6 December 2018
Last week Executive Council approved a change to the Minimum Income Standard (MIS) that is used to determine the rates for Income Related Benefits (IRB) and Basic Island Pension (BIP).
The following increases were made to Basic Island Pension:
| Categories |
Old Rate |
New Rate |
| Individuals with 30 or more qualifying years |
70.20 |
71.30 |
| Individuals with less than 30 qualifying years but more than 25 qualifying years |
52.65 |
53.48
|
| Individuals with less than 25 qualifying years but more than 20 qualifying years |
35.10 |
35.65 |
The following increases were made to Income Related Benefits:
| Categories |
Old Rate |
New Rate |
| The Applicant |
67.90 |
69.00 |
| For each additional adult in the household |
38.90 |
39.70 |
| For each of the first three children in the household |
27.16 |
27.60 |
| For each additional child thereafter |
20.37 |
20.70 |
The approved Social Security (Amendment No. 2) Regulations, 2018, came into effect on Friday, 30 November 2018. Payment at these new rates will commence from the week ending 13 December 2018. In recognition of this, payment of the arrears of two weeks will also be made.
In addition to this, Executive Council also agreed that an ex-gratia payment be made to households and individuals in receipt of IRB and BIP that recognises the four week period that has lapsed between the end of October, when Executive Council had previously given a commitment to review IRB and BIP, and the actual date of the uplift.
The arrears and ex-gratia payment will be made to all recipients with their benefit payment for the week ending 13 December.
Letters will be issued to all IRB recipients and to BIP recipients in receipt of another pension, detailing their new adjusted rate. Letters will not be issued to recipients only in receipt of BIP as the uplift is a basic change as detailed in the table above.
Reference to the ex-gratia payment or the arrears in benefit will not be included in the letters. Anyone in receipt of IRB or BIP is advised to check your Remittance Advice that accompanies your benefit payment.
If any member of the community would like further information about eligibility for both BIP and IRB, or the new rates, they can contact the Social Security Office, at the Post Office in Jamestown in person, by appointment, or via tel: 22605.
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SHG
6 December 2018