Simplified one-page pension claim form introduced

Government today unveiled a new simplified one-page pension claim form to enable simplified processing and easier withdrawal.

The single-page Pension Payment Order (PPO) format would form an important 'stepping stone and fulcrum' for further improvements in pension processes and procedures, Labour and Employment Ministry said in a release here.

The single-page PPO unveiled by Union Labour and Employment Minister Bandaru Dattatreya here, replaces the current 8-page format.

"It is a step towards the ongoing efforts of the Government in simplification of forms and procedures of the Ministries and Departments," the release said.

This would reduce "some amount of" processing time and would be easy to handle for the EPFO staff, it said.

The new format is also expected to be more simple and comprehensible for members and pensioners.

The simplified pension claim Form 10 D (UAN-Universal Account Number) is another step taken by EPFO towards rationalisation and simplification of forms in line with the initiatives of the government in this regard, it added.

Earlier, UAN-based claim forms for final PF settlement, advances and withdrawal benefits EPS-95 (Form 19 (UAN)), Form 31 (UAN) and Form 10 C (UAN) were introduced.

The next step is the introduction of a simplified UAN-based form for pension benefits, it said. Accordingly, a simplified UAN-based pension claim form 10 D-UAN has been devised.

Through this form, EPFO will be able to extend pension claim service to a member directly without any attestation by the employer. At present, on-line nomination facility is available for members.