EPFO to pay Rs 15K relief to Ropar resident for delaying claim
Ramkrishan Upadhyay
Chandigarh, July 19
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed the Employees Provident Fund Office (EPFO), Chandigarh, to pay a compensation of Rs 15,000 to a Ropar resident for a delay in settling his claims.
In a complaint filed before the commission through advocate Hitender Kansal, Surjan Singh stated that he had resigned from the office of Sant Karam Singh Academy, Shampura, Roopnagar, on November 30, 2014. Documents regarding provident fund and monthly pension from EPF were submitted by his employer to the EPFO.
Till October 2021, the EPFO failed to pay the benefits. A month later, he approached the EPFO to know the status of his claim and came to know that his documents were lost. On December 13, 2021, he again submitted his documents to the EPFO but the official concerned refused to accept the same as they had not reconciled its record.
Denying the allegations, the EPFO stated that the complainant’s claim (Form 19) was settled for Rs 1,42,508 on March 2, 2022. However, his PF accumulation from 2003 to 2008 will be settled shortly after verification and reconciliation of record, which was underway.
The commission observed that the EPFO had admitted that the balance claim was yet to be settled. “The EPFO has admitted to delay in verification and reconciliation of records. Hence, we are of the view that the EPFO is deficient in providing service due to which the complainant has suffered mental agony and harassment,” the commission observed.
