ACTION TO BE TAKEN BY RETIRED PERSONNEL WHEN STILL IN GOOD HEALTH

ACTION TO BE TAKEN BY RETIRED PERSONNEL WHEN STILL IN GOOD
HEALTH AND SOUND MIND

Endorsement of Family Pension and Age of Spouse in Pension in Payment Order (PPO).

1. Please check if your PPO contains an endorsement giving the name and age of the
spouse and details of ordinary family pension. If it does not, at the earliest make out an application in triplicate as per specimen at Appx A and send it to the agency that had issued the PPO -CDA (Pensions) Allahabad/ CDA AF , Subroto Park, New Delhi 110010- through Dte of PP&R, Air HQ for officers/AFRO-NERW for other ranks. Make sure to attach all supporting documents and duly attested joint photograph as indicated in the specimen. Keep a copy the application in the master folder that you will be making for the spouse for follow up action if necessary in case the endorsement is not received during your life time.

2. The PPO may contain endorsement of the name of the spouse as family pensioner but the age of spouse may not be recorded either in the PPO or in any other document in your pension folder maintained by your Pension Disbursing Agency (PDA) (your bank or the agency from whom you receive your pension). In such a case, you may apply for necessary action to the Dte of PP&R/ AFRO-NERW as applicable with copies to your Pension Sanctioning Authority (PSA) and your PDA. As proof of age of your spouse, furnish any supporting document such as a copy of the statement of family particulars submitted by you at the time of your retirement or certified and notarized copy of your spouse’s birth Certificate, driving license, SSLC/Matriculation certificate, passport, voter identity card or any other normally accepted proof. A specimen application in this regard is at Appx B.

3. When the endorsement and the acceptance of age of spouse are received, attach them to the original PPO and also make a few copies for safe custody. If the endorsement and the record of age of spouse do not exist and if you do not take action as indicated above, after your time your spouse has to go through a cumbersome and time consuming procedure to get the family pension properly authorized along with record of age- so do not delay.

NOTE: The original PPO should contain an endorsement about the family pension indicating an enhanced rate of family pension and an ordinary rate. If there is no such endorsement, please take it up with the authorities concerned as indicated in paras 1 and 2 above. In the event of the pensioner’s demise before the age of 67, the spouse/family pensioner is entitled to the enhanced rate for seven years or till the date on which the pensioner would have attained the age of 67 whichever is earlier. Thereafter the ordinary rate would apply. In both cases, the rates as periodically revised, along with the revision in pensions by successive Pay Commissions, would apply.

Bank Account for Pension.

4. If you are drawing your pension through a single bank account in your name and if, at the time of your retirement or within one year thereafter, you have not made a nomination in favour of your spouse, please do so immediately. This will enable your spouse to receive, after your time, any balance left in that account as well as any arrears of pension due to you during your life time. Consult your bank on the procedure for nomination. Specimen Nomination form is at Appx C

5. (a) It is now permissible to convert your single bank account for pension into a joint account
with your spouse/person mentioned in your PPO as the one entitled to receive family pension.
If you have not already done so, please submit an application to your bank to this effect. A copy
of the Office Memorandum issued by the Min of Def on this subject is at Appx D. The format of
the application is also given therein.

(b) After your time the joint account will become a single account in your spouse’s name into which the family pension and any life time arrears (LTA) can be credited.

(c) It is desirable to make a nomination as indicated in Para 4 above even if the pension account has been converted into a joint account so as to ensure trouble-free payment of your (LTA) to the spouse/nominee after your time.

6. If you do not wish to take action as per 4 above, open a joint account in the name of yourself
and your spouse, preferably in the same bank, if you have not already done so. This will automatically become a single account after your life time and the family pension can be credited to this account. Alternatively, open a single account in the same bank in the name of your spouse so that, when the time comes, on advice to the bank, the family pension can be credited to this account. Also ensure that your spouse makes a nomination in favour of a child/ family member or any other person of her/his choice for this single account so that when the need arises, the nominee can get the amount left in that account without any further formality.

7. Make sure that the nominations/ conversions into joint account as applicable as per paras 3, 4 and/or 5 above are duly reflected in the bank records and also keep the relevant copies of such endorsements in the master folder for your spouse.

Membership of AFA and ECHS

8. The Air Force Association(AFA) with its central office at AF Station , New Delhi and
branches at several locations in the country is a fraternity of all retired AF personnel including spouses of deceased personnel. If you have not already done so, you may consider enrolling yourself as a member. Please contact the nearest Branch of AFA.

9. Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) came into effect on
01 Apr 03 as a public funded Government Health Scheme for provision of medical care to Ex-Servicemen (ESM) in receipt of pension or disability pension and their dependants including spouses (wife/ husband), legitimate children and wholly dependant parents. If you have not already done so, you may consider enrolling yourself as a member. Please contact the nearest AF Station or Army Station HQ or branch of AFA for detailed information and assistance in enrolling. Please also note that the last date for enrolling has been extended beyond 31 March 2008.



