Procedure for payment of family pension to handicapped children.

(7) Procedure for payment of family pension to handicapped children. - Under O.M. No. 1/80/89-P. & P.W. (C), dated the 19th February, 1990 (not printed) the condition of manifestation of the disability of children before retirement or death in harness of the Government servant for grant of family pension for life has been dispensed with. Representations have been received that in such cases difficulties are experienced on account of the fact that the disability of the child is not mentioned in the details contained in the PPO. 2. Only the revised PPO forms introduced with effect from 1-1-1990, contains provisions for entry of details of all members of the family. The PPOs issued prior to that date will not contain the names of children of the pensioner. Since only in the case of spouse of the pensioner the payment of the family pension becomes automatic on production of the death certificate and in other cases the family pension is to be authorized by the authority who sanctioned the original pension, the fact that the disability of any particular child is not mentioned in the PPO should normally not impose any hardship. However, it has been represented that in the case of a mentally handicapped child, it will be difficult to claim family pension when his or her turn comes for payment of family pension. In order to expedite sanction of family pension in such cases, the following procedure is prescribed. 3. Where the names of eligible children have not been mentioned in the PPO for various reasons like the pension was sanctioned prior to 1-1-1990, the child is a post-retiral one or post-retiral manifestation of disability of the child, the pensioner, if he so desires, can furnish a list of eligible children to the pension sanctioning authority, inter alia, indicating whether any child is handcapped or not. The receipt of this list may be acknowledged by the pension sanctioning authority, mentioning the details of the eligible children taken on record. This acknowledgement may be preserved by the members of the family of the pensioner for production at the time of submission of claim for family pension in their own turn to the pension sanctioning authority. In case of mentally retarded children or minor who would draw pension through a guardian, the responsibility of producing this acknowledgement will devolve on the guardian. The production of acknowledgement will, however, not be a pre-condition to the processing of claims for family pension. 4. Ministry of Finance, etc., are requested to kindly bring this to the notice of all offices under their control. 5. This OM issues in consultation with C. & A.G., vide U.O. No. 899-AC, II/93-94. I, dated 28-10-1992. [G.I., Dept. of Pen. & P.W., O.M. No. 1 (21)-P. & P.W./91-E, dated the 20th January, 1993.]