Muscat, June 10 - As part of its efforts, the Public Authority for Social Insurance (PASI) seeks to provide social protection and welfare to its beneficiaries through its strategic plans and to improve insurance benefits. It also provides social protection system that guarantee a decent life to all.
The system of mutual benefit insurance is one of the important systems that provide insurance protection for citizens when they move to work from the public sector to the private sector or vice versa. It allows the beneficiary to combine previous years of service in both sectors. This system contributed to the preservation of pension rights and provided more reassurance and stability for citizens when moving between sectors.
Speaking on its importance, (pictured) Radhiya al Mahrouqiyah, Director of Registration and Contributions, PASI says “The benefit of this system is to guarantee the stability and social protection of the individual and his family, which guarantees his right to post-service pension. This system also allows the exchange of experiences and knowledge in the various sectors of the Sultanate and is an effective step the process of substitution for Omani competencies and expertise.”
On the mechanism of operation of the system, Al Mahrouqiyah says,” There are certain requirements to combine the periods of service for the different sectors. The most important of these is that the periods are actual. This means that the insured has worked in a specific institution and no benefit has been paid for the periods in which she/he has worked and has not been entitled to any pension or remuneration. In the event of dismissal, the insured must apply for combining the service period within six months from the date of appointment, provided that he refunds the end of service benefits paid to him.
The authority exchanges the benefits (transfer of contributions collected) for the previous periods spent by the insured in the private sector with the civil servants’ pension fund and the pension fund of the Diwan of Royal Court and the Ministry of Defence pension fund through legal articles governing the transfer of contributions between the private and government sectors. There are some funds that do not have an exchange of benefits with the PASI but it is trying to expand the benefit-sharing cycle by finding a number of projects that seek to implement in the near future.
In the case of transfer from the public sector to the private sector, the insured shall address the social insurance to combine the periods of service he has spent in that entity. In the case of transfer from the private sector to the government sector, the insured shall address the employer and then address the civil servants pension fund which will contact PASI to transfer the proceeds of contributions and thus combining the periods. The same process applies for the Fund of the Ministry of Defence and the Diwan of Royal Court Fund.
During 2018, 2000 cases were completed. The combining procedures take some time according to the required documents, the years of service, as well as following up with the collection of contributions, Radhiya explains.
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