Some people have had difficulties in either locating the contributor’s last employer or persuading the employer to fill in the employer’s section of the claim form when claiming benefits under the NSSA Pension and Other Benefits Scheme.
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The claim procedure is simple. There is a single claim form, form P9/10, for all benefits under this scheme.
Section D of the form, or Section E where employment was for broken periods, must be completed by the employer to confirm the dates of employment, the contributor’s insurable earnings and the monthly contribution paid jointly by the employee and employer.
Where the claimant is in employment when he/she retires at the prescribed retirement age, it should be easy for the person to ask the employer to complete Section D and/or E of the form. It should be noted that retirement is normally between 60 and 65 years or 55 years for farm workers or other people employed in mining or other jobs categorised as arduous.
It should likewise be easy for the spouse or other dependants of a contributor who died while still employed to have the employer complete this part of the form.
Problems generally arise where the contributor is unemployed when he/she reaches retirement age or dies. He/she may have been out of work or at least out of formal employment for several years. In that case, the last employer worked for should complete the form. This form must indicate contributions made by the employee under that employer.
Where the company last worked for is still operating, the employer should be asked to complete the P9/10 form. However, some contributors or their relatives have found that the company no longer exists or has moved and cannot be traced.
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For example, some farm workers were paying NSSA contributions when working for farmers who were displaced during the land reform programme and they do not know their whereabouts.
While it is important for the employer’s section of the claim form to be filled in by the employer wherever possible, if a person is unable to find his/her previous employer, this will not prevent him/her from being paid whatever benefit is due, provided NSSA records reflect the person’s employment history.
The claimant just needs to submit the claim form completed in all respects apart from the employer’s section, along with a letter explaining why it was not possible to have that section completed.
NSSA should be able to confirm the contributor’s employment history from its own records, provided the contributor was registered with NSSA; former employers were notifying NSSA when the contributor changed employment; and the employer was remitting monthly pension scheme contributions to NSSA.
Claimants must submit salary slips showing deductions made when claiming benefits. If it turns out the employer had not been remitting contributions then production of salary slips, would assist in establishing whether the individual had been contributing. Some employers are not willing to complete the P9/10 form. Where that happens, the claimant must inform NSSA.
This may be an indication that the employer was not remitting contributions to NSSA.
NSSA staff will do all they can to make sure that claimants receive the benefits they are entitled to, whether or not the employer’s section of the form is completed. Notwithstanding that, NSSA must obviously be satisfied that contributions were made by the claimant or the claimant’s deceased relative, in the case of a survivor’s benefit. It is, therefore, wise for all contributors to keep salary slips in order to facilitate quick processing of claims.
Contributors who are not sure whether employers are remitting their contributions to NSSA must contact the nearest NSSA office. Please do not send such requests to this column. Anyone with individual queries for NSSA should contact their nearest NSSA office or phone the landline numbers at the bottom of this article. The mobile phone number and email address are only intended for readers to suggest issues they would like discussed in this column.
Those using the email address or mobile number can only expect general responses to general issues in this column and not direct replies to their individual queries.
Talking Social Security is published weekly by the National Social Security Authority as a public service. There is also a weekly radio programme, PaMhepo neNssa/Emoyeni le NSSA, discussing social security issues at 6:50pm every Thursday on Radio Zimbabwe and 6.50pm every Friday on National FM. Readers can e-mail issues they would like dealt with in this column to [email protected] or text them to 0735 041 278. Those with individual queries should contact their local NSSA office or telephone NSSA on (04) 706517-8 or 706523 5.
