“Medical Disability” Pension Does Not Require Age or Length of Service

The General Authority for Pensions and Social Insurance confirmed the right of the insured citizen to receive a “medical disability” pension, once his disability is proven and the procedures for terminating his service are completed by a decision of the Supreme Medical Committee, regardless of the age of the insured or the length of his service registered with the Authority.

The Authority has specified five official documents that must be completed by the insured before transferring the disability retirement application to the relevant medical committee, the most important of which are a recent medical report from a government hospital and a copy of the identity card.

In detail, the General Authority for Pensions and Social Insurance stated that the insured citizen is entitled to receive a “medical disability” pension, once his disability status is proven, and immediately after completing the procedures for terminating his service by a decision of the Supreme Medical Committee, stressing that the insured’s period of service registered with the Authority is not considered a primary condition for disbursing this type of pension.

The Authority explained – in response to questions from customers on its official website – that the procedures for the insured to obtain a medical disability pension begin immediately upon the issuance of the decision of the Supreme Medical Committee to prove cases of disability, and its approval of the termination of the insured’s service, as the employer is obligated to send the insured’s end-of-service file to the Authority, within a period not exceeding one month from the date of termination of service, provided that it is complete with all the documents and papers related to it, including the decision of the Supreme Medical Committee.

The Authority stressed that the Supreme Medical Committee is the only body competent to prove cases of entitlement to pension due to disability, noting that this committee was reconstituted by the Ministry of Health pursuant to Ministerial Resolution No. 924 of 2014, issued by the Minister of Health, to include in its membership representatives of the General Authority for Pensions and Social Security, the Ministry of Health, the Dubai Health Authority, and the private sector, to be the only body competent to review the medical reports submitted by the insured, and it has the right to present these reports to another specialized treating physician.

The Authority has specified five official documents that must be completed by the insured person before transferring the disability retirement application to the relevant medical committee, including “a recent medical report from a government hospital, a copy of the official ID issued by the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, a copy of the family record, three coloured personal photos, in addition to the birth certificate.”

She stated that the list of diseases that the committee considers to prove the disability status varies between cancer, bone diseases, accidents, fractures, neurosurgery, eye and psychological surgery, thalassemia, blood diseases, internal diseases, and rheumatism diseases, in addition to other diseases specified by the medical report, stressing that the decision to prove disability is subject, in its entirety, to the discretion of the Supreme Medical Committee regarding each case.

She pointed out that Federal Law No. 7 of 1999 on Pensions and Social Insurance and its amendments specified the cases in which the insured or beneficiary is entitled to a pension due to disability or unfitness in Article 16, which are the case of the end of service due to total disability, as well as the case of the end of the insured’s service due to unfitness for service on a medical basis, and the case of the end of his service in the private sector for health reasons that threaten his life with danger if he continues in his work, provided that the decision of the medical committee is prior to the date of the end of service.

The Authority added that in these cases, it is required that the disability be proven during the period in which the insured is covered by the provisions of Federal Law No. (7) of 1999 on Pensions and Social Insurance and its amendments, and that the insured not be disabled before appointment and registration with the Authority, unless his health condition worsens due to this disability, such that it leads to the termination of his service, with proof of this by a decision of the competent medical committee.

Proof of disability

The General Authority for Pensions and Social Insurance confirmed that once the disability or unfitness for service is proven by a decision of the committee, and the insured’s service is terminated, the pension will be paid to him from the day following the end of service, regardless of his age and the length of his service registered with the Authority.

She explained that, following the issuance of the medical decision, the employer must provide the Authority with the insured’s end-of-service file, including all required documents and papers, including the decision of the competent medical committee, via the electronic end-of-service application, available on the Authority’s website, within a maximum of one month from the date of termination of his service.

Medical Committee

The General Authority for Pensions and Social Insurance stated that insured persons working in the government sector are referred to the Supreme Medical Committee directly by their employers before their services are terminated, while if the insured citizen works in the private sector, he is referred to the competent medical committee through the Authority, based on a letter addressed to it by his employer, provided that the letter includes all the documents and papers required for the purposes of referral to the committee.

• The Supreme Medical Committee is the only body competent to prove cases of eligibility for a “medical disability” pension.