The Federal Government has urged desk officers of Group Life Assurance in government Ministries, Departments and Agencies to ensure prompt reports and settlement of dead officers’ entitlements.

The Director Occupational Health, Safety and Environment, office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Comfort Adeosun, said this at a meeting with GLA officers and representatives of Insurance Brokers and companies in Abuja.

Ms Adeosun, also the director overseeing the office of the Permanent Secretary, Social Welfare Office in HOCSF, said the action was imperative to enable the deceased families get their claims on time.

“Report received by the HOCSF’s office is that deceased officers’ claims do take a long period of time before the family receives the claims,” he said.

She said that the HOCSF was interested in the general welfare of the public servants including early claims of dead officers in active service, adding that she was also interested in prompt response to dead claims.

“I want to appreciate the staff of the insurance department, I love your speed, the energy in making sure that things work the way we want. The insurance administration department has been doing a lot of work and I am impressed how far we have gone, yet we need to improve. These days I have received a lot of reports on late claims of deceased officers by their families. Why do we need to wait for two, three, five years before you write the claims, do you know the impacts of that,” she stated.

Describing their tasks as important, she reminded the desk officers to acknowledge the psychological effects of such delay on the deceased’s family.

“Let’s consider the school fees, the psychological effects on the wife or husband or even the deceased parents who may still be alive. So, what you’re doing is important, you are touching lives and know that every time you are processing someone’s file, remember that it may be you tomorrow, ” Mr Adeosun said.

Also, the Director Insurance Administration, office of the HOCSF, Alhaji Abubakar Maijama, said the government had directed the HOS’s office to coordinate the procurement of group life insurance cover for all the government workers in compliance with 2024 Pension Act.

This, Mr Maijama said made it mandatory for the office of the HOCSF to coordinate the procurement of group life insurance cover for all the government workers

“We are all aware that the Pension Reform Act 2014 section 4 sub-section 5 makes it mandatory for all employers of labour to provide Life Insurance Cover for their employees. Incompliance with the provision of the Act, the federal government approved that the office of the HOCSF should coordinate the procurement of group life insurance cover for all the government workers.

“The office carries out the process annually, appoints the insurance companies and assigns them to MDAs in compliance with the provision of the Act. “

According to him, the essence of doing that is to facilitate notifications, processing and carry out settlement of claims between the MDAs and the companies appointed to provide insurance cover.

“I am sure we are all aware of the current policy which is running from February 9 2023 to Feb. 8, 2024. The implications is that in the next two weeks, the policy is about to lapse or expires,” he said.

In his contribution, Assistant General Manager, HOGG, Mr Robinson Nigeria (Insurance Broker), Adekunle Yemitan, said that the essence of the meeting was to rub minds to resolve some difficulties in the process of claims.

“Being desk officer is a very important seat we are all occupying and it is a task that we must see that we do it with all efforts and passion that we could put into it to get desired results especially as it has to do with death claims, ” he said.

(NAN)