There is no rhythm to this week’s article, instead frequently asked questions will be answered as well as frequently unasked questions - that is to say, all you ever wanted to know about Social security but were unwilling to ask.

Can I get a ‘no claim bonus’ at some point in time?

A no-claim bonus is a phenomenon only in certain types of insurances. It does not apply in social insurance circles. Social Security has impacted the economy during your lifetime through donations to health and education services, through cultural development and through infrastructural development. We may well have helped to ensure that you never needed to claim! Furthermore, Social Security is there to replace your wages when circumstances prevent you from working (except laziness), so if you never had to claim it is because you have been truly blessed. Go ahead then, count your blessings, naming them one by one!

If I am not from here (or CARICOM), and I only worked here for a short time, can I get a refund of the money I put in?

Yes you can, but not right away. You have to wait until you attain pensionable age, just like the rest of us and then apply for your entitlement. Once you cease to make payments into the fund, you lose access to short term benefits, but retain your rights to long term ones such as age benefits. We offer an elderly refund for those who have less than 50 contributions, age grants for those persons who have between 50 and 499 contributions and a monthly pension for those with 500 or more contributions.

The CARICOM Reciprocal Agreement ensures long term coverage to all contributors. You also retain your right to funeral grant.

If I work two jobs and I get sick, can I claim on both of them?

Yes. You can. You ought to. In fact, Social Security automatically pays you based on both sources of income. It is wages that we insure. When one is sick and cannot work and therefore ‘loses’ his wages, we will pay the person for the period that he/she is sick. Some sick people may want to have work sent to them to help relieve their boredom, but that may be problematic on several grounds. Remember too that sick leave that appears to be excessive, too frequent, longer than 12 days attracts the interest of our own team of doctors. In a later article, we will examine sickness in further detail.

Can I be sick for one job and be well for the other?

Absolutely not! How can you ever justify that if you are really sick?

If I work at two jobs and both of them pay Social Security every month, how many contributions will I have at the end of the year?

Each person is insured once and has a unique number for life. A contribution is one payment for a week or part of a week, regardless of where and from how many sources the money comes from. Therefore, multiple jobs do not give you multiple contributions, it is still one contribution but at a higher rate.

The wages from all the employers are totaled and Social Security contributions become due, provided that the combined total is less than $6,500.00 per month. Anything amount higher than the ceiling of EC$6,500.00 becomes subject to levy at a rate higher than the usual 3%. There can be no more that 52 contributions in any given year.

If the doctor gives me sick leave and I get better faster, can I return to work earlier?

If you recover faster than the sick leave specified, and you return to work, then you should inform Social Security and your doctor and refund the portion of the money to Social Security. Do not travel while on sick leave unless the doctor authorizes it through a letter of referral.

If I am sick why can’t I work?

In some cases you can, depending on the condition (e.g. diabetics, hypertensives, etc). You ought not to be on the job when a doctor certifies that you are unfit to be there. You can become a distraction to other workers, you may be contagious, and you may give poor quality customer service because of your condition. This could ruin/set back your customer clientele.

Why is it that Social Security only pays me only 65% when I get sick?

Why would anybody want to work at all if they are always going to get 100% of the salary to which they are entitled? Better yet, why would I want to work if Social Security pays me the 100% of salary and my nice employer gives me 35% (or any portion)? Social Security never intended for sickness to be profitable to the worker!

Why can’t I nominate my beneficiaries? I don’t want my money to go to my family but to a friend who took good care of me.

We hope your friend is helping you because he/she is truly a friend; or else poor people would have no friends and no happiness. Also, the temptation may be too great for some friends to speed up the inheritance process. Really, it’s the law. It clearly defines beneficiary and dependant. For Social Security, the only beneficiaries are your dependants who are spouses (married and common-law), dependent children and dependent parents.

The dependent child must be a minor or in school in St Kitts-Nevis or a special child; dependent parents must prove their dependency. Interestingly, a dependent child need not be your born child, but could be legally adopted. The insured person needs to constantly update the dependents listing as his/her status in life changes.

Can I get sick benefit while on holiday?

You can, you ought to if contributions are coming in for you during vacation. Social Security is a wage replacement insurance. It does not matter to us whether you are physically on the job or not. It only matters to us that you are gainfully employed.

Once the qualifying condition is met (i.e. 8 of the last 15 weeks are covered, provided that a total of 26 continuous contributions have been paid), then the benefit becomes due and is usually paid. Such sick leave ought to be sent through your employer and any travel done during the sickness ought to be authorized by a medical practitioner.

I have already qualified for a Social Security pension. Can I stop paying Social Security even as I continue to work? No, you cannot legally do so. Besides, you can pay towards making your pension better; and there are 3 ways to do so. One is to make sure that you have earned the best possible salary ever and that usually occurs later in your working career. The second way is to increase the number of contributions in the Fund as this increases the percentage of average wage earned for pension. The third way is to provide a private pension. Go ahead, treat yourself!

She is not my employee, she’s only helping me out for a few hours per week and I give her something. Why do you want me to pay Social Security for her? This always amazes me and is often related to non-nationals who are only ‘helping out’. Such a volunteer, who is paid for work in cash or kind, is never a volunteer, but is really a low cost worker. Besides, every payment including allowances is, by law, subject to Social Security deductions. So when she helps your business to function, then you should honour that loyalty by paying for her. Remember a contribution period is one week or any part of that week worked and earned.

I have never claimed anything from Social Security and I have worked all my life. My children are adults, my parents have long died and I never settled down. What happens to my money if I die before reaching pension age? The way Social Security is structured allows us to spread the risks of life’s vagaries throughout the population of insured persons. It is a way for Peter to help Paul when Paul needs help. Furthermore, that is why the premiums are as low as they are. This is also where and why the principles of universality, solidarity and equity kick in. Upon death, Social Security will keep its promise to pay the benefit to which the deceased remains entitled, that is the funeral grant, now set at EC$2,500.00 or $4,000.00 if the death is caused by a job incident.

Do you have any unanswered questions? Please contact us by telephone 465 2535 or 469 5245, through our website www.socialsecurity.kn or by visiting us at our offices in Basseterre or Charlestown.