Liberia News: Weah-Time Retirees To Receive Benefits

By: Moses M. Tokpah

Liberia-Civil Servants retired during the regime of former President George Weah without getting their just benefits or payments will be embedded in the pending retirement process and fully paid, Civil Service Agency (CSA) Boss, Josiah Joekai has announced.

The huge retirement of civil servants who attain prescribed age of 60 years will shortly get underway as the CSA and the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP) are putting necessary mechanisms in place to kick start the exercise.

Director Joekai was facetious in making the announcement, stating: “This means Boakai led-government which just took over is not only going to require people for fiscal 2024, but will go beyond and go as far back as 2020 to accommodate people who were retired by then, but never receieved any retirement benefit.”

Thousands of Liberians were retired during the past regime with little or without being paid in keeping with set standards.

As part of the process, CSA and NASSCORP are expected to embark on a pre-retirement counseling and data collection exercise throughout the country.

The exercise according to CSA Director Josiah Joekai will run from August 26 to September 13, 2024 and aims to conduct a pre-retirement counseling workshop to provide full explanation of what perspective retirees should expect before and after retirement from government.

Director Joekai noted that the process is meant to verify and complete the NASSCORP pension benefits form and to open either a bank or mobile money accounts.

He stated that all designated participants will be required to go with a copy of their retirement letter, a copy of their national identity registry or working ID card, a copy of their social security ID Card, and four passport size photos.

Going forward, Mr. Jokai said those retired between 2020 and 2023 and are yet to receive pension payment will form part of the process, and will show up at the venues indicated to complete their processes.

Mr. Joekai said two entities will deploy four teams throughout the country with several venues, adding the first team will be in Montserrado and Margibi Counties while the second team will be in Grand Bassa, Gbarpolu, Bomi and Grand Cape Mount Counties.

Additionally, the CSA Boss indicated that the third team will be deployed in River Cess, Lofa, Bong and Nimba Counties while the fourth team will be deployed in Maryland, River Gee, Grand Kru, Sinoe and Grand Gedeh Counties respectively.

He said detailed public service announcement with dates and locations for each County will be communicated shortly thereby assuring the public that it will be done through the Information Ministry, adding that upon returning from the field, the team will calculate all benefits for placement on the payroll effective November 1st 2024.

After the retirees or potential retirees have received all their ‘handshakes’ throughout August, September and October and on November 1^st, he said they will be transitioned into the national pension payroll.

“This means that as soon as you stop receiving your salaries, you transition to your pension salaries,” he noted.

He said the two entities will also provide their retirees with special award letters specifying benefit time and actual pension benefit while social security ID cards will be distributed to NASSCORP regional offices to give the retirees easy access to all their documents that they deserve to prevent the huddles of traveling from leeward counties to Monrovia.

The CSA Director General then extended deepest appreciation to NASSCORP for providing the financial and logistical support necessary for the pre-retirement counseling workshops nationwide.

He said all these things are going to happen because NASSCORP and CSA are working together collaboratively and that NASSCORP has already accepted to provide the results and the logistics needed to make it happen.

In a related development, Mr. Joekai has announced that there is no voluntary Retirement adding that the age for retirement is 60 years.