News Categories: Social Security

The Government is pushing to improve administrative efficiency and reduce the costs associated with the disbursement of funds to beneficiaries of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH).

The Government is also aiming to ensure greater accessibility and ease of collecting benefits for beneficiary families under PATH, according to a Request for Expression of Interest in the Sunday newspapers.

To this end, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security,  which has responsibility for the PATH, is seeking the services of a firm, company or institution to provide automated or electronic transfer payments to PATH beneficiary families every two months.  PATH families which receive the special benefit under the social security net, number 128,000.

The Ministry said the chosen service provider must demonstrate the following:

• The ability of the product/service to be utilised by a large number of beneficiaries especially in rural areas including those that are elderly or have a disability.
• The availability and accessibility of the product/service island-wide.
• Merchant reach and ability.
• The ability of the service provider to recall funds from beneficiary accounts and return it to the Ministry based on the instruction.
• The ability of the service provider to disburse payments immediately on receipt of funds from the Ministry.
• Beneficiaries will not be subject to any fees for registration or transactions completed.
• Available customer service that is accessible on a 24-hour basis.
• There are more than 300,000 Jamaicans enrolled under the PATH.

Source: http://www.loopjamaica.com/content/govt-wants-automated-service-provider-path-disbursements

Employers, workers and self-employed persons are being reminded to contribute to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) as required by law.

The call was made by Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Shahine Robinson, at the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons’ (CCRP) 2018 Living Legacy Awards luncheon held on Friday (September 28), at the Mona Visitors Lodge, University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus.

She said that non-compliance is a major factor in the lack of growth in the number of contributors, despite increased employment levels.

Under the law, all persons age 18 years and older, who are gainfully employed and domiciled in Jamaica, should be insured under the NIS.

“The NIS is mandatory if you are working. There are provisions in the law to sanction employers and persons, who don’t contribute and I believe we (the government) may have to look at that to make sure that when these funds are taken from your salary that it is indeed paid over to the scheme,” she said.

Mrs. Robinson said every effort is being made to preserve the scheme, which was established 56 years ago.

“It was a brilliant idea and it has served the people of Jamaica well and we want to continue to build on that,” she said.

Meanwhile, she informed that the Ministry is taking steps to increase the number of NIS contributors.

These include increasing the monitoring of places of work to ensure that all eligible persons are registered; improving service to contributors/ pensioners; and developing public education and marketing campaigns to reach persons, including those, who are self-employed.

A survey of self-employed persons will be done during this financial year and the information, along with data from the NIS Awareness and Perception Survey will be used to inform the marketing campaign to increase compliance among this group.

Established in 2012, the annual CCRP Living Legacy Awards recognise senior citizens, 55 years or older, who have contributed to the growth and development of the country.

This year’s awards luncheon honoured four distinguished Jamaicans – founder and chairman of Cari-Med Limited and philanthropist, Glen Christian; founder of the Committee for the Upliftment of the Mentally Ill (CUMI), Joy Crooks; medical doctor and philanthropist, Owen James; and educator, author and theatre practitioner, Dr. Jean Small.

Citations were read and plaques presented to each of the award recipients in honour of their contributions to national development.

Source: https://jis.gov.jm/nis-contribution-mandatory-for-employed-jamaicans/

The public is being invited to provide feedback and comments on the Green Paper for the revised National Policy for Senior Citizens, which is on the websites of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the Jamaica Information Service (JIS).

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Shahine Robinson, issued the invitation during the launch of Senior Citizens’ Week on Friday, September 21, at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel.

She said Parliament is expected to complete the review of the policy, which will allow for improved social protection measures for seniors, in the coming year.

The Minister said the policy will be the benchmark for establishing and maintaining a productive, healthy, meaningful environment for citizens, and it will redound to the benefit of seniors in an all-inclusive way.

“We are confronted with the challenges of an ageing population, which will constantly require the Government to create policies and programmes to cater to the needs of seniors,” she said.

The revised National Policy for Senior Citizens has established six major policy goals – increased participation of senior citizens in all spheres of the society; improved income security and social protection coverage for senior citizens; adequate and supportive health and welfare systems for senior citizens; improved independence, security and safety for senior citizens; enhanced family support systems and community solidarity from interaction with senior citizens; and strengthened institutional and infrastructural networks for partnership and collaboration.

