The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The National Insurance Board (NOB) yesterday said it is “always seeking” to make smart card renewals faster as it denied suggestions this process has suffered shortages or delays.

Dr Nicola Virgill-Rolle, NIB’s director, reiterated that “there is no shortage in the NIB smart card” after it was alleged that the inability of South and Central Andros businesses/residents to obtain timely renewals was impeding efforts to register with Customs’ new Click2Clear system and clear imported goods.

However, Mrs Virgil-Rolle confirmed there is a change in procedure” whereby NIB is issuing decals for smart card renewals. These are designed to be tamper resistant, thereby protecting the card’s integrity and acting as a safeguard against social security fraud, identity theft and other criminal abuses.

“The card was not supposed to last very long,” she added. “It was only supposed to last for two years, but we are finding cards are being renewed in good shape, so we are putting tamper resistant decals on the cards for renewals since November. We have been printing cards and I have told my team to give some new numbers in terms of the new card issuance.”

And NIB, in a statement to the media, added: “NIB introduced a new renewal decal system in late 2019 to extend the life of the existing smart cards which, at the time of issuance, had a five-year expiration, and in anticipation of changes to the card as part of the strategic plan to include a payment mechanism. The new approach resulted in reduced administrative expenses, which is a key priority of the board.

“Most cardholders are able to retain their expired cards with a tamper-resistant National Insurance (NI) decal affixed, which extends the card’s expiration date. The decals are available at all NIB offices. Letters verifying the NIB number of the registrants are also prepared for issuance.

“NIB continues to issue new NIB smart cards for Bahamian children who turn 16, Bahamian adults applying for the first time, and seniors. For lost/stolen/damaged cards, upon receipt of a police report and $10 replacement card fee, a new card is printed for the registrant.”

NIB responded after Rochelle King-Trabulsy, a Mangrove Cay-based customs broker, told Tribune Business that the difficulties associated with the Click2Clear transition had seemingly been compounded by problems impacting the renewal and issuance of NIB smart cards.

A valid card is required for persons to successfully register with Click2Clear, but she added: “We heard that the NIB office in Nassau is out of cards, and has not been able to issue new cards. People have had to come in to have a decal placed on their existing card showing it is valid for another year.

“The process takes longer. You have to go to Nassau, get the card and then register for Click2Clear. The local NIB office is unable to do that. They have to wait on Nassau and send the information to Nassau. Persons who cannot travel have to wait for Nassau to produce a letter, send an e-mail and produce the decal sticker.

“Some people have been frustrated because NIB is unable to facilitate them right away to do what they need to do in terms of registering with Click2Clear. They cannot do it without that. Absolutely not. They need a valid NIB card to be able to do that. And after five days Customs charges a storage fee.”

Dr Virgill-Rolle, though, said: “We have no knowledge of any outstanding cards for Andros. The cards are printed in New Providence for most of our smaller Family Island offices and then sent back to those Family Islands.

“We have arrangements with the web service for Customs, so we will follow up with that to understand what’s happening there. The NIB number never changes for the individual. They always have access to their NIB numbers, and they have access to even the expired cards as well. But we will follow up on the matter.

“So we have continued to print new cards as well as for persons who are first time card-holders, and we do several of those per month. It’s a process where we are always looking to improve customer service and make it faster for our customers to get their renewals done.”

NIB’s release added: “As is standard practice since 2014, registration requests made at most Family Island offices, including Andros, are forwarded to headquarters in New Providence, where cards are printed and shipped weekly. At present, there are no outstanding registration requests for Andros.

“NIB reminds that the original purpose of the NI number reflected on the card is to facilitate the payment of contributions and the payment of benefits to workers. As such, your NI number never changes once issued. The organisation continually seeks to improve its processes to enhance the customer service experience, and is exploring the expanded use of the smart card as a payment mechanism.

“With over 150,000 employees registered in its core business application system, NIB has one of the largest electronic sources of identity data in The Bahamas, and has already provided government agencies with interfaces (web services) to this data source to validate NI numbers for both registrants and employers,” it added.

“These interfaces make it easier for customers to do business, and to bring about greater compliance. The Customs Department, along with the National Health Insurance Authority, were the first to benefit from such interfaces, which are available 24/7. There has also been a recent expansion to support the government’s digitisation agenda.”