S.S.B. Proposes Use of Biometrics to Decrease Fraud, Enhance Service Delivery
The Social Security Board is stepping up and is holding consultations to introduce the use of biometrics in the social security system by early next year. When it comes on board, the new system will phase out the use of paper forms and more importantly, it should make the system more efficient and less vulnerable to fraud. Here is News Five’s Hipolito Novelo.
Hipolito Novelo, Reporting
The measurement and statistical analysis of people’s unique physical characteristics is known as biometrics. The Social Security Board has embarked on a national consultation to update stakeholders on the use of biometrics and today the consultation was held in Belize City. The S.S.B. is proposing to use biometrics to enhance service delivery.
Colin Young
Dr. Colin Young, C.E.O., S.S.B.
“Today, people are frustrated that they have to come into an office and fill out a form with the same information. Biometrics will allow us now to get rid of forms completely because once you put your prints and we capture it and you come in, you bio data will populate the screen of the customer agent, it speeds ups the process and you can leave earlier.”
But most importantly, the use of biometrics will allow the SSB to reduce the instances of fraud.
Dr. Colin Young
“At S.S.B., we need to be able to satisfy ourselves that the person is who they say they are at the registration part of our engagement and then also that when we pay that we are paying that person. We have over the years amass quite a bit of data to suggest there are people out there who are intent of perpetrating fraud on the social security system whether that is assuming somebody’s else identity or whether that is not declaring debts for example so that the pension payment can continue.”
So why now after so many years? And is the S.S.B. infringing the privacy of hundreds of thousands of Belizeans by collecting their fingerprints and other unique physical characteristics?
Dr. Colin Young
“There was a recent publication in 2017 by the International Social Security Administration that looked at error evasion and fraud in social security systems over the world but they particularly focused on developed countries like the Netherlands and US, UK and the results surprise a lot of people in the social security world. The level of fraud and error evasion was very high in the social security system. When you die and you are a member of the social security system and get a death benefit, that debt benefit is fifteen hundred dollars but what we find is that there is the temptation for some persons not to report their deaths because then the pension payments continue to be made and that will be over time. We had requested of the Attorney General whether S.S.B. had the authority to implement biometrics. In a very detailed opinion, because we were worried about the constitutional issues with privacy, the Attorney General advised that S.S.B. for the reasons we are doing it would be able to implement biometrics.”
The Cabinet later approved a revision to the regulations that would allow S.S.B. to capture biometrics with the condition that national consultations be carried out.
Dr. Colin Young
“And so this session is part of that. We have been all over the country. We have been to every district speaking to insured persons and employer to talk about the benefits of the biometrics to the Social Security Board. The feedback has been tremendous from the public. They understand why were are doing this and they are excited about the fact that we are trying to put in place mechanism to prevent any fraud that can occur at the board.”
The hope is that the law would be amended this year and implementation can be done in 2020. Reporting for News Five, I am Hipolito Novelo.
