Simple claim procedure requires no intermediaries

Prospective beneficiaries should be wary of people or organisations that offer their services as a go-between or advocate in the claim process, particularly if they seek payment for such services. It is unlikely the involvement of such third parties will provide the claimant with any advantage. Their involvement may rather be disadvantageous.
The claim process is simple, provided the claimant is entitled to the benefit and has the required documentation.

The qualifying criteria and required documentation for various benefits are as follows:
Retirement Benefits
To qualify for a retirement pension or grant a contributor must normally have attained the age of 60 and have retired from work. A person still in employment after age 60 qualifies for the benefit at age 65, whether or not still in employment at that age. Contributors who were working in certain specified categories of employment considered arduous can qualify for their benefit at age 55.

Those who have contributed to the national pension scheme for 120 months or more are eligible for a monthly pension for the rest of their lives.
Those who have contributed for less than 10 years but more than 12 months are eligible for a once-off retirement grant.
The size of the pension or grant depends partly on the contribution period, as well as on the contributor’s insurable income.

The documents that have to be submitted to claim either the grant or the pension are:

• NSSA form P9/10, duly completed by the retired contributor and employer or employer representative and date stamped by the employer; and

• Certified copy of claimant’s national identity card, driver’s licence or passport.

Invalidity Benefit
To qualify for invalidity benefit a contributor must be below the age of 60 and be permanently incapable of working due to a physical or mental illness, disability or injury.
An invalidity pension is payable where a qualifying claimant has contributed to the NSSA pension and other benefits scheme for at least 12 months. An invalidity grant is payable where the claimant has contributed for less than 12 months but more than six months.
The documents that are required are:

• NSSA P9/10 form, duly completed by the retired contributor and employer or employer representative and date stamped by the employer;

• NSSA P11 form duly completed by a doctor; and

• Certified copy of claimant’s national identity card, driver’s licence or passport.

As these benefits are payable for a permanent disability rendering the claimant permanently incapable of working, the claimant may need to appear before a NSSA medical board and be required to undergo a medical examination by a NSSA appointed doctor.

Survivor’s Benefit
A survivor’s grant is payable to surviving dependants of a deceased contributor who would have been entitled to a retirement grant or invalidity grant had he or she not died.

A survivor’s pension is payable to surviving dependants of a deceased contributor who either was in receipt of a retirement or invalidity pension or would have been entitled to either of these pensions had death not occurred.
The eligible survivors are normally the deceased contributor’s widow(s) or widower, provided the marriage was not contracted after the contributor’s retirement or invalidity, and dependent children under the age of 18 or, if still in full time education, under 25. The pension may also be offered to permanently disabled dependants who are incapable of earning a living, regardless of their age.

If the contributor was single when he or she died and had no children, then the parents can claim the survivor’s pension. Any other dependant could also claim the benefit, if there is no spouse or child, provided acceptable proof of dependency can be produced.

The documents required for a survivor’s grant or pension are:

• NSSA P9/10 form duly completed by the claimant and employer or employer’s representative and stamped by the employer;

• Certified copy of the death certificate;

• Certified copy of claimant’s national identity card, driver’s licence or passport;

• Marriage certificate or affidavit where spouse is the claimant;

• proof of dependency for other dependants;

• Certified copies of long birth certificates and proof of disability or school attendance for children above 18;

• Certificate of guardianship, where a guardian claims on behalf of children under 18.

Claiming one’s benefit is fairly straightforward, therefore. The important thing is to ensure that one submits the required documents along with one’s claim form.
Crucial when completing the claim form is to ensure that the contributor’s social security number is entered on the form correctly. This should enable NSSA to easily track the contribution record.

It is useful too to have past payslips, in case it turns out that the employer has not been remitting to NSSA contributions deducted from the contributor’s salary.
There has been some concern at NSSA that organisations purporting to be representing claimants may be taking money from claimants on the pretext that they can facilitate the claim procedure, when in fact the procedure is simple and does not require an  intermediary.

• Talking Social Security is published weekly by the National Social Security Authority as a public service. 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.