Government Begins Handshake Payment to2,154 Retired Employees: Package of US$1,216,850 Million to be disbursed to Retirees

Monrovia, Liberia - The Government of Liberia wishes to formally announce that since February 2020, approximately 2,154 employees from 14 entities of the Government of Liberia (GoL) were retired after reaching the age of retirement, consistent with the New Social Security Law of 2017. A program to honor the retired employees was planned for early April 2020 but had to be canceled due to the prevailing health emergency in the country.

The President, Vice President, and the entire Government of Liberia would, therefore, like to use this time to thank the retired employees for the many years of dedicated service to the Government and people of Liberia. The Government is grateful for their contribution to our country and wishes them all the best in their retirement. For those who will go on to serve their country in new roles, we also wish them a rewarding experience.

In fulfillment of our obligation under Section 60 2(d) of the Civil Service Human Resource Policy Manual of the GoL, the Government commits to paying the stipulated Handshake Packages for all retirees in their various categories, based on the number of years worked. Individual checks are currently being prepared for the payments to begin through an inter-agency committee. A meeting in the next two days to work out the modalities for reaching all retirees with their Handshake Payments will clearly define the framework for reaching out to retirees, which we expect to begin on April 25, 2020, beginning with Montserrado and Margibi Counties.

 Meanwhile, the Handshake Payment Teams will endeavor to reach all retirees in person as the payments will be accompanied by the signing of their C1 Forms for pension processing with the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP). Therefore, all beneficiaries are kindly advised to make themselves available to receive their payments. NASSCORP is currently processing all C1 Forms already received and would like to speed up the completion of the enrollment of this batch of retirees as quickly as possible.

 We count on the cooperation of all involved, particularly HR Directors of the entities from which the retirees are drawn, to ensure that the handshake payments to all the retirees are completed by the middle of May 2020. This is particularly important for retirees, given the current situation in the country brought on by CIVID-19.