Fixed Medical Allowance to the CG Pensioners

Government retirees and their families receive this benefit as a monthly stipend to help with out-of-pocket medical costs. It’s obvious that Central Civil Pensioners and Family Pensioners need a set medical allowance. Pensioners are having trouble keeping up with the escalating expense of healthcare and not being able to pay for the treatments and medications they need. This is especially important for retirees of advanced age who may be financially dependent on their pensions alone. An established medical stipend would help retirees deal with this expense and get the care they need. Also, retirees would have less anxiety if they had a set amount of money for healthcare. They would be less anxious and more able to concentrate on their health and recovery if they knew they had access to a steady stream of money for medical bills. Those who are dealing with long-term health issues or impairments would benefit tremendously from this.

Recently, the RSCWS (Railway Senior Citizens Welfare Society) sent a letter to the Secretary of Finance (Expenditure) regarding the increase of the Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) for Railway retirees and family pensioners from Rs.1,000 to Rs.3,000 per month.

Dr. Jitendra Singh, the minister of state for personnel, public grievances, and pensions, stated in response to a question in Parliament that the Fixed Medical Allowance has been raised from 500 to 1000 per month as of July 2017.

A Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) of Rs. 1000 per month is due to Central Government Civil Pensioners and Family Pensioners who live in areas not covered by the Central Government Health Scheme administered by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and its corresponding health schemes administered by other Ministries/Departments for their retired employees. These pensioners are not utilizing outpatient medical treatment (OPD Facilities) under that scheme.

For people who do not require hospitalization, the Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) of Rs. 1000 per month is in existence to cover their daily medical costs. The allowance was initially fixed at Rs. 100 per month in 1997, but it has since undergone multiple revisions, including an update of Rs. 300 per month in 2008 and an increase to Rs. 500 per month in 2014. With effect from July 1, 2017, the FMA has recently hiked once again to Rs. 1000 per month.