Fresh instructions on family pension of deceased armed forces personnel

Fresh instructions on family pension of deceased armed forces personnelTribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 19
Dependent parents of deceased armed forces personnel are directly eligible to receive family pension in case the deceased individual is not survived by a spouse of a child, according to fresh instructions issued by the government.

A circular received here by the establishments concerned a few days ago from the Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (Pensions) at Allahabad adds that if a deceased individual is survived by a spouse of a child and the position changes subsequently because of death or remarriage of the spouse or death or ineligibility of the child, the dependent parents become eligible for pension.

The circular also clarifies that a childless widow subject to dependency criteria is entitled to family pension even after remarriage and in such a case the parents become entitled to family pension only after the childless widow dies or when her independent income from all sources exceeds the prescribed limit under rules.

Family pension is the pension that is paid to eligible surviving next of kin of a deceased government employee. The rates of family pension are lower than those applicable to the employee.

Another long-pending issue related to family pension is under consideration of the committee of secretaries ordered by the Prime Minister to look into pay and pension anomalies of Armed Forces personnel.

At present, widows of pensioners who were drawing two service pensions for two separate spells of service, are authorised one family pension only after the death of the employee/pensioner. It is now proposed to remove the bar on sanction of the second family pension.

Also, handicapped kin of government employees are authorised family pension for life but such pension was being refused to married handicapped children. This was held bad in law by the Chandigarh as well as Chennai benches of the Armed Forces Tribunal in separate cases. This issue is also expected to be resolved.