Issue of pensioner CGHS Cards to Central Government servants before retirement.

Central Government servants on their retirement from service are entitled to CGHS facility, if they retire from office Ministries / Departments / Offices covered by CGHS. For availing CGHS facility, if eligible, after retirement from service, pensioners are required to fill up the requisite form and deposit the appropriate amount [lump sum amount equivalent to one year’s contribution for availing CGHS facility for one year (which can be extended on an annual basis on payment of the appropriate contribution as applicable at the time of renewal) or pay in lump sum equivalent to ten years’ contribution for availing CGHS facility with life-time validity). The process of issuing of pensioner CGHS cards starts only after the Government servant retires from service and only after the Pension Pay Order (PPO) and Last Pay Certificate (LPC) are issued by the Ministry / Department / Office. The completion of the formalities takes two to three months, which puts pensioners in a problematic condition for getting treatment from the date on which they retire from service and the time when a pensioner CGHS card is issued to them.

2. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has received representations from retired Central Government servants and from officials due for retirement within the next few months with the request that the policy regarding issue of pensioner CGHS cards be simplified so that they are in a position to get the pensioner CGHS card a day after their retirement from service.

3. The matter has been examined by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in consultation with CGHS and it has been decided that the following course of action will be taken in respect of officials who are entitled to avail CGHS facility after his / her retirement from Government service:
(i) All Ministries / Departments will, alongwith pension papers, give the application for issue of pensioner CGHS cards to the official three months before the due date for retirement of the official;

(ii) The official, if he / she is interested in availing CGHS facility after his / her retirement, will:

a. Fill up the form for issue of pensioner’s card;

b. affix stamp sized photographs of the family members entitled to avail CGHS facility in the proforma for issue of pensioner’s card;

c. enclose Demand Draft I Pay Order for the appropriate amount with reference to his I her decision to get CGHS card with life-time validity (the amount will be equal to ten years’ contribution) or with validity for one year (the amount will be equal to one year’s contribution). For obtaining the card in Delhi, the Demand Draft I Pay Order will have to be made payable to “Pay & Accounts Officer (CGHS), payable at Delhi” and for obtaining card in a CGHS city outside Delhi, the Demand Draft I Pay Order will have to be made payable to “Additional Director or Joint Director (as the
case may be) of the CGHS city, payable in that city”;
(iii) The Ministry / Department will add a certificate of pay, grade pay, etc., drawn by the applicant to the application form and also mention the entitlement of ward (Private ward / Semi-Private Ward / General Ward) at the time of retirement of the official;

(iv) The Ministry / Department will forward the application complete in all respects to the Additional Director in the concerned CGHS city after verifying the particulars furnished by the applicant six weeks before the date of retirement of the official;

(v) CGHS pensioner cell in the concerned CGHS city will initiate action to get the pensioner card prepared;

(vi) The validity of the pensioner card will start from a date after the last day of service of the official;

(vii) If the beneficiary, while in service, has been issued plastic card, then the beneficiary identification number (Ben ID No.) will not be changed at the time of preparation of pensioner card and the same Ben ID number will be carried forward in the pensioner card;

(viii) The pensioner card will be handed over to the retired official only after the date of superannuation / retirement from service; and
(ix) Before the pensioner CGHS card is issued to the beneficiary, the plastic CGHS cards issued to all the members of the family will be surrendered

4. All Ministries / Departments are requested to give wide publicity to the contents of these instructions.

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