(2015-10) Decree Amending the Civil Service Retirement Pension Rules to Improve Conditions for Public Administration Agents
Summary — Signed by President Michel Martelly and published in Le Moniteur No. 205 (26 October 2015), this decree modernizes Haiti's civil-service pension rules on the report of the Minister of Economy and Finance. It establishes the Plan de Retraite de l'Administration Publique (PRAP), sets retirement eligibility at age 58 with at least five years of contributory service, and defines survivor benefits and liquidation procedures.
Key Findings
- Creates the Plan de Retraite de l'Administration Publique (PRAP) as a mandatory, contributory, defined-benefit pension scheme for public agents.
- Sets minimum retirement eligibility at age 58 with at least five years (60 months) of contributory service, with early retirement possible from age 55 at a 1% annual reduction.
- Defines the 'salaire de référence' as the weighted average of an agent's 60 best monthly salaries, used to compute the pension annuity.
- Sets survivor benefits at 50% of the monthly pension shared among a non-remarried surviving spouse and dependent children up to age 25.
- Requires publication of approved pension awards in Le Moniteur and issuance of a free magnetic-encoded pensioner ID card.
Full Description
This decree modifies the 18 February 2011 decree (which itself revised the 6 October 2004 decree) on Haiti's Pension Civile de Retraite for public administration agents. Given the inadequacy of the pension calculation rules in place since 2004 relative to actual salaries and accumulated rights, and the fund's exposure to full contribution refunds that decapitalize it, the decree creates the Plan de Retraite de l'Administration Publique (PRAP) as a mandatory, contributory defined-benefit scheme covering civil servants, employees of independent state institutions, autonomous agencies without their own pension regime, and Treasury-paid contractual staff.
Eligibility requires a minimum age of 58 and at least five years (60 months) of contributory service; early retirement between ages 55 and 58 is possible with a 1% reduction per missing year. The pension is calculated on a 'salaire de référence' equal to the weighted average of the 60 best monthly salaries. On death, 50% of the monthly pension passes to a non-remarried surviving spouse and dependent children (minors, or up to age 25 with proof of enrollment), with reversibility ending on the survivor's death, remarriage, or a dependent child's majority without continued incapacity. Liquidation requires specified civil documents; approved pension awards must be published in Le Moniteur, and pensioners receive a magnetic-encoded identification card free of charge from the Direction de la Pension.