Meanwhile, the Minister noted that the National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSC) will, in the upcoming year, be establishing a national registry for senior citizens.

“This exercise will complement our efforts through the national policy in streamlining the agenda conducive to their growth and development,” she said.

Concurrent with that, she said the team is also seeking to strengthen generational connectivity, through sensitisation workshops with some 800 secondary and post-secondary students, on retirement and lifestyle planning.

Mrs. Robinson noted that the Council is working to promote active ageing through a range of activities, in particular through the training of 273 seniors over the past year in basic computer and information technology (IT) skills.

She said the NCSC also staged senior citizen entrepreneurial empowerment workshops across all parishes, to provide small business management skills to senior citizens.

Source: https://jis.gov.jm/comments-invited-on-green-paper-for-revised-policy-for-senior-citizens/

Comments are to be sent to seniorspolicy@mlss.gov.jm

Minister of Labour and Social Security Shahine Robinson is appealing to Jamaicans to unite in stamping out the abuse of senior citizens, warning that those who persist in taking advantage of this vulnerable group will face harsher sanctions.

“I appeal to all Jamaicans to report the abuse of elders to the police or to the council (National Council for Senior Citizens). Those of you who are engaged in it, I say to you, publicly, desist from doing so because if it means that stiffer penalties will have to be imposed as a deterrent, so shall it be,” she declared yesterday during the launch of Senior Citizens Week at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston.

The week, which runs from Sunday, September 23 to Monday, October 1 under the theme ‘Forging Our Future: Embracing the Participation, Contribution and Talents of Older Persons’ will see a number of activities across the island celebrating the rights as well as the contributions of senior citizens (person 60 years and older).

Promising that the pending revised national policy for senior citizens will provide improved social-protection measures, Robinson underscored the need for a greater appreciation of the work and worth of senior citizens.

REVISED NAT’L POLICY

“The prosperity, progress, growth, and gains we are enjoying today have been made possible through the tremendous efforts and sacrifices of our seniors and elders across the island. Therefore, as I launch activities marking Senior Citizens Week, I must remind all Jamaicans that the abuse of our elders is of great concern to all decent and law-abiding citizens,” said Robinson.

The minister offered further insight into provisions of the revised national senior policy, which was tabled in Parliament this year, the Green Paper for which is available on the ministry’s and the Jamaica Information Service’s websites for review and comments.

“This policy will be the benchmark for establishing and maintaining a productive, healthy, and meaningful environment for our senior citizens. It is anticipated that Parliament, in the coming year, will complete the review of the policy, which will allow for social-protection measures that will redound to the benefit of our senior citizens all over Jamaica.”

The national church service to mark the official start of the week is slated to get under way today at 11 o’clock at the Ocho Rios Seventh-day Adventist Church, Milford Road, St Ann.

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20180922/stop-abusing-seniors-urges-labour-and-social-security-minister

Labour and Social Security Minister, Shahine Robinson, is encouraging Jamaicans to protect the elderly by reporting incidents of abuse meted out to them to the police or the National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSC).

The minister said abuse of seniors should be of grave concern to all “decent and law-abiding citizens”, noting that the practice must be stopped.

“No person in society should be subject to abuse, and definitely not our seniors who, because of their age, become vulnerable and are preyed upon by heartless and uncaring persons. They are being abused physically, financially and otherwise. This must stop,” she emphasised.

The minister was addressing the press launch for Senior Citizens Week yesterday at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston.

“[Seniors] must be respected and their rights must not be violated. Those of you who are engaged in it, I say to you desist from it, because if it means that civil penalties will have to be imposed as a deterrent, then so shall it be,” she asserted.

Robinson said the ministry is working towards building a Jamaica where healthy relationships are fostered among elders and all other citizens, leading to the transfer of knowledge which will serve to preserve the country’s legacy.

Senior Citizen’s Week is being observed from September 22 to October 1, under the theme: ‘Forging our Future: Embracing the Participation, Contribution and Talents of Older Persons’.

The schedule of activities kicked off with a national church service at the Ocho Rios Seventh Day Adventist Church in St Ann on Saturday, September 22.

