List of documents required by family members of the deceased pensioner for commencement of family pension

According to a recent official memorandum issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances' Department of Pensions and Pensioners' Welfare "on death of a pensioner, the spouse/family members of the deceased pensioner are asked by the Pension Disbursing Banks to submit details and documents, which are otherwise not required for commencement of family pension. This amounts to harassment of the spouse and family members and often leads to avoidable delay in commencement of family pension by the banks." The OM has also further added that "The spouse/family member, whose name is incl deceased pensioner, is required to submit commencement of family pension to him or her."

In cases where the deceased pensioner and spouse were holding a joint account:

• A simple letter or application form for the initiation of a family pension.
• Death certificate of the deceased pensioner.
• Copy of PPO granted to the pensioner if any.
• Proof of the applicant's age or date of birth.
• For the initiation of the family pension, the spouse/family member does not need to submit Form 14 to the bank.

In cases where the spouse did not have the joint account with the deceased pensioner:

• Two witnesses' signatures are required on the Form 14 application.
• Death certificate of the deceased pensioner.
• Copy of PPO granted to the pensioner if any.
• Proof of the applicant's age or date of birth.
• It is not necessary to have Form 14 certified by a Gazetted Officer, etc. Based on the information provided in the PPO and its own "Know Your Customer" standards, the issuing bank will determine the spouse/family member.

In cases where, on death of the pensioner and spouse, family pension has to pass over to another family member;

• If any other family member has been co-authorized in the PPO for a family pension, the same protocol as above must be undertaken.
• If the other family member's name is not on the PPO, he or she may be instructed to get a fresh PPO at the office where the Government servant/pensioner last employed.

According to the OM "you are requested to issue suitable instructions to the CPPC(s) and the pension paying branches of your Bank to obtain only the minimum essential details/documents, as mentioned above, from the claimants of family pension, and to ensure that they are not subjected to any harassment by seeking unnecessary details and documents. The details of family members, other than the Applicant, are not relevant for commencement of family pension by the bank and the same should not, therefore, be sought from the Applicant under any circumstances."

Family pension rules after death of pensioner

According to Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh of the Department of Pension & Pensioners Welfare (DoP&PW), the family pension will be authorised immediately upon receipt of a claim application for a Family Pension and Death Certificate from an eligible family member, without the need to complete any other procedures. This provision is applicable in the event of death during the pandemic, whether due to COVID or without it. According to Rule 80 (A) of the CCS (Pension) Rule 1972, if a government employee dies while on duty, the eligible member of the family can receive a Provisional Family Pension only after the Family Pension application has been submitted at the Pay and Accounts Office.

But the Provisional Family Pension could be sanctioned immediately upon receipt of a Family Pension claim and Death Certificate from an eligible family member, rather than waiting for the Family Pension case to be forwarded to the Pay and Accounts Office due to the ongoing pandemic condition. According to the most current revisions, provisional pension payments may be extended for up to one year from the date of retirement with the consent of the Pay and Accounts Office (PAO) and the Head of the Department. Provisional pension is usually approved for a period of six months under Rule 64 of CCS (Pension), 1972, in instances where a government employee is going to retire before his pension is finalised. In light of the COVID epidemic, however, orders were given for the issuance of a Provisional Family Pension in line with Rule 64 in cases where documents were not submitted on time.