The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) in a statement on Tuesday July 13, noted that it will from September 1, 2021, delete the names of pensioners, aged 72 and above, who fail to complete or renew their Pensioner Certificates from their database.
“The Trust entreats Pensioners who were yet to complete their Pensioner Certificates to do so by August 30, 2021, to avoid any inconvenience,” part of the statement reads.
The statement further noted that presently, there are some 13,451 Pensioners who are 72 years and above, who received monthly pension, but are yet to complete or renew their Pensioner Certificates.
The statement however, pleaded with the Pensioners who belong to the above age bracket to visit SSNIT office to renew their certificates.
“All such pensioners should visit the nearest SSNIT office to renew or complete their Pensioner Certificates. Those with mobility challenges may contact SSNIT to schedule a home visit for the completion or renewal of their Pensioner Certificates.”
Meanwhile, SSNIT suggested that the exercise would ensure that pensions were paid to the right persons. Adding that, the accounts of such pensioners would only be reactivated when they renewed their Pensioner Certificates.
In addition, the statement advised Pensioners visiting the SSNIT office for their Pensioner Certificate renewals to carry along their Ghana Cards to have their SSNIT and NIA numbers merged if they have not done so already.
The release further noted that since 2018, the Trust, had monthly, been deleting the names of pensioners aged 72 and above who failed to complete or renew their Pensioner Certificates.
This was, however, halted in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“SSNIT Pensioner Certificates are issued to pensioners, aged 72 who retired under PNDCL 247; and 75 years for those who retire under Act 766 and renewed annually.
“This is a mechanism put in place by the Trust to ensure that pension is paid to only retirees who are alive. Pensioners who fail to renew their Pensioner Certificates are deemed to be deceased and their names, consequently, deleted from the Pensioners’ Payroll.”
In the interim, the statement mentions that as at the beginning of the year, the Trust had saved about GH¢144 million from the deactivation of accounts of 11,478 pensioners since 2018.
Moreover, the statement said in June 2021 alone, the SSNIT Pension Scheme paid 231,316 pensioners over GH¢250 million.
The highest paid pensioner receives GH¢129,979 each month whilst the lowest earning pensioner is paid GH¢300.00.
Meanwhile, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) in the month of June issued a statement indicating that contributors who fail to merge their SSNIT numbers with their national IDs by the end of December 2021 will not be able to access pension-related services.
It further indicated that it is a legal requirement captured in Regulation 7 (1) of the National Identity Register Regulations, 2012, L.I. 2111, which requires the use of the Ghana Card for “transactions pertaining to individuals in respect of pension”.
SSNIT has begun integrating its ID platform with that of the National Identification Authority in compliance with a directive from the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA).
READ ALSO: SSNIT Database Merger with NIA will save SSNIT $17m – Director General of SSNIT
