Waiting on a new pension? The authority says 92 percent of the backlog is now paid - what to do if yours is not
Complaints from newly retired people about how long it takes to actually start receiving a pension have grown loud enough that the social insurance authority has had to answer them. Several people who filed for entitlement say they submitted the required documents to their insurance office and then waited more than a month with no clear answer on where the file stood or when payment would begin.
The pattern people describe is the part worth knowing about. Some said that when they went back to ask about their case a month after applying, they were told to submit a fresh application, and that this happened repeatedly, up to three separate times, with a trip to the insurance office on each occasion. If that is happening to you, it is a known problem and not a sign that your file has been rejected.
The authority's own account is that the backlog is largely cleared. It says 167,500 accumulated cases have been paid since the new system started running, and that as of 1 August it had completed 92 percent of the outstanding files. It has also said publicly that how citizens are treated at the counter is a priority and that it is monitoring performance inside the insurance offices.
Behind the delays is a large digital changeover. The authority is moving its services onto an electronic system covering roughly 170 insurance services, which also runs the monthly disbursements and an integrated electronic collection system. The stated aim is to cut the time a claim takes and let people follow the status of their file without having to appear in person.
The practical advice for anyone still waiting is to keep the paperwork from every submission, including dates and any reference numbers, rather than starting again from scratch each time you are asked. If you are in the 8 percent still outstanding, that record is what establishes when you first applied, and the authority has committed publicly to a timetable it can be held to.