Sickness benefit is a benefit paid to an insured person who
is absent from work because of a certified illness other
than that caused by employment injury. However, sickness
benefit is not payable to employees of Government and
Statutory establishments, since they are not covered for
this benefit.
Any Private Sector employee or self-employed person who
is 16 years old or over and under 60 years old and
satisfies the following conditions is entitled to sickness
benefit.
Any Private Sector employee or self-employed person who is
16 years old or over and under 60 years old and satisfies
the following conditions is entitled to sickness benefit.
- The person must have been in employment the day
before the illness began.
- The person must have paid not less than 26 weekly
contributions into the scheme.
- The person must have worked at least eight weeks in
the three calendar months immediately before the
illness began.
Your claim for sickness benefit should be made within 21
days after your illness. Any claim made after this time may
be disallowed by the Director.
No. Sickness benefit is not payable for the first three
days, neither for Sundays. If, however, you become sick
within eight weeks of another illness, you would not lose
the first three days.
Ensure that the medical certificate you receive from your
doctor is a Social Security Medical Certificate, and your
doctor has filled out sections A & B. This medical
certificate is also the application form. Your employer
should complete section C, and you should carefully
complete section D and sign it. The completed application
form should be submitted promptly to the Social Security
Office to avoid delay.
You can receive sickness benefit for a maximum of 39 weeks
of continuous illness. Illnesses which are separated by
eight or fewer weeks are considered continuous illness.
You will receive 60% of your average insurable weekly
earnings. 'Average insurable weekly earnings' means the
total earnings for the three calendar months immediately
before your illness, divided by the number of weeks worked.
Here is an example:
Three month's salary:
| Month |
Salary |
No. Weeks |
| Jan |
$800.00 |
4 wks |
| Feb |
$850.00 |
4 wks |
| Mar |
$950.00 |
5 wks |
| Total |
$2,600.00 |
13 wks |
Calculations
| Avg insurable earnings: |
$2,600.00/13 = $200.00 |
| Weekly rate of benefit: |
$200.00 x 60% = $120.00 |
| Daily rate |
$120.00 / 6 = $ 20.00 |
If your illness continues after 39 weeks, you may be
entitled to invalidity benefit.
Maternity benefit is a benefit payable to a woman who has
given birth to a child. Maternity benefit can be either, an
allowance, a grant, or both.
Maternity allowance is a weekly benefit payable to an
insured woman who has given birth to a living child or to a
dead child if the term of pregnancy was not less than 28
weeks.
Maternity allowance is paid for a maximum of 13 weeks,
commencing as early as 6 weeks before confinement or as
late as the week of confinement.
Maternity allowance constitutes 60% of the insured person's
average insurable weekly earnings. The average insurable
weekly earnings is calculated by totaling the earnings in
the 52 weeks immediately preceding the 6-week period before
the expected date of delivery. This figure is then divided
by the number of weeks worked, which cannot be less than
26.
Maternity allowance is paid weekly. The cheque may be
mailed to the claimant's address, be collected at the
Social Security Office, be paid to a bank account or be
paid to a person whom the claimant has nominated.
Maternity grant is a one-time payment, payable to a woman
if she or her husband has paid 26 weekly contributions
since entering the scheme and has paid 26 weekly
contributions in the year immediately before the
confinement.
At the time of maternity leave, a three-part application
form must be completed and submitted to the Social Security
office. Section A of the form must be completed by a doctor
or midwife who is registered in Antigua & Barbuda;
Section B must be completed by the claimant; and Section C
must be completed by the employer.
After confinement, a two-part Certificate of Confinement
must be completed and signed by the doctor or nurse who
assisted at confinement, as well as by the claimant, then
submitted to the Social Security office.
In the case of a husband who is claiming maternity grant
for his wife, only the Certificate of Confinement is
required.
Application forms are available in the doctor's office
or at the Social Security Office.
Application for maternity benefit submitted twelve
months or more after the date of confinement will be
disallowed.
