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10,000 social welfare recipients’ allowances suspended

August 3, 2020 6:20 am

Ten thousand Social Welfare recipients will now have their allowances suspended for the next three months. [File Photo]

Ten thousand Social Welfare recipients will now have their allowances suspended for the next three months.

Director Rupeni Fatiaki says this as the re-certification programme closed last week and these beneficiaries failed to comply.

Fatiaki says 61,000 people completed and returned their forms, 5,000 are yet to be returned while 10,000 forms have not been picked up at all.

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“Those that are not re-certified, we are going to suspend their allowances, until they bring their forms and bring it back to us. Those that have filled their forms, there is no need to worry because they will continue to be paid, it’s only for those that are not re-certified.”

Fatiaki says they have been given a grace period until November to comply and they will only receive their allowances if they filled the forms needed.

The re-certification programme was earmarked to gather information from 77,000 recipients covered under three major schemes namely the Poverty Benefit Scheme, Social Pension Scheme and the Care and Protection Allowance.