Senior citizens unhappy BR1M not credited into accounts

PETALING JAYA: A group of senior citizens have voiced their disappointment about not getting their 1Malaysia People’s Aid although their applications have been approved.

Retiree K. Sivam, 74, said he had helped his neighbours and friends apply for the BR1M by virtue of him being the area’s Rukun Tetangga head.

On Jan 15, he said he received a letter from the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) stating that the money had been deposited into his bank account.

“However, upon checking I found that the money was not credited,” he said.

He claimed that about 50 people in his neighbourhood were in a similar situation.

“Some did not have bank accounts or had trouble filling out the forms, so I helped them.

“However, we still have not received our BR1M,” he claimed.

A reader of The Star also said that “checks with the bank showed that the money had not been deposited yet” and that he spent money on taxi fares to go to the bank several times.

Meanwhile, Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Chua Tee Yong said some of the recipients might have applied for the aid after the Government extended the closing date from Dec 31, 2014 to Jan 31 this year.

Applications after Dec 31 were processed later, he said when asked about complaints of successful applicants not receiving payment promptly.

He also said that the 1.2 million people, whose applications were rejected, could appeal, noting that 94% of the 500,000 failed applicants who appealed in 2014 were subsequently approved for the BR1M.

Chua said they could appeal after receiving a letter of their rejected application status from the IRB.

“Sometimes, the rejection may be due to insufficient or incorrect information,” he said.

“In certain cases, the IRB might have discovered that the applicant’s wages are higher (than the eligibility rules),” he added.

According to Chua, after an internal BR1M secretariat meeting, it was decided that unsuccessful applicants would be given a month to appeal.

“The Finance Ministry will announce the appeal period and appeal format in due course,” he said.