Separation

 

1. Repatriation Grant
Repatriation Grant is intended to assist internationally recruited staff members with expenses incurred in connection with establishing residency away from the last duty station upon separation from service. It is payable to staff members whom UNDP is obligated to repatriate. The Repatriation Grant is payable to staff who have completed at least five years of qualifying service and is linked to the years of service and dependency status. The repatriation grant is calculated at the rates specified according to the schedule provided in Annex IV of the Staff Regulations.
The net base salary is used to calculate the Repatriation Grant. For single staff members, 5 years of service grants 8 weeks of salary and 1 week is granted for each year thereafter (total maximum is 16 weeks). For staff members with a spouse and/or recognised dependents, 5 years of service grants 14 weeks of salary, 2 extra weeks are granted for each extra year thereafter (total maximum is 28 weeks).
Acquired rights are granted to eligible staff members who have more than one year as of 30 June 2016. Those staff members separating with less than one year as of 30 June 2016, forfeit the right to a repatriation grant entitlement.
The Repatriation Grant is to be claimed within two years after the separation date. It can only be claimed once the staff member establishes residency away from the last duty station and the relocation is not temporary in nature. If the staff member remains in his/her duty station after expiration of his/her contract, the Repatriation Grant will therefore be held in trust, for a maximum of two years, after which the entitlements lapses. However, the separated staff member may apply for an extension of the 2 year period by sending a written request to Benefits and Entitlements Services, before the 2 years are up. An extension is not automatically granted.
Proof of Country of Residence from outside the last duty station (also called Proof / Evidence of Relocation) is required for the Repatriation Grant to be released. The proof must be signed and sealed/stamped by any official authority (government, municipality, etc). You must retain the original for a minimum of five years for audit reasons.

2. Annual Leave
Payment of annual leave which has not been used at the time of separation is up to a maximum of:

• 60 days for FTA staff members
• 18 days for TA staff members

The unused annual leave is commuted to cash based on the staff member's net salary (single or dependent) plus the post adjustment applicable in the country of assignment at the time of separation, divided by 21.75 (which is the 261 working days per year, divided by 12 months), multiplied by the number of annual leave days due to the staff member. Language allowance should also be added for General Service staff if applicable.

3. Education Grant
In case you submit an Education Grant claim shortly before your separation date, the Education Grant will be released as part of your final entitlements. If you do not submit your Education Grant via eServices, please make sure you submit both the signed P41 and P45 (see Forms and Circulars under Education Grant)

The Separation Package is the term used to describe the documents and travel authorisation (if applicable) which Benefits and Entitlements Services sends to you in relation to your separation. It consists of a letter to you, explaining the separation process and formalities, an authorisation to your office to pay you the Relocation Grant and monetised ticket (if applicable) and forms to be filled in by you and your office.

Monetised ticket
Internationally recruited staff members are generally entitled to monetisation of ticket for themselves and their eligible dependants from their duty station to their place of repatriation.
Approximately one month prior to the end date of the contract, Benefits and Entitlements Services sends the staff member and his/her office a separation letter and various separation documents, including an authorization to the office to pay staff member the monetised ticket.
For more details, please see the circular UNDP/ADM/00/14 of 21 June 2000 under Forms and Circulars/Travel and Visas/Documents and circulars.

Relocation Grant
Relocation Grant refers to the lump sum paid in lieu of shipment of personal effects. The amounts are:

• for JPOs: USD 6,000 (single rate) or USD 9,000 (with dependents)
• for all other eligible staff member: USD 13,000 (single rate) or USD 18,000 (with dependents)

In case of an assignment of less than one year, and irrespective of the staff member's family status, the Relocation Grant rate is USD 1,200.

Separating staff members are entitled to receive their Relocation Grant (and monetization of ticket to their place of repatriation) prior to the end date of their contract, enabling to arrange the shipment of their personal effects. Approximately one month prior to the end date of the contract, Benefits and Entitlements Services sends the staff member and his/her office a separation letter and various separation documents, including an authorization to the office to pay the Relocation Grant and monetization of ticket.

Your coverage under Aetna Group Life Insurance, if applicable, and your medical insurance expire at the end of the month of your separation date. Eg., if your separation date is 15th March, you are covered till 31 March. If your separation date is 31 March, your are covered till 31 March.

If you wish to keep your coverage, you will have to do so as a private member. For further information on your insurance schemes please liaise directly with:
UN Insurance Unit, UN Secretariat
304 East 45th Street, Room FF-335P
New York
NY 10017
USA
Tel. (212) 963-9124 / Fax (212) 963-4222
http://www.un.org/Depts/oppba/accounts/insurance/

You might, however, be entitled to After Service Health Insurance and After Service Life insurance, with varying degrees of reduced premium, depending on your years of service.

After Service Health Insurance
Requires that you are 55 years of age upon your separation, and that you have contributed to the health insurance without interruption for at least 5 years (and for at least 10 years if you were recruited on or after 1 July 2007). For details, please see ST/AI/2007/3 of 1 July 2007 on our website under "Forms and Circulars/Separation/Separations Documents" or on the UN Insurance’s website.

