Concessions require the approval of the officer in charge. (Representative image)
Due to recent issues faced by field offices, EPFO will allow its members to file EPF death claims without allotment of Aadhaar.
The Employees' Provident Organization (EPFO) has made significant changes to the EPF death claim process, allowing members to move forward without allotment of Aadhaar. This has arisen due to recent issues faced by field offices with regard to seeding and authentication of Aadhaar after death of a member.
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In a circular issued on May 17, the superannuation fund body noted that concessions can only be made after obtaining approval from the Officer in Charge (OIC) through e-office file.
“The file must meticulously document the membership of the deceased and the verification procedures undertaken to verify the legitimacy of the claimant. “This protocol will be implemented along with additional due diligence measures as directed by the OIC to mitigate the risk of fraudulent withdrawals.”
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The notice also notes that the guidance only applies to situations where member details are accurate in the UAN but inaccurate in the UID database.
Seeding Aadhaar Issue
As mentioned in the EPFO circular, the field offices have faced several challenges with regard to sowing and authentication of Aadhaar on death. Some of these include inaccurate and incomplete details in Aadhaar records, unavailability of details before Aadhaar implementation, deactivated accounts and technical issues in Aadhaar verification.
These issues result in unwanted delays in processing said claims. To address this issue, EPFO now allows physical EPF claims without seeding Aadhaar with the following conditions:
- Temporary allowance for physical claims without Aadhaar seeding on death.
- OIC approval is required.
- Detailed verification is important to confirm the identity of the deceased and the authentication of the claimant.
- Appropriate precautions are taken as directed by the OIC to prevent fraudulent withdrawals.
What happens after a member without Aadhaar dies?
According to the website, if a member without Aadhaar dies, the candidate's Aadhaar details will be saved in the system and the member will be able to sign the JD form. Other processes remain the same. If there is no nomination, one of the member's family members or legal heirs can attest and submit the details to JD.