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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 14-06-30
CONTENTS
[01] Single centre for issuing pensions by end-2014, Labour minister says
[01] Single centre for issuing pensions by end-2014, Labour minister says
ANA-MPA -- There will be a single national centre for administering
pensions by the end of the current year, Labour and Social Insurance
Minister Yiannis Vroutsis revealed in an interview with the Greek
financial paper "Imerissia" published on Saturday.
This new body will be responsible for administering the pensions of all
pension funds and will receive all applications for main and supplementary
pensions and lump sums. According to the minister, "from now on, the
granting of a pension with the support of the 'Atlas' IT system will be
a matter of a few days".
The system will not require the applicant to be physically present and
the entire process will begin with an online application, he added.
The new centre will be staffed with employees from all pension funds,
who will have immediate access to the social insurance background of
each person insured even when a succession of social insurance funds
is involved.
"The long waits for a pension to come through will soon be just a bad
memory," Vroutsis stressed, noting that the administrative unification
of all pension funds will be completed this year but will not affect
pensions or benefits. Asked about the repercussions of the new method
for calculating pensions after January 1 for those that have secured a
right to retire with more favourable age limits, Vroutsis noted that
there were no plans for new changes that would alter the plans for
thousands of citizens that had secure or would secure the right to retire.
He also ruled out the prospect of a zero-deficit clause for main pensions,
similar to that for supplementary pensions and lump sums, noting that
the main philosophy of the system would not change.
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