If such an entitlement exists, the relevant application form will be sent to you by your HR associate, prior to your separation.

Checklist for surviving spouse insurance coverage

After Service Life Insurance - Free life insurance coverage after separation from service
Participants who separate from service prior to the age of 55 receive one year’s free life insurance coverage, at the level of their coverage on the date of separation, for each completed 10-year period of contributory participation.

Participants who separate from service at the age of 55 or older receive free life insurance coverage equal to a percentage of their coverage on the date of separation. The percentage is reduced as the participant grows older, subject to a minimum and a maximum.
The ASHI application together with recent copies of your passport and your eligible enrolled dependants passport should be sent to your HR focalpoint.

Conversion privilege
All staff members who, at the time of their separation from service, are participating in the plan may make arrangements with the insurance company to convert to an individual policy under conditions established by the insurance company, without having to produce further evidence of insurability (CIGNA dental does not have a conversion plan.) Please see the latest Information Circulars for details (Conversion Privilige) - https://www.un.org/insurance/circulars

UN Insurance Unit, UN Secretariat
304 East 45th Street, Room FF-335P
New York
NY 10017
USA
Tel. (212) 963-9124/ Fax (212) 963-4222
https://www.un.org/Depts/oppba/accounts/insurance/

Cigna
Plantin en Moretuslei 299
2140 ANtwerpen
Belgium

Aetna (Group Life Insurance)
Check their website www.aetna.com for contact details regarding your specific questions.

Pension Fund
If the separating staff member has been a member of UNJSPF for less than five years, he/she should fill in the applicable page of the form "PENS E/6. Instructions for Payment of Benefits".

If the separating staff member has been a member of UNJSPF for more than five years, he/she should fill in the form "PENS E/7. Instructions for Payment of Benefits".

These forms are provided as part of the separation package. According to what is chosen on the form, the pension contribution is released, or it is held in trust. If staff member requests release of the pension contribution, this will be released by UNJSPF when all separation formalities have been completed by UNDP and UN Payroll. On average, the pension contribution is released 3-4 months after a staff member’s separation date.

If you are electing a retirement benefit, you must also submit copies of birth certificate or equivalent document for self, spouse(s) and each child under the age of 21, your marriage certificate(s) and divorce decree(s), if applicable. The above listed documentation must still be furnished even though you may have already submitted the same at some point to your employing organization, since the Fund has no access to those records.

For details on your pension contribution, please contact UNJSPF directly, eg. for information on how much will be released when you separate, if you choose release. You might want to check the ‘Regulations and Rules’ and the ‘Calculate your Entitlements’ on UNJSPF’s website.

UNJSPF
United Nations Headquarters
P. O. Box 5036
New York
NY 10017
USA
Email: unjspfny@unjspf.org
Tel.: (+1) 212 963 6931
www.unjspf.org

In Person:
UNJSPF
Pension Entitlements Section
4th Floor, DHP
1 Dag Hammarskjold
Plaza DHP
Corner of 48th Street and 2nd Avenue
New York, New York 10017
United States

Mailing Address (By normal post):
Chief of Operations
United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund
United Nations
P.O. Box 5036
New York, NY 10017
United States

Mailing Address (By Express Courier):
UNJSPF
Pension Entitlements Section
4th Floor, DHP
885 Second Avenue
New York, New York 10017
United States
Please note that should you wish to visit the Fund in New York in person, you should come to 1 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, SW corner of 48th Street and Second Avenue, 37th Floor.

UNJSPF
Mr. Alan Blythe
Chief of the Geneva Office
Palais des Nations
1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Email: unjspf.gva@unjspf.org
Tel.: (+41) 22 917 18 24
Fax: (+41) 22 917 00 04
www.unjspf.org

The New York Office and the Geneva office have a shared electronic filing system, so you can contact either office, even if you served in New York.

Your UNLP must be cancelled when you separate from service. Therefore, you are required to submit your UNLP to Benefits and Entitlements Services when you separate. Your final entitlements will only be released when you have submitted all required documents and your UNLP.

Benefits and Entitlements Services will send the UNLP to UNDP Travel Service for cancellation.

Please note, if you are moving to a different organization, you may need to re-register your UNLP with your new organization.

For further information on the United Nations Pension Fund:
Presentation on UNJSPF
UNJSPF
United Nations Headquarters
P.O. Box 5036
1st Avenue/46th Street
New York
NY 10017
USA

Email: unjspf@un.org
Tel.: (+1) 212 963 6931
Web: http://www.unjspf.org

For further information on your insurance schemes after your separation, please liaise directly with:
UN Insurance Unit, UN Secretariat
304 East 45th Street, Room FF-335P
New York
NY 10017
USA

Tel. (212) 963-9124/ Fax (212) 963-4222
Web: https://www.un.org/Depts/oppba/accounts/insurance/

For further information on the medical insurance with CIGNA, please contact:
Cigna
Plantin en Moretuslei 299.
2140 Antwerpen
Belgium

Contact Cigna

For further information on the Federation of International Civil Servants' Associations (FICSA), please check their website.