IMPORTANT
Maternity allowance is not payable for any period worked
nor for Sundays. Sickness benefit is not payable for the
period commencing six weeks before confinement. Hence, any
sick leave granted during that period will be considered as
part of the maternity allowance period.
A certificate of confinement, giving the exact date of
confinement, must be submitted in order for continued
payment of maternity allowance.
A written authorization is required if a cheque must be
paid to or collected by someone else. Also, that person
must present the social security card of the claimant when
collecting the cheque.
Invalidity benefit is a benefit payable to an insured
person who has not reached the age of 60 years, and is
unable to take part in any further employment because of
illness that is likely to remain permanent. Invalidity
benefit may be either a pension or a grant.
Invalidity pension is a monthly payment that is payable to
an insured person who has paid contributions for at least
three years before the invalidity began. There are three
types of invalidity pensions:
1. Transitional pension requiring 156 or three years of
contributions
2. Reduced pension requiring 350-499 contributions
3. Full pension requiring at least 500 contributions
Invalidity grant is a lump sum (one-time payment) payable
to an insured person who does not satisfy any of the above
conditions for a pension, but has paid at least 52 weeks or
12 months of contributions.
An invalidity grant is $1200 or 3/4 of the total
contributions (employee and employer) paid into the scheme
for the insured person, whichever is greater.
The amount you will receive for pension will depend on the
number of years you have contributed to the scheme and your
average annual insurable earnings.
The rate of pension is 25% of your annual earnings, plus
1% for each 50 contributions paid over 500 contributions.
However, you will not receive more than 50% of your average
annual Insurable earnings.
'Average annual insurable earnings' means the total
earnings of the five best contribution years in the last 10
contribution years, before the year in which the invalidity
began, divided by five. Where the number of years
contributed is less than five, the average will be used
over those years.
Once your doctor has declared that your illness is likely
to prevent you from taking part in any further employment,
ask your doctor for a medical report of your condition.
Submit the report to the Social Security Office where you
will apply for invalidity benefit. Social Security will
then send you to another doctor for a second opinion.
You will receive sickness benefit weekly or your invalidity
pension monthly or invalidity grant at one time. Your
cheque may be mailed to your address, be collected at the
Social Security Office, be paid to your bank account or be
paid to a person whom you have nominated in writing. If
your cheque is to be paid to or collected by someone other
than yourself, written authorization is required.
Age benefit is a benefit payable to an insured person who
has reached the age of 60 years and has satisfied the
required contribution conditions. Age benefit is either a
pension or a grant.
Age pension is a monthly cash benefit payable to an insured
person until death.
There are three types of age pensions:
(1) Transitional pension requiring 156 contributions
starting before 1975
(2) Reduced pension requiring 350-499 contributions
(3) Full pension requiring at least 500 contributions
Age grant is a lump sum (one-time payment) payable to an
insured person who does not satisfy the conditions for a
pension, but has paid at least 26 contributions starting
before 1975 or at least 52 contributions starting any time
after 1974.
The amount paid for age pension depends on the insured
person's average annual insurable earnings and the number
of weekly contributions paid into the Scheme. The average
annual insurable earnings is the total earnings of the 5
best contribution years in the last 10 contribution years,
immediately before reaching age 60, divided by five. Where
the number of years contributed is less than five, the
average will be used over those years.
The rate of pension is 25% of the average annual
insurable earnings for the first 500 contributions plus 1%
for each 50 contributions thereafter up to a maximum of
50%. However, no pensioner shall receive less than $150.15
per month.
The amount paid for age grant is 75% of the total
contributions (employee and employer) paid up to your 60th
birthday or $1200 whichever is greater.
The claimant must report to the Social Security Office to
be interviewed and to complete and sign the claim form. A
Social Security card and a valid birth certificate or
passport is required to complete the process.
Cheques are paid monthly, and may be mailed to the
pensioner's home address, be collected at the Social
Security Office, be paid into your bank account, or be paid
to a person whom the pensioner has nominated.
