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The procedure for claiming national pension scheme benefits has been kept as simple as possible. There is only one claim form, the P9/P10 form, that is used for all benefits. The documents required have been kept at a minimum. The P9/P10 form has six sections. In Section A there are a number of boxes in which details of the contributor to the scheme have to be recorded.

These include the contributor’s name, social security number, national identification number, date of birth and marital status.

Details of the contributor’s spouse or spouses and children are also recorded in this section, as well as postal and residential addresses and telephone number. The contributor’s employment history is also included here, along with the last date of employment and last month’s salary. The names of employers and employment dates since 1994, which is when the pension scheme was established, are required.

In Section B the person claiming the benefit ticks the appropriate box to indicate which benefit is being claimed. There are four types of benefit, namely retirement benefit, invalidity benefit, survivor’s benefit and funeral grant.

There are two types of retirement, invalidity and survivor’s benefit. One is a grant and the other is a pension. To be eligible for a retirement or survivor’s pension at least 120 months of contributions must have been made. If contributions were made for less than this but not less than 12 months, then a grant is payable. For an invalidity pension, only 12 months of contributions are necessary. A grant is payable if contributions were for a lesser period that is not below six months. To qualify for an invalidity pension or invalidity grant, the contributor must be medically certified as permanently incapable of any work as a result of a physical or mental illness or disability.

Section B also sets out the documents that need to be submitted with the P9/P10 form. A certified copy of the claimant’s identification document, which could be his or her national identity card, driver’s licence or valid Zimbabwean passport, is needed for all benefit claims.

For a retirement benefit that is the only document required. For the invalidity benefit the P11 form completed by a registered medical doctor is required. For the survivor’s benefit a certified copy of the contributor’s death certificate is required.

If it is a spouse who is claiming, then a certified copy of the marriage certificate or an original affidavit confirming the marriage is needed.

Certified copies of the long version of the birth certificates of children under 18 years of age are needed too. If a guardian is claiming on behalf of the children, then a certificate of guardianship is required as well.

For the funeral grant a certified copy of the death certificate or burial order is needed. Section C of the P9/P10 claim form is for details of the person making the claim, if it is someone other than a member of the pension scheme, as in the case of the survivor’s benefit or funeral grant or where a guardian is making the claim. Section D has to be completed by the contributor’s last employer. It includes a breakdown of insurable earnings and contributions in the last 12 months of employment.

Section E is for completion by the employer where periods of employment were irregular or broken, giving details of employment periods. The last section, Section F, is for details of the claimant’s bank, building society or POSB account and of the nearest post office. This is followed by a declaration to be signed by the claimant confirming that the information provided is correct.

The use of one form for all claims and the minimal documents needed to accompany the claim form is to make the claim process simple. Despite the simplified process there are still instances where people have been to the NSSA office to submit the claim form without the necessary documents.

The funeral grant can be processed while the claimant waits, provided the necessary documents, which are just a certified copy of the claimant’s identity document and of the death certificate or burial order, are brought with the claim form.

The funeral grant is US$300. Remember the documents required are listed opposite the benefit in Section B of the form, so it should be easy to ensure one has them. The P9/P10form can be collected from any NSSA office or be downloaded from NSSA’s website, which is www.nssa.org.zw.

• Talking Social Security is published weekly by the National Social Security Authority as a public service. There is also a weekly radio programme, Pa- Mhepo neNSSA/Emoyeni leNSSA, discussing social security issues at 6.50pm every Thursday on Radio Zimbabwe and every Friday on National FM. There is another social security programme on Star FM on Wednesdays at 5.30pm. Readers can e-mail their issues to [email protected] or text them to 0772-307913. Those with individual queries should contact their local NSSA office or telephone NSSA on (04) 706517-8 or 706523-5.