E-EFKA: How to unblock the process of issuing overdue supplementary pensions

The liquidation of overdue supplementary pensions is the next big bet that the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and the Electronic National Social Security Agency (e-EFKA)following the progress made on the main pensions front.

As e-EFKA sources estimate, within October, the backlogs in the main pensions will be eliminated, given that 97% of the pending applications for the main pension have already been cleared, and then the effort will be focused on speeding up the procedures for the awarding overdue supplementary pensions, as a condition for the calculation of the supplementary pension is that the decision on the main pension has previously been issued.

Already, the first results are encouraging, since, according to the agency’s sources, during the summer, an increase in the rate of awarding of supplementary pensions was recorded, which exceeded 10%, while the actions to further reduce the backlog will be intensified in the coming months.

Based on the e-EFKA data, in August 2022, the supplementary pensions, which have become overdue, i.e. the waiting time for their issue has exceeded three months, were limited to 94,000. At the same time, for the same month (August 2022), outstanding one-off overdue applications for both public and private sectors stood at 9,420.

Rapid de-escalation initiatives

In this context, a series of initiatives are launched, with the main objective of eliminating the “stock” of overdue supplementary pensions.

As the same sources point out, the fast track issuance process is going to be activated for the auxiliaries as well, as it is a measure that has already borne fruit and this is reflected in the results so far. Based on what the law stipulates, if the proponent does not issue the subsidiary within three months of the issuance of the main one, then the fast track procedure is activated.

It is recalled that, with the fast track process, the information already available to e-EFKA is used, mainly in its electronic files and the statements and data provided by the insured, which are presumed to be true in principle (principle of trust towards the administered). Verification of information and declarations will be done after the pensions are issued for all fast track pensions and trust pensions.

The transfer of personnel will also play a key role in solving the issue. In particular, according to information, it is planned to transfer 200 employees, with experience in issuing main pensions, to positions with the object of awarding supplementary insurance pensions, in order to reduce the existing backlogs.

Another positive measure, which contributes to the reduction by 4-6 months of the awarding time of the new adjuncts, is also the digitization of the submission of new applications for supplementary pension. As e-EFKA has announced, the submission of applications exclusively electronically is an integral part of the new fast track procedure for issuing supplementary pensions, which will reduce awarding times to a minimum. This is because, in this way, the time required to collect and examine the data and supporting documents submitted by the insured is reduced to a minimum and, at the same time, citizens stop being bothered by unnecessary trips to local addresses.

According to the organization, the aim of all actions is for the insured person to receive his pension without delay and for such phenomena to not be repeated in the future.

In fact, e-EFKA sources underline that, now, with 900 fewer employees, the agency is able to issue a large volume of pensions every month, as it has the right organization, management and know-how. “It is no coincidence that 430,000 pensions have been issued in 20 months. At the same pace, the effort to de-escalate the auxiliaries will continue,” says the e-EFKA press representative, Homeros Tsapalos.

At the same time, the same sources emphasize that the debts of the e-EFKA to the pending pensioners are also reduced. As they note, it is noteworthy that the amount owed by e-EFKA to insured persons for overdue supplementary and the corresponding retroactives does not exceed 180 million euros, while for main ones two years ago e-EFKA owed more than 700 million euros and, now, this amount has been reduced to 40 million euros.

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