IMPORTANT
Once a person has begun to receive age pension, a life
certificate MUST be submitted in order to continue
receiving the monthly payments. The life certificate must
be signed by a Notary Public or by any person listed on the
life certificate. It should be done twice a year - June and
December - for pensioners living in Antigua & Barbuda
and every quarter - March, June, September and December -
for pensioners living overseas.
IMPORTANT
A written authorization is required if a pension cheque
must be paid to or collected by someone other than the
pensioner. The person to whom the cheque is paid must also
present the pensioner's social security card.
Funeral grant is a lump sum of $2500 payable when an
insured person dies, if one of the following conditions is
satisfied.
- The insured person had been receiving sickness or
maternity benefit or would have been entitled to such
benefit at the time of death.
- The insured person had been receiving, had received
or had satisfied the conditions of receiving invalidity
or contributory age benefits
- The insured person had paid at least 26 weekly
contributions in the 12 months immediately before
death.
Funeral grant is payable to the person who pays or will pay
the cost of the funeral of the deceased insured person.
You must present an original death certificate and the
receipt or the bill for the cost of the funeral to the
Social Security Office where you will fill out an
application for funeral grant.
If you are unable to obtain the documents immediately,
you should still complete the application form and submit
the documents when they are available.
Is funeral grant payable where a deceased person had
been receiving old age assistance?
Funeral grant is NOT payable to a person who had been
receiving old age assistance unless that person had
received or had title to an invalidity or age grant.
This is a benefit payable to certain family members of a
deceased insured person who was receiving invalidity or age
pension or would have been entitled to invalidity or age
benefit at the time of death.
Survivors' benefit is either a pension or a grant. A
pension is payable monthly for a specific period or for
life, if the deceased person had satisfied the conditions
for an invalidity or age pension. A grant, which is a
one-time payment, is payable if the deceased person would
have been entitled to an invalidity or age grant.
Survivors of the deceased who may be entitled to payments
are:
- Widow
- Invalid widower
- Unmarried children under age 16 or under age 18 if
going to school at time of death.
A widower/widow shall receive survivor's benefit as
follows, except where the marriage took place after the
insured person started receiving pension:
- A widow who at the time of her husband's death was
fifty years or older and been married for not less than
three years shall receive a pension for life or a
grant.
- A widow who was an invalid at the time of her
husband's death, regardless of her age, shall receive a
pension until the invalidity ceases, or a grant.
- All other widows shall receive one year's
pension.
- Widower who was an invalid at the time of his
wife's death, had been married not less than three
years and had been wholly or mainly supported by his
wife before death, shall receive a survivor's pension
for so long as the invalidity continues, or a
survivor's grant.
A widower's/widow's pension is 50% of the pension the
deceased insured person was receiving or would have
received. However, no widower/widow shall receive less than
$150.15 per month.
A child's pension is 25% of the pension the deceased
insured person was receiving or would have received; where
the child is an orphan or an invalid, the amount is 40%.
However, no child shall receive less than $50.05 per
month.
The survivors' grant is the amount that the deceased person
would have been entitled to for invalidity or age grant,
I.e. 75% of the total contributions (employee and employer)
paid up to the time of death, or $1200 which ever is
greater. This amount is distributed on the same basis as
the pension.
Applications must be made within one year of the death of
the insured person. The death certificate must be presented
to the Social Security Office where an application will be
made for survivor's benefit.
In addition, the widower/widow is required to submit the
marriage certificate and his or her birth certificate to
the Social Security Office. In the case of an invalid
widower/widow, a medical certificate stating the disability
is required as well.
When claiming for a child, the child's birth certificate
must be submitted. If the father is the deceased parent and
his name is not on the certificate, proof of paternity
(evidence that he was the child's father) must be
submitted. Also, a life certificate must be submitted when
the claim is made.
Your survivor's pension is payable monthly; your cheque may
be mailed to your address, be collected at the Social
Security Office, be paid to your bank account, or be paid
to a person whom you have nominated.
