Dear Editor,
Payment of the old-age pension from NIS is being done via a voucher which carries a date stating it can be cashed on the first Monday of the month. Item (4) of the General Instructions on the Pension Order Book states: “An order cannot be cashed before the date shown on each order after the words ‘Payable on.’” There are public holidays which are observed on the first Monday of the month, and two such instances for 2010 are April and July.
April 5 was the first Monday of that month and was also Easter Monday, a public holiday. Similarly July 5 is the first Monday in the month and is Caricom Day, another public holiday. We know that NIS and the post offices do not open for business on public holidays, and it is therefore not possible for a voucher to be cashed then. On a recent newscast it was reported that Ms Diane Baxter-Lewis of the NIS said that old age pensions were being paid on the first Monday of every month, and I would like her to advise pensioners as to where the vouchers can be cashed when the date stated falls on a public holiday. When the pension books are prepared, I think a check should be made to ensure that the date printed is not a public holiday, and if it is NIS should state clearly the date on which the vouchers will become payable. This will avoid embarrassment and confusion.
Yours faithfully,
D. Gentle
