulars that appear on their computer system and a few paper notifications from time to time. Also, these circulars are not available in all three languages. Of course you cannot rely on these notifications because what happens at the department is not consistent with the notifications. Pensioners live a confused life. There are some who simply get whatever is paid whether correct or not since they do not have the strength to fight for their rights. Why should the pensioners suffer in this manner at the latter stages of their life?
All I can say is, ‘Thank God I am not a retired government servant”. - Rani Samuel