To obtain the solidarity allowance for the elderly (Aspa), you have to be patient. Pension fund officers are struggling to process the flood of files on time. In question, the grandpa-boom, the lack of staff or even computer malfunctions according to the Federation social protection, work, employment of the French Democratic Confederation of Labor (CFDT) which published a press release, Friday July 15, 2022.
The Pension and Occupational Health Insurance Fund (Carsat) and the National Old Age Insurance Fund (Cnav) can no longer cope. “All the funds are affected by delays, to varying degrees”, explained to Merci pour l’info Florence Puget, national secretary of the CFDT. “In 2021, 30,000 pension files remained outstanding”, according to the CFDT which indicates that in 2022, “the situation is further deteriorating”.
First observation of the union: “Pension funds receive 3% more files every year due to the ‘grandpa-boom’, with fewer and fewer staff to process files”, we can read. Departures are not replaced, says the union. In 2017, 14,800 employees handled the files of 16.1 million retirees. Four years later, 13,700 employees must deal with 16.9 million retirees.
The modernization of the Information System (IS) should make it possible to compensate for the drop in staff but “computer malfunctions got the better of this announcement”, tackles the CFDT. Computer problems impose “manual processing” on agents, specifies Florence Puget, pointing to “a lot of suffering” at work.
As a result of this situation, the processing times for survivors’ pensions are substantial in certain regions. “For example, in the Normandy region, these are 4 to 5 months”, points out the CFDT. Joining an advisor at 3960 has become tricky and in some caisses, it is impossible to get an appointment for several months, assures the union.
Similarly, ensuring the payment of the Aspa, ex-minimum old age, on time is mission impossible. “For a third of the files received and processed, it is more than 3 months late”, can we read. While waiting for their file to be processed, people who are eligible can “be entitled to active solidarity income (RSA) and be taken care of by social workers, but not everyone is able to be accompanied”, deplores Florence Puget.
The union, which believes that the disastrous situation in the processing of files is due to the lack of staff, is counting on discussions in September so that the question of staffing is addressed in the agreements of objectives and management (COG). These are due to come into force in January 2023 and extend for five years.
