Pensioners now have the opportunity to submit their completed Life and Residential Declaration form via ttconnect.
In a statement, the Ministry of Social Development and Family services said the new arrangement was formalized during an official launch ceremony on Monday 23rd January, 2023 at the Ministry’s Head Office, 39-43 St. Vincent Street, Port of Spain.
The Ministry said the venture is due to a collaboration with the National Information and Communication Company Limited (iGovTT).
Through ttconnect, this new service allows Senior Citizens’ Pension recipients to utilise ttconnect’s 800-TTCN toll-free number and eAppointment system for submission of their completed Life and Residential Declaration Form.
Delivering the feature address, Minister of Social Development and Family Services Donna Cox indicated the collaboration with iGovTT and ttconnect will bring much relief to senior citizens.
“This arrangement would result in less bottlenecks in the system. They can set an appointment that is convenient to them. It must be noted however, that they will not have to wait for hours for the verification process to be completed, since the wait time will also be reduced. This is a reflection of the Ministry’s desire to help our senior citizens and to increasingly find ways to better serve them.”
Cox said that data suggests that the population of older persons is on the increase and as such encourages the Ministry to continue to explore opportunities which would result in an overall enhanced quality of life for older persons.
“The Ministry remains committed to the continuous review of our social service delivery system to ensure our clients have the opportunity to access the grants and services offered without any hassle. The Ministry’s digitalization project will ensure that our grants and services that are provided to our clients are done in a timely and efficient manner. It is envisaged that replacing the current paper-based processes to a digitalized one will result in significant benefits to the Ministry and a better service experience for all our clients.”
Permanent Secretary Sheila Seecharan in her remarks echoed similar sentiments by the Minister stating that push for digital transformation remains a key priority and the Ministry continues to pursue opportunities towards advancement with the aim of ensuring that the social protection policies, programmes, projects and services are modernized to better meet the needs of clients.
Also delivering remarks, Chief Executive Officer of iGovTT, Inshan Meahjohn told the audience that the launch of today’s service is the furtherance of the deepening partnership towards providing continuous assistance and convenience to the senior members of society.
The Ministry said this new initiative is an extension of an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between this Ministry and iGovTT signed in 2019.
The MSDFS and iGovTT renewed the MOU which will allow members of the public to access information on specified grants and services offered by the Ministry, as well as submit applications for identified grants through the seven (7) TTConnect Service Centres located in Trinidad, as well as in Tobago.
Clients of the Ministry can also sign up for Direct Deposit and apply for their Seniors Citizens’ Pension through ttconnect.
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