Master Folder for Spouse/ Family Members

10. Open a sufficiently big and thick folder and title it as ‘ACTION TO BE TAKEN IMMEDIATELY ON THE DEATH OF (YOUR NAME). This folder will contain all relevant documents, letters and instructions to facilitate appropriate and timely action by the spouse/family members when the time comes.

11. Will.

(a) It is always advisable to execute a will. No particular form is prescribed by law. It can be handwritten or typed on thick paper with each page signed by the testator and the attesting witnesses. Registration of the will is optional. The only legal requirements are: - the testator should be of sound and disposing mind at the time of executing the will, the testator has signed in the presence of two attesting witnesses each of whom will also sign in the presence of the testator and an endorsement to this effect is necessarily made before the signature of the testator after which the attesting witnesses should affix their signatures along with their addresses. A suggested format is given at Appx E. However legal advice may be taken to prepare the will to suit individual circumstances. It is also necessary to ensure that the nomination as mentioned in paras 4 and 5 above and the provisions of the will are consistent with each other.

(b) You and your spouse may also consider her/his executing a separate will to cover all
contingencies such as her/his predeceasing you.

12. Place the following in separate envelopes with the details of the contents written
on the envelopes and place the envelopes in the master folder.

(a) Original and one copy of the Pension Pay Order (PPO) (the latest) issued by CDA
(Pensions) Allahabad/ CDA AF Subroto Park, New Delhi as applicable to you.

(b) Original and one copy of the bank nomination proforma (refer para 3) received from the
bank/Pension Disbursing Office if applicable.

(c)Original and a few signed copies of the will (refer para 11)

13. Make out the letter of intimation (specimen at Appx F) in required number of copies, including some spare copies, to be completed by filling in the blanks, signed and sent by the spouse when the time comes. Also prepare an envelope of appropriate size for each of these letters and type out or write the corresponding address on the envelope. Serially number the envelopes in the same order as in the distribution list of the letter. Place all these envelopes in the master folder.

14. Please note the following in relation to the letter mentioned in para 12 above.
(The info needs to be checked and updated from time to time)

(a) The AF Group Insurance scheme has been totally withdrawn with the introduction of
ECHS.If you have not already done so, you can claim refund of amount paid towards membership of the medical scheme by applying to AFGIS along with your ECHS membership particulars, AFGIS card and your bank details. The letter to Air Force Group Insurance Society (8th addressee) need be sent only if there is any matter pertaining to you pending with AFGIS. If applicable, endorse the details of the pending matter against this addressee in the distribution list and enclose the relevant documents such as AFGIS membership card and the memorandum issued by AFGIS.

(b) Only the following categories of retired personnel were eligible for benefits under the
Rehabilitation Grant from the IAF Benevolent Association.

(i) Spouse/Orphaned children of officers and airmen who have retired
with 24/21 year of service and death occurs within 10 years after the date of retirement.

(ii) In case of superannuation, irrespective of age at which superannuation occurs, if the death occurs before attaining the age of 70.

(iii) Benefits payable only to families of AF personnel who were members of
IAFBA and FAS during their service period.

(c) The letter to AFWWA (7th addressee) need be sent only if the spouse (Wife) has been a
life member of AFWWA

(d) Wives of only airmen members of the Air Force Association are eligible for
ex gratia grant from AFA Central body.

Please review and revise the distribution list in the letter of intimation in the light of sub-paras (a) to (d) above and change the notings against the different addressees as necessary.

15. The letter of intimation mentioned in para 13 above mainly relates to service
requirements, formalities, pension and benefits. Several other agencies, (eg associations, clubs, time share companies, credit card agencies etc), besides service ones, with whom you have dealings, will have to be informed and have to take appropriate action when the time comes. You may prepare letters and addressed envelopes as suggested in para 13 above to cover such cases also.

16. Make out an instruction sheet as per specimen at Appx G listing out the action
to be taken by the spouse and any other family members concerned immediately when the time comes. The action indicated in the specimen mainly relates to service related requirements. You may like to make the instruction sheet more comprehensive by adding details of your investments and their disposal, your specific wishes on religious rites, disposal/donation of eyes etc, changes in the action list in the event of the spouse predeceasing you and any other instruction that you consider appropriate. Place this instruction sheet on top of all other contents of the master folder and keep the folder, suitably covered, in a safe place. In case you wish to donate your eyes or other body parts, this should be mentioned in bold letters right on top in the instruction sheet

17. Explain to your spouse and other family members the purpose of the whole exercise, the details contained in the instruction sheet and the place where the master folder is kept. Make sure that they understand all the requirements and will be able to take action as necessary when the time comes. They should also know whom to approach if they are in trouble and need assistance.