GPSSA raises awareness on pension, insurance benefits

The General Pension and Social Security Authority (GPSSA) is highlighting the importance of pension and insurance coverage this April as part of its monthly awareness campaigns on federal pension and social security law.

Insured Emiratis registered with the GPSSA receive a fixed monthly income in the event of a risk-related incident or accident at work, whether this risk is based on a natural occurrence such as retirement and old age or death or an unnatural occurrence such as a disability, illness, and occupational injury.

Dr Maysa Rashed Ghadeer, Head of the Government Communications Office, reiterated the office’s role in providing diverse and pivotal content to the media that helps raise awareness of the importance of making rational decisions when it comes to social security and insurance benefits.

“This year, we launched the ‘Topic of the Month’ initiative, which focuses on a specific insurance topic each month and raises awareness about it through research, study and enriching public interest dialogue via GPSSA’s social media platforms, with information constantly being posted on social security and pension,” said Ghadeer.

April’s campaign focuses on three key topics: the benefits of retirement pensions compared to end-of-service gratuities, pension contributions and years of service as long-term investments, and how to ensure employment years are merged without financial gaps when applying for pensions.

It also provides legal insights on pension eligibility, calculation methods, and ensuring financial and social stability for families.

GPSSA explained that retirement pensions and end-of-service gratuities differ fundamentally in purpose and disbursement.

Pensions offer the ability to merge employment years and continue to be paid to the insured or their heirs, subject to eligibility.

In some cases, payments may be suspended and later resumed if beneficiary status changes.

The end-of-service gratuity is an amount paid in one lump sum upon the end of an employee’s service period, given that he/she has not met the pension entitlement criteria upon completing the number of service years.

Recently, the GPSSA announced a significant upgrade to its call centre, increasing its capacity to handle a greater volume of calls efficiently.

This enhancement aims to improve customer access to services and ensure prompt responses to inquiries, particularly those relating to the “Ma’ashi” digital platform, which launched last October.

WAM