A national tree planting ceremony will be held on Wednesday, September 26 at the Stimulation Child Development Centre at 1A Ostend Close in Kingston. All other parishes will conduct tree planting activities on Monday, September 24.

An evening of entertainment for the seniors is slated for Saturday, September 29, which will include a concert featuring reggae/soca band, Fab 5. This will be held at the Karram Speid Auditorium at Merl Grove High School, Constant Spring Road, St Andrew.

Sunday, September 30, will be observed as National Grandparents Day, while International Day for Older Persons will be marked on Monday, October 1.

The latter will see the National Council for Senior Citizens hosting fora on the rights of the elderly in all parishes.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/Social_security_minister_urges_society_to_protect_the_elderly

The National Investment Fund, NIF, indicates that it is restructuring its approach to investments in a way what will reduce risk, but in the meantime it is reporting a near 15 per cent growth in assets, mainly driven by returns on its equity investments, for the period ending March 2018.

Jamaica’s bullish stock market has contributed to a 34 per cent increase in the pension fund’s equities portfolio.

But the agency, which administers pension contributions to the National Insurance Scheme, says it is consistently looking for better outcomes, for two main purposes – to minimise risk and to deliver returns that contribute to a sustainable pension system.

Even as equities are outperforming, interest rates have been declining, which, in turn, would impact the returns on the NIF’s fixed-income investments.

NIF’s focus is to “maximise returns within acceptable risk limits whilst maintaining a level of liquidity to facilitate the timely payment of NIS benefits, bearing in mind that the scheme’s operations continue to experience a deficit on an annual basis,” the Ministry of Labour & Social Security told the Financial Gleaner in an update on the performance of the fund.

“With this in mind, the NIF continues to assess the asset allocation with a view to ensure that there is appropriate diversification, given the ever-changing dynamics of the investment environment in which we operate. In collaboration with the board, the current investment strategy is being revised,” the ministry said through its communications unit.

Returns on investments for fiscal year ending March 2018 saw the value of the NIF portfolio rising 14.89 per cent. It was an improvement on the previous year, when the portfolio grew 13.13 per cent.

The most current data, for the first quarter of the current fiscal year, ending June 2018, places the size of the fund at $114.02 billion. For that quarter, the NIF grew its net assets by 7.37 per cent to $114.02 billion. That’s triple the growth of 2.03 per cent in the similar period in 2017, with most of the gains linked to equities.

NIF said that in the past three years, the equity portfolio has grown by an average of 44.3 per cent – with the past year improving by 34.07 per cent – which it links to “improved profitability of the listed companies against the background of the improved economic climate”.

In that three-year period, the equity portfolio grew from $12 billion to $24.33 billion at March 2018. In the June quarter, the portfolio recorded additional gains with a value of $26 billion.

As for the fund’s real estate portfolio, the value of the assets have increased in the past two years, but not enough to offset the 32 per cent shrinkage recorded back in fiscal 2016

Last year, the portfolio grew 6.7 per cent, influenced by property upgrades and new projects. As at June, there was a further uptick in value to $14.84 billion.

The NIF’s investments in bonds and loans has grown overall in the past three years, from $61 billion to $67 billion as at March 2018. In the June quarter, the portfolio spiked further to $73.68 billion.

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/business/20180914/nif-weighs-risk-it-revises-investment-strategy

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Shahine Robinson, says the reason overseas-based pensioners experienced difficulties in receiving pension payments was due to a newly implemented payment process.

She said the Ministry will ensure the situation does not recur.

“I am happy to report that entitlements for the United States and Canadian-based pensioners were uploaded in August, with pensioners verifying the receipt of the overdue payments,” she said.

The Minister was speaking at a quarterly press briefing, held at the Ministry’s North Street office in Kingston on September 4.

Mrs. Robinson noted further that United Kingdom and Rest-of-the-World-based pensioners can also expect to receive payments no later than this weekend.

“We have been advised that all the issues have been resolved, and we will now ensure that the payments due for September 15 are on time,” she said.

Meanwhile, Mrs Robinson said the Ministry is working to improve customer service delivery to its clients, particularly in the processing of claims for social assistance; the turnaround time for work permit applications; and the turnaround time for the delivery of awards from the Industrial Disputes Tribunal.

