Guidlines to Pensioners

If you are a defence pensioner drawing pension from a DPDO through bank, please keep the following important aspects in mind:
1.	Get your identification done once in 12 months.
2.	Ordinarily, the officers/staff would devote their time exclusively for processing and printing of pension payment schedule and sending these schedules to your pension paying bank branches, from 15th to 25th of each month. Any delay in this work may result in delay by the bank branches in crediting your pension to your bank account.   Hence the pensioners are requested to visit the office of a DPDO for any service, including identification, during the first half of the month or the last five days of the month. This would enable the officers/staff posted in the DPDOs serve you better.
3.	If you are working or living aboard, avail the facility of submitting Life Certificate obtained from the Indian Consulate/Embassy/High Commission of the respective country. This will save you from the inconvenience of attending the DPDO every year for identification. For more details, see our Link: Frequently Asked Questions.  (provide a link to Frequently Asked Questions).
4.	If you are working in a Government department/Public Sector Undertaking/ Semi-autonomous body, you can send your identification/Life Certificate signed by the Head of your office.
5.	While visiting the Office of DPDO for identification, please keep your identity card and pension book with you.
6.	The pensioners may keep their pension book in safe custody. The pension book can not be mortgaged under any circumstances.
7.	Intimate the contingencies like employment, re-employment, marriage, re-marriage, change of nationality, death of the pensioner or spouse, arrest, conviction by a Court of Law, etc., to the DPDO immediately. This may help them to provide better services to you. Hiding these facts may lead to inconveniences to you or your family members in a later period.
8.	Ensure that Joint Notification has been issued in favour of your spouse during your life time. This will help the DPDO commence immediate payment of family pension in case of the sad demise of a pensioner and eliminate the inconveniences that may be caused to their family members.
9.	Pensioners are advised to nominate their spouses to enable them to receive lifetime arrears in case of his death. In case the spouse is not alive, they may nominate other family members to avoid inconvenience in obtaining Life Time Arrears by the Legal heirs.
10.	In case you want to make any representation to any of the authorities [DPDO, ZO(PD), CDA(PD), etc.,], your name, HO Number (the pension book number allotted by the DPDO), your communication address and  the name of the bank through which you draw pension may be clearly mentioned in your communication. This will enable the authorities to trace your case file and settle your grievance immediately.