Social Security Corporation listens to retirees concerns

AMMAN — The Social Security Corporation (SSC) on Sunday organised a dialogue session with retirees to listen to their views on its services, and suggestions to help improve them.

The SSC looks to present good services to its subscribers and is keen on providing quality services, SSC Director General Nadia Rawabdeh said at the session, held in coordination with the Jordanian Society for Social Security Retirees (JSSSR).

“Retirees are part of the SSC after they were subscribers under the institutions they used to work for, and following retirement, they are the responsibility of the corporation, which has to offer them the services they expect”, Rawabdeh stressed.

JSSSR President Mohammad Arabiat asked about the time needed to complete a retirement transaction, and why the SSC requires a quittance from subscribers about to retire to prove they have settled their financial affairs with their employer.

“Requesting a certificate of quittance from retirees would force them to sacrifice some privileges, as some employers only issue these documents if the retiring employee gives up certain financial rights,” Arabiat noted.

But Rawabdeh explained that the SSC does not require certificates of quittance; rather, it requires an end of service letter from the employer to ensure the retirement applicant is no longer an employee.

She said retirement transactions that contain all the required documents usually take a week, while some transactions can face delays.

Mohammad Awamleh, a retiree and member of the JSSSR, urged the SSC to activate health insurance for retirees as stipulated in Paragraph A of Article 3 in the Social Security Law, and also to raise the minimum rate of pensions to cope with inflation.

The corporation is currently studying the issue of activating health insurance for retirees with the International Labour Organisation, the SSC director said, noting that initial indicators show a good number of potential subscribers.

“The SSC aspires to activate this insurance and has a suggestion for the Health Ministry and Royal Medical Services to join so as to be able to provide the service in a more comprehensive manner,” she highlighted.

Rawabdeh noted that taking inflation into account when it comes to pensions requires legislative amendments, expressing the corporation’s readiness to tackle the subject in the future.

Other retirees at the meeting called on the SSC to offer housing projects, loan facilities and service cards, with SSC officials promising to consider their demands with the relevant parties.