Another important letter issued today for pension and disability benefits of Pre 2016 retirees

Close on the heels of the two letters issued yesterday, another letter has been issued by the Ministry of Defence for Pre-2016 retirees with regard to their pensionary and disability benefits.

The salient features of the same:

(a) Notional fixation as per the first formula recommended by the 7^th Central Pay Commission has been implemented as was done for civilian retirees in May 2017. For a few rare cases, this notional fixation may result in pension being upwardly revised even higher the figures arrived at existing levels, that is, higher than OROP Pension X 2.57. The pensioner however shall be entitled to receive the higher of the two. Detailed modalities would only be discernible once the full fledged concordance tables are issued. To refresh, the revision under this formula shall be undertaken by notionally fixing the pay in the pay matrix recommended by the 7th CPC in the level corresponding to the pay in the pay scale/pay band and grade pay at which such pensioners had retired (for pension) or died (for family pension). This will be done by notional pay fixation under each intervening Pay Commission based on the formula for revision of pay.

(b) The controversy of non-counting of X Group Pay for pensionary purposes has been resolved. In fact the resolution of the same was also evident in the letters issued yesterday.

(c) Pension calculation for disability benefits restored at percentage basis at par with civilians.

(d) Broadbanding/Rounding-off of disability/war-injury element for all disabled soldiers, irrespective of manner of exit, granted but only for 7^th CPC regime w.e.f 01-01-2016. The period from 01-01-1996 till 31-12-2015 under the 5^th and 6^th CPCs shall hence continue to be governed by decisions of Courts as before while the period from 01-01-2016 shall be governed by the 7^th CPC letter. There is hence still status quo on the legal position for the period governed by 5^th and 6^th CPCs. We shall hence again request the Government for grant of the broadbanding benefits of 5^th and 6^th CPC to all affected personnel as decided by the Supreme Court in KJS Buttar and Davinder Singh cases.

(e) The anomaly of non grant of old age pension to disability and war injury pensioners of the Pre 2016 category stands resolved.

(f)   Notional fixation of old retirees has been explained in Paragraphs 6 to 8 of the letter.

The above letter issued today, that is, 05 Sept 2017, can be accessed and downloaded by clicking here. 

Thank You. 

Fresh Disability, War Injury and other Casualty Awards letters issued for Pre and Post 2016 retirees

The much awaited orders on casualty (disability) awards have been issued after resolution by the Anomalies Committee.

Salient features-

For Pre-2016 pensioners:

(a)  Disability and War Injury awards have been restored to the formula as applicable to civilians. The rate shall now be revised to Old Award as admissible on 31-12-2015 (under enhanced OROP rates based on the percentage formula applicable at that time) X 2.57 with effect from 01-01-2016.

(b)  Orders for notional percentage based calculations with fresh 7^th Central Pay Commission scales as the backdrop, not yet issued.

For Post-2016 pensioners:

(a)  Broadbanding/rounding-off made applicable to all cases of disability/war injury pension with effect from 01-01-2016 but only to post-2016 retirees (hence as of now, status quo continues with respect to the legal position for Pre-2016 retirees).

(b)  The percentage based rules for calculation of disability/war injury/other casualty awards shall remain the same (percentage based) as were applicable prior to 2016.

(c)  Additional old age pension on attaining the age of 80 or above restored for disability and war injury pensioners (however, the same has not yet been restored for Pre-2016 retirees). Readers may recall, this confusion and anomaly emanated due to a slip up by the military pay cells.

Both letters can be downloaded and accessed here:

For Pre 2016 retirees

For Post 2016 retirees