There will be no significant increase in the number of Old Age Pension booklets to be distributed this year, a source at the Ministry of Human Services said.

The source told Stabroek News that while the distribution of new booklets is ongoing the current trend does not indicate any real increase for this year.

Last year the ministry distributed just over 31,000 booklets which was a significant reduction as in the previous year some 39,000 books were given out. It was in that very year that the ministry uncovered the multi-million dollar pension scam.

The scam involved the printing and cashing of fake Old Age Pension vouchers by a network of postal officials and staff of the ministry.

Meanwhile, distribution of Old Age Pension booklets in the hinterland was scheduled to begin this week, according to Chief Social Worker, Lynette Roberts.

She said that the distribution process was moving smoothly. Roberts told Stabroek News that hinterland residents will not only collect pension booklets, but those eligible for Public Assistance (PA) will also pick up their coupons.

For the other regions, distribution of PA books will begin on March 15. Roberts also noted that PA books will be written up before being taken to the centres.

But some pensioners have complained that when they visited some of the centres their names were not on the list. Roberts said that her department had received some of these complaints. She however explained that most of those persons had migrated to other areas and as a result their names would have been on the list at their previous location.

She noted that a number of persons who are now residing in Sophia have been experiencing this problem. Roberts said once such a problem arose the social workers would usually contact the officer working in the person's former location to find out whether that person's name is on their list.

If for some reason the person's name was inadvertently left off the list, he/she would be given a date to return for the booklet.

Two social workers told this newspaper that they are not in favour of the system this year. They argued that extra coupons should be made available to them on site to distribute to persons whose names might have been left off the list.

The officers said it is distressing for the pensioners to turn up at the centre only to find that their books are not ready.

But Roberts said the ministry this year has employed a system whereby the books are written up before they are taken to the centres. She said this is to prevent any fraud.

Stabroek News was told that under the old system a number of persons used to collect two and more booklets.

The value of the monthly Old Age Pension is $1,920, while a recipient of PA collects $1,215 per month.