Minister of Finance and the Public Service
The Restructuring of Public Sector Compensation
Kingston, Jamaica: Friday, February 18, 2022
Objective of the COVID-19 Vaccine Incentive Programme
The COVID-19 Vaccine Incentive Programme (the “Programme”) was introduced by the Government of Jamaica (“GOJ”) earlier this fiscal year to encourage citizens aged 60 and over to become fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The COVID-19 Vaccine Incentive Grant (the “Grant”) Is a grant payment of $10,000 to citizens 60 years or older who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as evidenced by vaccination records at the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
Update on Applications, Eligibility and Payments
Since the launch of the Programme 56,331 persons have applied for the COVID-19 Vaccine Incentive Grant through the online portal and 48,332 have been confirmed by the Ministry of Health and Wellness (“MOHW”) as eligible by reference to vaccination records held by the MOHW. Thus far, COVID-19 Vaccine Incentive Grants have been paid to 45,550 eligible applicants.
Issues Contributing to Delays
(1) Confirmation of eligibility for the COVID-19 Vaccination Incentive Grant has been delayed for 7,999 applicants due to the non-validation of full vaccination status. That is, from electronic queries to the MOHW database, we have not yet been able to validate that these applicants are fully vaccinated.
Grants cannot be paid to applicants without this validation of an applicant’s vaccination status.
(2) Of the 48,332 applicants whose vaccination status has been verified, for approximately 2,782 applicants, their bank account information does not match with the information held by their bank.
Grants cannot be paid to applicants if the banking information they provide is not verified by their bank.
Resolution of the Issues
To address these issues we have done the following:
(1) Sent text or email messages to persons who have not been validated via the MOHW database asking that they upload the information on their vaccination cards to the MOHW website at https://bit.ly/3rdZxhs; and
(2) Sent text or email messages to persons whose commercial bank information could not be verified asking that they address the discrepancies identified.
We will continue to work with the MOHW and others to resolve the issues and will provide a further update in due course.
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contact:
Corporate Communication & Public Relations Branch
Ministry of Finance and the Public Service
30 National Heroes Circle
Kingston 4
Tel: (876) 932-4656/4660/4655
Mobile: 876-809-4863
Email: Shakiel.Rochester-Shorter@mof.gov.jm, Shelly-Ann.Weeks@mof.gov.jm;
Contact: Shakiel Rochester Shorter, Shelly-Ann Weeks
The Hon. Nigel Clarke, D.Phil., MP
Minister of Finance and the Public Service
30 National Heroes Circle, Kingston 4
Tel: (876) 932-4656 / 4660 / 4655
Eml: opedjamaica@gmail.com
Officers of the Revenue Protection Department (RPD), with assistance from the MajorOrganised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA), last week, arrested and charged Rhemalee Wint-Lewis, Tax Auditor of the Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) for breaches of the Corruption Prevention Act.
Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke has announced that it is no longer necessary for the Government of Jamaica to provide support for the salaries of SSL staff members; an insurance claim made by the Temporary Manager of SSL in April of this year, to SSL’s insurers in England, has now been settled. SSL received the insurance payout of US$1 million on Thursday, September 7th, enabling SSL to settle the remainder of their August staff salary bill last week Monday, September 11.
Standard and Poor’s Global Ratings, today, September 13, 2023, upgraded the Government of Jamaica’s Long-Term Foreign and Local Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) from ‘B+’ to ‘BB-’ with a stable
outlook.
The Financial Investigations Division (“FID”), is using the proceeds of assets confiscated under Jamaica’s proceeds of crime legislation to fund the extraordinary expenses it incurs in the SSL fraud investigation. These funds do not constitute tax revenue. These funds arise from the FID’s work in identifying, restraining, forfeiting and monetising the proceeds of crime. That is, these funds arise from the confiscation of ill-gotten gains.
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