She said the customer reception areas are also being improved to provide more efficiency in responding to telephone and email requests.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security will, this financial year, also commission into service new offices in St. Ann’s Bay, St. Ann and Lucea, Hanover, as part of a project to improve infrastructure at its parish offices.

Mrs. Robinson said other offices are also being upgraded, including the St. James parish office.

Source: https://jis.gov.jm/labour-ministry-deals-with-overseas-pensioners/

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government is introducing a back-to-school grant for beneficiaries under the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH).

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Shahine Robinson, made the announcement this morning at the first of a series of quarterly press briefings that she said her ministry will be hosting.

“This benefit will be payable to all registered PATH students attending primary and secondary schools island-wide, and will be paid at the rate of $3,500 per child,” Robinson told the press.

She said that payments will be made available for collection by beneficiaries on September 11, via the usual methods.

A total of 155,813 children will benefit from the grant, with the average payment to a household being $10,500 for three children.

“I am sure you will agree with me that every child must have the opportunity to stay in school, and every child must have the opportunity to learn. Therefore, this benefit will be paid annually, and will again be paid in the August, 2019 payment cycle and in ensuring years,” the minister said.

Robinson also announced Brittany Munroe and Shanique Davidson as the PATH 15th Anniversary Tertiary Scholarship winners, and handed them their cheques.

Brittany has been awarded $400,000 to continue studies towards a bachelor’s degree in pharmacology at the University of Technology, and Davidson will receive $600,000 towards a bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery at the University of the West Indies (UWI).

During the briefing Robinson gave the press an update on developments in all areas of her ministry.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/Govt_gives_back-to-school_support_to_PATH_students

Minister of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) Shahine Robinson said yesterday that contrary to recent news reports, there has been no decision to redesign the National Insurance Fund’s (NIF’s) portfolio.

However, the minister confirmed that it is intended to give the soon-to-be-created merged NIF and National Insurance Scheme (NIS) entity corporate status.

“… I would like to clarify that no decision has been made in relation to the redesign of the NIF’s portfolio, other than the fact that it is intended to be given body corporate status,” she told the media at her quarterly press briefing at the ministry, North Street, Kingston, yesterday.

“Reports of impending fund management outsourcing, including multiple private pension fund managers, are merely speculative. A consulting firm has been hired and we await their deliberations to create greater value for the pensioners who benefit from the fund,” the minister added.

A comprehensive review of the NIF investment policy is to be undertaken by the consultant and a risk management policy developed.

The ministry had previously disclosed plans to overhaul the NIF, leading to a merger with the NIS.

The decision followed reports of deficiencies in respect of the NIF’s equity portfolio, and possible fraud at the NIS.

The NIF and the NIS currently operate as MLSS departments. It is speculated that the newly created entity/agency would oversee over $106 billion in assets. However, this would require several amendments to the NIS laws which have to be prepared for submission to the chief parliamentary counsel.

Robinson told the briefing that, in the meantime, the NIF continues its primary focus, which is to maximise returns within acceptable risk limits, while maintaining a level of liquidity to facilitate the timely payment of NIS benefits.

“The NIF continues to evaluate the asset allocation with a view to ensuring that there is appropriate diversification, given the ever-changing investment environment in which we operate,” the minister noted.

She said that the NIF continues to demonstrate strong financial performance. The net assets of the fund grew by $13.8 billion or 14.8 per cent, to $106.2 billion as at March 2018. For the first quarter of the fiscal year, the net assets of the NIF grew by 7.37 per cent to $114.02 billion, when compared to the 2.03 per cent over the similar period for 2017/18.

She said that the fund continues to invest in a diversified portfolio of assets comprising equities, real estate bonds and loans.

Over the last three years, the equity portfolio has been the main contributor to the growth in the assets of the fund, averaging 44.3 per cent.

As at June 30, 2018, the equity portfolio was valued at $26 billion, up 7.16 per cent since the start of 2018/19 fiscal year on April 1.

Also at June 30, the bonds and loans portfolios were valued at $73.68 billion, up 9.67 per cent so far this fiscal year.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/no-decision-to-redesign-nif-portfolio-says-labour-minister_143407?profile=1606