Over the two-week period 18th February – 1st March 2019, Inspectors and other members of staff of the Compliance Department of the Social Security Board, were engaged in an intense training workshop, conducted by Mr. Walter Gardiner, MBA, Social Security/Employment Law Consultant and former Director of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Social Security Board.
Under the premise that transformation begins within, the training exercise formed part of several transformational processes currently taking place at the Social Security Board, in line with its 2019 Strategic Plan and its focus on delivering “Transformational Social Security” to the Anguillian community over the next three – five years.
The first week of the training workshop focused on the topics such as: The Review of the Regulations in Relation to Compliance, The Role of the Inspector, The Role of the Compliance Department in Relation to the Payment of Benefits, and Preparing for Surveys, Inspections and Investigations.
The second week focused on conducting field surveys and visits; inspection of employers and the self-employed; final meetings and review of training with the Inspectorate, Compliance Manager, Deputy Director; final meetings, review of training, report of findings and recommendations with the Director, Chairman and/or the Board.
The review of the Regulations in Relation to Compliance focused on the areas of: contributions, registration, insurable employment, contribution liability, election of income, assessment of contributions, additional charges, termination of employment, nil returns, excepted employment.
The Role of the Inspector focused on: daily functions, power of the Inspector, surveys of employers and self-employed persons, investigations of complaints and other information, benefits investigations, examination/analyzing the arrears report, Inspector’s Diary, compliance files, report writing, client interview, examination of Wage Book/Accident Book, treatment of Contribution Statement, missing numbers/names, invalid dates of birth, duplications, offences and penalties, time limits for complying, the initial telephone call/visit/warning, notice of intended prosecution, Director’s Certificate, issue of Summons and legal proceedings.
The Role of the Compliance Department in Relation to the Payment of Benefits focused on all the benefits provided by the system and others: Retirement Grant/Pension, Disability Pension, Survivors’ Grant/Pension, Funeral Grant, Sickness Benefit, Maternity Grant/Allowance, Injury Benefit, Disablement Benefit, Medical Treatment, Death Benefit and Non-Contributory Old Age Pension.
Preparing for Surveys, Inspections and Investigations looked at: monitoring/analyzing the Arrears Report, and who to investigate.
The Board’s Directors, Management and Staff (especially those of the Compliance Department) expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the consultant, Mr. Walter Gardiner, for his well-executed training workshop, and for sharing his knowledge and expertise with the Anguilla Social Security Board. The purpose of the training was to strengthen the Compliance Department, improve performance and service delivery to contributors. After two-weeks of training, staff is now empowered to perform their duties. The training workshop was considered very timely and critical for the Compliance Department.
– Press Release