Note: this article was first published on the 24th of November, 2020 and updated on the 10th of December, 2020 in light of the MSS enhancement described here.
The 2nd mailing of the 2020 Certificates of Entitlement (CE), dated 31 October 2020, is in the process of being dispatched by UN Mail and Pouch Services to the 20,984 retirees and beneficiaries from whom the Fund had not received their original duly completed barcoded 2020 CE form by mid-October 2020. We hope these CE forms have already reached, or will reach, all concerned within the next few weeks. Should you be part of the beneficiaries who, at today’s date, still have not yet received their 2020 CE form, please read on for guidance on what to do.
The Fund encourages all retirees and beneficiaries to return their original barcoded CE forms to the Fund by 31 December 2020. However, we are cognizant that, due to COVID-19 related disruptions, numerous retirees and beneficiaries still may not be able to receive and return their 2020 CE form. With this in mind, the Fund has worked hard to offer alternative means of CE form or proof of life submission to retirees and beneficiaries, so that all can comply with the requirements of the 2020 CE Exercise. Please take note below of new CE related measures.
NEW MSS DOCUMENT UPLOAD FEATURE INSIDE YOUR MEMBER SELF SERVICE, ALLOWING FOR ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF THE CE FORM:
In an effort to make the process of returning the CE form easier for beneficiaries, the Fund just launched a new Member Self Service (MSS) feature, which allows retirees and beneficiaries to return their CE form to the Fund in electronic format (rather than as a hardcopy physical document). Retirees and beneficiaries who have registered for MSS can now upload a scanned version of their duly signed 2020 CE form inside their MSS portal under the new MSS Document Upload tab.
Before converting the CE form into a PDF or JPG/JPEG format and uploading it to MSS for submission to the Fund, please kindly ensure the following:
- The CE form bears a current date
- The signature on the form is handwritten, i.e., the Fund does not and will not accept an electronic signature
- If a thumbprint is affixed in lieu of a signature, it must be duly authenticated and if the thumbprint is in lieu of a handwritten signature due to medical issues, a physician must authenticate it in the designated space on the CE form and the same physician must provide a note which must be attached with the CE, as per the usual requirements.
Once the electronic MSS submission is received by the Fund, the electronic copy of the CE will be added to the retiree’s/beneficiary’s case file and it shall be treated like an ‘original CE’. In effect, the retiree/beneficiary shall be deemed to have met the requirements of the 2020 Exercise. There is no further need to snail mail, special courier or pouch the original hardcopy version of their CE form to the Fund. However, the retiree/beneficiary is being requested to retain the original copy of their CE form in a safe place for the next 12 months in case the Fund requests for the same for audit purposes.
Detailed, step-by-step guidelines explaining how this new upload feature works are provided inside the MSS Document Upload tab. The Fund also recently published an article explaining this new feature which you can access here: official-documents-can-now-be-submitted-to-the-fund-electronically-through-unjspf-member-self-service/.
Finally, it should be noted that this new MSS Document Upload feature can be used ONLY for submission of documents, NOT for submission of queries; indeed, all queries must be submitted via the correct official channels provided on the Fund’s Contact Us webpage, either via the Contact Form or by phone: contact-us/. Queries received via the MSS Document Upload feature will not be responded to.
How and when should I return the 2020 CE to the Fund?
A duly completed (dated and signed), barcoded 2020 CE form (either the one sent to you by the Fund or the MSS CE), should be returned to the Fund by the end of December 2020 either by mail or uploaded into MSS.
Please note that while UNJSPF walk-in client services remain suspended due to Covid-19, you can drop off your CE forms at the Fund’s New York and Geneva offices where dedicated UNJSPF mailboxes have been set up to receive your CE. If you are visiting the New York UNJSPF office, please check at the building reception desk about document drop off options.
What should I do in case I have not received the CE mailed by the Fund and cannot download it from MSS? (E.g. retirees/beneficiaries paid under the Two-Track)
Retirees/Beneficiaries who have not received their hardcopy 2020 CE form by end of November 2020 and who cannot download the CE from MSS are strongly encouraged to snail mail/special courier/pouch a letter to the Fund providing their full name, address, Pension Fund reference number (UID), as well as their original handwritten signature and the date. The Fund would exceptionally accept such letter in lieu of the 2020 CE form.
In case you reside in a country where all mailing services have been suspended due to COVID-19 and you cannot send such letter to the Fund, please submit such letter to the Fund by uploading it via the MSS Document Upload feature explained above. Exceptionally, in view of the special COVID-19 circumstances, the Fund will consider the electronic version of such letter acceptable to prevent the suspension of your benefit.
Alternatively, if you cannot use MSS to upload such letter to the Fund, you can submit it to the Fund via the online Contact Form contact-us/ to which you can attach the letter. For security purposes your Contact Form submission must be done from an email address previously recorded with the Fund.
We encourage all beneficiaries to visit this dedicated CE webpage regularly, as we continuously update it with CE relevant information and guidance. Additional Covid-19 specific CE guidance is also available as part of the Covid-19 FAQ which you can access here.
Please submit any questions you may have via the official channels for contacting the Fund, i.e. via the online Contact Form or other contact details provided on our Contact Us page.
