Still no pension benefits ...

THE EDITOR, Madam:

A retired public servant made his first enquiries to the government ministry where he worked for many years before submitting a pension claim in the latter part of 2022. After retiring, he submitted a formal application in 2023 to access his accrued pension benefits.

Between 2023 and 2025, he experienced considerable back-and-forth with a department that seemed to be perpetually requesting additional documentation. Finally, in February 2026, the government ministry indicated that it was fully satisfied with the documentation provided, and the documents were forwarded to the Ministry of Finance. The pension-processing officer advised that the process would take another six months before disbursements were finalised.

Six months have now elapsed without a single payment being made and without any further response from the ministry.

A retired relative received her pension benefits after a four-year “battle” with her government ministry. However, there is an even greater contrast. His neighbour, a retired nurse in the United States, returned to Jamaica and received her pension benefits in the mail within three months. Likewise, after retiring from a private-sector company in Jamaica, he received those pension benefits within two months.

A well-known Jamaican psychiatrist, speaking on radio, stated bluntly that the Government does not want to pay out pension benefits. He went further, rather indelicately, to suggest that the Government would prefer beneficiaries to pass away before payments become due.

Madam, many applicants have given more than 40 years of service to this nation and expected to retire in relative comfort. Sadly, this has not been the case for many retirees.

Claude Wilson