http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=121977
Kota Kinabalu: “Do not take lightly the need to name nominees for our savings in the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) because it is important for the future of our beneficiaries,” said a private sector employee who requested to be identified as Laili.
The mother of the two said her experience of claiming her late husband’s EPF savings, which took her three months, made her realise how crucial it was to name and update EPF nominees.
In an interview, Laili, 36, said many EPF subscribers might think that it was not important to name their nominees, or that the matter could be delayed, without thinking that death could come to them anytime.
“Therefore, there is no harm in taking 30 minutes of our time to go to the EPF office and fill in the nomination form to facilitate and expedite our children, spouse or parents to claim our savings when we are no longer around,” she said.
Relating her experience in making the claim on her late husband’s EPF savings, Laili said she wasted a lot of time and money going back and forth until the matter was resolved.
She said she had to live on a tight budget to ensure there were sufficient funds for her and her children to survive on during the lengthy and tedious process before she could get her late husband’s savings.
On the first day at the EPF office, she said an officer explained to her the process of making the claim, including the forms she had to fill and the necessary supporting documents she had to furnish.
“However, the officer told me that in my case, the process was going to be complicated because after checking details in the EPF system, it was found that my husband had not made any nomination for me or my children as his beneficiaries,” she said, adding that the case had to be referred to the syariah court.
When she went to the Syariah Court, Laili said she was given a “faraid claim” form to fill and after filling in the details she had to return to the office once again to submit the form.
She said there were also other procedures she had to comply with, including inserting her husband’s obituary in three local newspapers for three consecutive days.
“This was to ascertain that my husband had no other wives or children,” she added.
After completing all the requirements, including taking an oath, Laili said her claim application was approved and the syariah court issued a property division order for submission to the EPF.
On her part as an EPF subscriber, Laili said she had named her nominees since she was 23 and had updated the nomination to include her children.
“Don’t make it difficult for your next-of-kin to claim your savings. I am lucky to have a job, but imagine those who are unemployed and with small children. Who are they going to turn to when their spouse, children or parents are gone?” she said.