After enactment/enforcement of new ER and GMO-23, applicability of disability pension has been drastically changed. Disability pension is not applicable now for non invalid cases. So, in case of normal retirement after completion of terms of retirement, disability pension will not be admitted instead a relief named empirement relief can be awarded which is obviously not pension and can be taken before retirement also as lumpsum amount and thereafter no disability compensation for that disability will be applicable. Confirming authority for all admissible cases has also been changed. In this regard a letter has been issued by PS-7 IHQ MoD Army dt 22 Feb 2024. Content of the letter is reproduced here.
As per the revised Entitlement Rules for Casualty Pensionary Awards to the Armed Forces Personnel (ER & GMO 23) issued vide MoD letter No. 16 (3)/2023/D (Pen) Pol /Vol-II dated 21 Sep 2023, ‘Cases that are accepted for the award of Casualty pensionary award shall be forwarded to the authority one level higher than the Competent Authority for scrutiny and confirmation’.
Accordingly, ADG PS -7 has been nominated as the Confirming Auth for grant of Casualty/Pensionary Awards (to include disability pension, SFP and ex-grata lumpsum compensation) in r/o JCO/OR vide letter referred above.
In this regard formulation of Guidelines including SOP, checklist, documents to be fwd for confirmation and other administrative requirements are under progress.
IHQ (MoD) Army (PS-7) has requested to I of R (Controlling authority of Record Offices of Indian Army) to pass instructions to all ‘Record Offices’ tofwd cases to MoD (Army) – PS-7 for confirmation, only after issuing of Guidelines/SOP/Checklist/format on the subject matter by them.
So, RMB / IMB cases which has been recommended for disability compensation are still disposed of/ confirmed by the existing authority responsible to do this. However, after issuing proper SOP/instructions, all such cases will be forwarded to the IHQ (MoD) Army-PS-7 for confirmation.
Original letter in this regard is available in our telegram channel as link provided here – https://t.me/exservicemanindiayt