Government Issues  New Rules To Banks To Benefit Pensioners

1. On death of a pensioner, the spouse is not required to submit form 14, if he/she was having a joint account with the pensioner and authorisation  for payment of family pension exists in the PPO in his/her favour.In such cases, a spouse will be required  to provide only a copy of death certificate to the pension paying branch in order to commence his/ her family pension.
2. Pension disbursing bank will identify  the family pensioners  based on the information furnished in PPO and its own KYC procedure without insisting him/ her to physically present himself/herself in the paying bank.
3. Banks will not insist on opening a new account when the spouse already  has a joint account  with the pensioner and authorisation for payment of  family pension exists in the PPO in his/her favour.
4. Pension disbursing banks will also accept Aadhaar-enabled digital life certificate “Jeevan Pramaan”.
5. Pensioners who are 80 years and above  can submit life certificates in the month of October also.Life certificate  has to be submitted  by every pensioner in the month of November every year.
6. No fresh certificate of disability would be required in the case of a child with permanent disability.A disabled child will also be required to self-certify every year that he/she has not started earning  his/her livelihood.
7. If family pension has been sanctioned to a disabled child  and the disability is temporary, the guardian of such disabled child shall produce  a disability certificate once in every five years to the effect that he/she continues to suffer from such disorder/disability in order to continue family pension.
8. If the spouse is a recipient of family pension, no certificate of remarriage is required to be furnished by him/ her.However, at the time of commencement of family pension , an undertaking will be obtained from him/her to the effect that in event of his/her remarriage, he/she will report the fact to the pension disbursing bank promptly.However, childless widow of deceased government servant and disabled child  of a pensioner/government servant will continue to get family pension even if they get married /remarried. A family pensioner, other than spouse, has to submit a declaration of non remarriage every six months. The family pension is discontinued if she /he gets married/re-married.
9. The pension disbursing banks will send SMS/emails to all their pensioners on October 24, November 1, November 15, and November 25 every year reminding them to submit their life certificates by November 30.

The department directed all pension disbursing banks to make an exception list as on 15 December every year of those pensioners who fail to submit their life certificates  and issue another SMS/email to them for submitting the life certificate.

The bank in addition will also ask such pensioners through SMS/email whether they are interested  in submission of life certificate  through a chargeable door-step service , on a  nominal charge not exceeding Rs.60.