Jamsostek claims payments being held up by companies

Jamsostek claims payments being held up by companies

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

State-owned insurance company PT Jamsostek has called on
companies in tsunami-ravaged Aceh to provide lists of workers
victimized in the disaster, in order to speed up the payment of
claims to the victims' relatives.

Mustafa Zaenal, chief of Jamsostek's branch office in Banda
Aceh said here on Sunday that his company had delivered blank
forms to all companies registered in the social security programs
to fill out.

"Most companies that have workers registered with Jamsostek
have not yet returned the forms so we can't pay the death and
occupational accidents benefits to workers who were killed or
injured," he explained.

He said officials from Jamsostek had visited numerous
companies whose workers were killed or injured in the disaster to
ask them to return the forms soon, but most were unable to
because they were still trying to figure out how many workers
were victimized.

Many companies were still reluctant to hand over a list at
this time because the search for missing workers was still
ongoing, he claimed.

Mustafa said that Jamsostek had given two months, or until
Feb. 26, for the companies to give them the lists to avoid any
more delays.

Jamsostek has allocated Rp 96.8 billion for the insurance
claims to thousands of workers, who they estimate were killed or
injured.

According to Law No. 3/1992 on social security programs,
Jamsostek must pay Rp 6 million in death benefits and
42 times the gross monthly salaries in occupational accident
benefits.

"Jamsostek plans to pay death benefits to workers's relatives
who were killed when they were off-duty during the disaster and
pays both death and occupational accident benefits," said
Mustafa.

He added that the claim for insurance payments would increase
from Feb. 26, two months after the disaster, because companies
were expected to complete the inventory of their workers killed
or injured in the disaster.

Mustafa also pointed out that a faster benefit payment process
could help the Aceh economy recover. "Many displaced persons have
nothing to start a new life with because they have lost their
relatives and assets, especially houses and businesses in the
disaster. The province's economy can be revived sooner if
Jamsostek is able to identify and pay the beneficiaries all Rp 96
billion," he said.

Several people reported that they had received money already
from PT Jamsostek.

Isnaini, head of the administrative section at the local tap
water company, said several women whose husbands were killed in
the disaster had received between Rp 12 million (US$1,333) and Rp
40 million from Jamsostek. They said that they had used the funds
as capital for new businesses and to send their children to
school.

Mariaiyah who received more than Rp 40 million following the
death of her husband, said she had used a part of the money to
start buying and selling basic commodities at the local market
and put aside another part to finance the education of her five
children.

Mariaiyah's husband was one of the more than 230,000 people
killed or missing in the Dec. 26 tsunami disaster.