Dear Editor,
Greetings. I’d be grateful if you can kindly permit me to highlight amongst your letters, an issue that has been plaguing me for quite some time now at the National Insurance Scheme.
I’ve been a contributor to the scheme for almost all the working years of my life since leaving
High school and I continue to be up until this day.
On the 8th of January 2021, I visited the Camp and Bent streets office of the NIS, to seek a printout of my contribution schedule thus far and be provided with same. I thereafter noticed that there were two discrepancies with the printout that I’d received, as it did not match and in some instances, was missing entire periods of my past employment contributions.
One of the issues related to my very first employer ‘Dipcon Engineering Services Ltd.’ where I was hired as a clerk just after uplifting my CXC results back in September 1997 and it was upon employment here that I was registered with the NIS. The entirety of my employment was unbroken and lasted until February 22 of 2001. It is here where 116 (one hundred and sixteen) contributions for this period are unaccounted for and I have records to verify my claim.
The second issue related to my current place of employment which had indicated only 48 (forty-eight) out of 52 contributions for the year 2019, resulting in four less than would have obtained for a full year of being and continuing to be employed.
With the original as well as copies of my documents in hand, I revisited the records department of NIS at Camp and Bent streets on the 11th of February 2021 and was directed to a query officer where my complaint was lodged and I was given a number and advised that I should call for a follow-up.
My subsequent monthly calls to the NIS to enquire on the status of my query were not positive, as I was given one excuse after another. This led me to again visit the records department on the
25th of August 2021 where I was directed to a supervisor (Ms. Curtis) after expressing my frustrations with the way NIS was dealing with the matter. It was while I was there that adjustments were made that addressed only one of the two areas of contention, that being, the four missing contributions for 2019 and was given a printout reflecting the same. I further pressed for an update to the other part of my query and was bewildered to learn that there were no records of any other claim. I again made it known to the supervisor that the major part of my contention was not addressed and I again highlighted and provided documents in support of my claim as well as copies which were kept by NIS (for the second time).
I’ve been in contact with the records department ever since my last visit and have been told the same thing “my claim has been sent out for investigation by the relevant department and there’s no update available”. Yesterday, May 9, 2022 almost nine months since my last visit, I made yet another visit to the NIS and while it was acknowledged by the reception clerk that there’s a probe in the system about my query, there’s sadly no updates at the moment.
Editor, I’ve read in your newspaper in the past of persons expressing concerns of similar nature with the NIS and I fear if not for your humble indulgence to bring to the fore my plight, it would turn out to be just another issue swept under the rug and forgotten about forever.
Yours faithfully,
Ishwar Parbhu
