The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security says that the distribution of Old Age Pension books has been completed but the process will continue for those who will become eligible in the near future.

According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) release, over 31,000 pension books have already been distributed. This amount is less than last year, where approximately 37,000 books were distributed for the same period. It is also lower even though there has been an increase of 1,900 persons on the list of pensioners. GINA said all the areas have been served so far. Last year the pension payment scheme was rocked by a scam where fake vouchers were circulated for encashment at post offices.

According to GINA, an official of the ministry said the ministry was satisfied with the process, noting that officials, workers and other personnel were supervised at every level of the distribution process.

Approximately 39,000 pensioners are paid by the government monthly, and the ministry has identified staff to work specifically on pension payments.

Meanwhile, the ministry has also outlined the step-by-step process by which pensioners can replace their booklets if they are lost.

Pensioners should report the loss immediately to the nearest police station, then they must present a statement of the police report to their social security officer. The officer will then write up a loss report and will prepare a stop payment order for the lost booklet. This order is then sent to the Guyana Post Office Corporation. The pensioner would then be issued with a replacement booklet within 2-3 months if the old booklet is not recovered. The pensioner will be able to cash the coupons for those months he/she missed.