Pensioners Reminded to Submit Life Certificates on Time

The Accountant General’s Department (AGD) is encouraging government pensioners to submit their life certificates on time to ensure that their pension payments are not disrupted.

The life certificate is a method of verification that is submitted on a quarterly basis and is used to ensure that pensioners continue to receive their benefit monthly.

Speaking on the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Get the Facts’ Programme recently, Deputy Accountant General, Financial Operations at the AGD, Rahja Harrison, explained that “several persons are listed as certifying authorities on that certificate and once we receive that, then the payment continues”.

“So, the pensioner receives that life certificate, and in most instances, it is signed by a notary public or a justice of the peace or a principal, bank manager,” he pointed out.

The Deputy Accountant General said that neither a family member nor a caregiver should be completing or certifying a life certificate for a pensioner.

“That’s not admissible. That can be seen as fraud,” he said.

He noted that where a pensioner is unable to sign the life certificate, the AGD accepts a letter from a doctor indicating the condition of the pensioner and their inability to sign.

“Then, going forward, once we have that letter on file, the doctor is the only person authorised to sign the certificate on the pensioner’s behalf, and, therefore, we accept that because based on the nature of our pensioners, sometimes these things are inevitable. They just can’t sign at a particular stage,” he pointed out.

Mr. Harrison also reminded pensioners that if they have closed their bank account, they should inform the Department immediately.

“Sometimes, persons do close the account and we are not made aware and, therefore, it is rejected. That can disrupt their pension payment, and as I said, the life certificate, once it is not submitted on time, it may temporarily disrupt the payment,” he said.

“So, once you have realised that it has not hit your account and you have reached out to us, we will tell you what we have received and the reason for the rejection. Once you’ve made the corrections, then the payment is uploaded and you receive your payment,” he added.