The Defence Pension Scheme is extremely important for defence personnel because it provides them with financial support when they retire, get injured, become disabled, or expire. The scheme provides invaluable support to not only defence personnel but also to their spouses and dependents. Read this blog, as it takes a deep dive into the topic of the military pension scheme.
What is the Defence Pension Scheme?
The Defence Pension Scheme provides regular pension and lump sum benefits to retired defence personnel and their families. The scheme is meant to provide a dignified life and secure the future of defence personnel once they retire.
Hence, it honours their service and contribution to the nation. The scheme has many provisions to ensure the overall well-being of defence personnel post their retirement.
For example, in the event of a pensioner’s demise, it offers family pensions to his dependents. It offers disability and war injury pensions to rehabilitate defence personnel.
In India, inflation tends to be very high, which can deplete the value of money. Hence, the scheme provides cost-of-living adjustments so that pensions are increased to account for inflation.
Features of the Defence Pension Scheme
It is important to understand the key features of the defence pension scheme:
Feature
| Explanation
|
Beneficiaries
| The scheme provides pensions to defence personnel and their families in the following categories:
· Former defence officers with at least 20 years of service.
· Former non-officer defence personnel with at least 15 years of service.
· Those civilians who are employed in defence facilities.
· The families of those defence personnel who are deceased.
|
Pension Benefits
| The scheme provides a regular pension to retired defence personnel in accordance with their rank, the length of their service, and any other criteria.
|
Family Pension
| If a retired defence personnel dies, the scheme provides a pension to his spouse or dependents.
|
Disability Pension
| If a veteran gets injured or disabled while serving in the armed forces, he gets a pension under the scheme.
|
Gratuity
| Under the scheme, veterans are entitled to receive a lump sum payment as a gratuity upon retirement.
|
Medical Benefits
| The scheme has a provision to provide medical benefits to retired defence personnel as well as to their dependents.
|
Commutation
| A retired defence personnel is allowed to commute a part of his pension in exchange for a lump sum payment.
|
Pension Revision
| The scheme revises the pension of beneficiaries periodically to ensure that it is adjusted for rising prices or inflation.
|
Types of Defence Pension Schemes
There are multiple defence pension schemes for the welfare of defence personnel and their families. The following table talks about these schemes in detail:
Type of the scheme
| Details of the scheme
|
Service Pension
| Minimum pension is ₹9,000 / month.
Maximum pension is either half of the last drawn emoluments or half of the average emoluments of the last 10 months.
Eligibility Criteria:
· A commissioned officer should have completed at least 20 years of service, or
· A defence personnel of lower than officer rank should have finished at least 15 years of service.
|
Family Pension/ Vidhwa Pension
| If a defence personnel dies due to a natural cause, his family will receive:
· Minimum pension amount of ₹9,000 / month
· 30% of the emoluments last drawn
|
Special Family/ Vidhwa Pension
| If a defence personnel’s death is attributed to or aggravated by Military Service:
· His family will get a special pension.
· 60% of the emoluments last drawn by the personnel who has deceased.
|
Liberalized Family/ Vidhwa Pension
| If a defence personnel is killed in specific situations like counter-insurgency operations, war/war-like operations, or encounter with terrorists, his family will receive:
· A pension which is equal to the last drawn emoluments by him.
|
Disability Pension
| If a defence personnel’s disability is attributed to or aggravated by his military service:
Disability elements of his pension:
· In proportion to the level of his disability.
· If he is completely disabled, he will get up to 30% of the emoluments he last drew.
· If he is less than 20% disabled, he will not get a disability pension.
Service element of the pension: The retirement pension will be at 50% of the emoluments the personnel last drew.
|
War Injury Pension Scheme
| If a personnel is 100% disabled, he will get the following pension:
· If it is an invalid case, the personnel will receive an amount equal to the emoluments he last drew.
· If it is a discharge case, he will receive 60% of the emoluments he last drew.
· Based on the level of disability, the amount of pension gets reduced.
|
Invalid Pension Scheme
| If a defence personnel becomes disabled due to a non-attributable nor aggravated (NANA) disability, he will get a pension provided:
· He is in service from January 04, 2019.
· If he is permanently incapacitated from military service and is re-employed in the private sector.
|
Reservist Pension
| This scheme gives pension:
· If a personnel has completed a minimum 15 years in the prescribed and combined Colour & Reserve Service.
· It gives 2/3rd pension of the minimum pension fixed for a Sepoy.
|
Key Benefits of the Defence Pension Scheme
This scheme provides many important benefits for defence personnel so that they and their family members can live a dignified life:
Regular income: Retired defence personnel get a regular stream of income once they retire, which allows them to maintain their quality of life. Besides, regular income ensures that they remain financially independent.
Financial support for dependents: The scheme has a provision for a family pension that ensures that the dependents of a personnel get a regular income if he expires, which helps them cope with the loss.
Provides benefits for war injuries or disabilities: If a personnel sustains a war injury or a disability during his defence service, the scheme provides pensions, which ensure that his financial needs, medical care, rehabilitation, and other living expenses are taken care of.
Adjusts for inflation and provides tax benefits: Rising prices can eat a large chunk of pension. Hence, the scheme adjusts pension in accordance with inflation. Besides, it offers tax exemptions on pension as well.
Regulations Governing Defence Pension Schemes
A number of guidelines and regulations of the Central Government and military authorities govern the Defence Pension Scheme. These guidelines provide details about the criteria for eligibility, the method of calculating pension, and the process to claim benefits. Furthermore, these regulations provide the rights and obligations of pensioners, resulting in fairness and transparency.
Required Documents for the Defence Pension Scheme
If a retired personnel wants to avail of the scheme’s benefits, he must submit the following documents:
Certificate of Discharge: This document serves as a proof of service and retirement.
Pension Payment Order (PPO): This is issued when a personnel retires.
Bank Account Details are needed to transfer a pension.
Proof of Identification, such as an Aadhar Card, Military ID, or PAN Card.
Medical Certificates if someone is applying for invalid or disability pensions.
Family Details are needed to make claims for a family pension. For this purpose, marriage certificates and birth certificates of dependents can be provided.
Proof of Address has to be provided for the verification of a personnel’s current residential address.
Conclusion
The Defence Pension Schemes provides various kinds of support to retired defence personnel, which includes a regular pension, protection against inflation, and medical assistance. Hence, it honours the contributions of defence personnel and ensures that they lead a dignified life after retirement.