NIS Caters to Approximately 150,000 Pensioners

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security is reporting that the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) currently caters to almost 150,000 pensioners living in Jamaica and overseas.

Chief Technical Director in the Ministry, Audrey Deer-Williams, made the disclosure during an interview on the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) television programme ‘Get the Facts’.

“We have approximately 136,000 pensioners locally and another 12,000 pensioners overseas. So, you have to contribute to the NIS and meet our contribution requirements in order to benefit. That is, you must make a minimum of 10 weekly average contributions over your working life to benefit from the NIS,” she said.

Turning to the Social Pension Programme, which officially came on stream in 2021, Mrs. Deer-Williams outlined that it is geared towards Jamaican citizens 75 years and older, who are not in receipt of a pension (overseas or local) or any other retirement, old-age or disability benefit or regular income, and are not living in a government institutionalised care facility.

“We have a bimonthly payment for those persons,” she said, noting that persons may visit the Ministry’s parish offices located at the main town centres to register for the benefit.

“There are parish offices established. For Kingston and St. Andrew…we have an office on Harbour Street, which is our Public Assistance Department, which is where persons would go to apply for the social pension,” she said.

The Ministry has over 26 satellite offices across the island where persons can access various services.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Deer-Williams said the Ministry plans to take its services virtually so persons will be able to access the benefits through online applications.

“So, as of now, approximately 80 per cent of our NIS pensioners receive payments through direct deposit and it is so easy, so convenient for them. In terms of our social pension, all of our payments are digital, so you either get a payment directly to your bank account or through the remittance agencies,” she told JIS News.

She said that the Ministry also works with the remittance agencies to ensure that the service standards are in place to meet the needs of older persons.