PHILIPSBURG--Social and Health Insurances SZV said it had been working with the St. Maarten Seniors and Pensioners Association (SMSPA) since July of this year to help bring clarity to the issues facing seniors and persons from French St. Martin who worked in the 1960s and ’70s.
An internal liaison officer was appointed to work closely with the SMSPA to gather information on problems that senior citizens and pensioners were experiencing with SZV’s policies and procedures.
One of the issues raised by SMSPA was the situation of denied pension requests from French St. Martin workers of the ’60s and ’70s. Several French St. Martin workers have approached the SMSPA to assist them with their plight.
On December 10, the 67th International Day of Humans Rights, Raymond Helligar and several French St. Martin workers, who he is representing, visited SZV to symbolically submit the information gathered on individual cases.
SZV representatives said they were “pleasantly surprised” by this action, but met with Helligar and his fellow French St. Martin workers to listen to their plight. SZV explained that it is an executing agency of the social security and health insurances legislations of Dutch St. Maarten established by the government of St. Maarten and cannot independently make changes to these legislations.
SZV said it is willing to offer as much support and assistance as possible to the SMSPA, addressing concerns and offering clarification to the requests that were denied.
With the advisory role that SZV has to the Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, SZV will review each individual case, provide clarification and draft an advice based on the findings report from this exercise to present to the Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour Emil Lee on behalf of the SMSPA as it relates to possible amendment of the established legislations of St. Maarten.
“SZV views this meeting as another step forward in the collaboration with the SMSPA and the French (St. Martin) workers,” the insurance service provider said in a press release.
SMSPA is expected to present SZV with over 67 files for review next week. SZV also presented Helligar with the official requirements list used in the application process for pension in Dutch St. Maarten. SZV said it will also provide SMSPSA with a translated English version of the respective legislation that dictates the requirements for pension in St. Maarten soon.
