Get the right advice.

Last August my wife went for an eye operation to remove some cataracts. I had to buy some lenses from a local pharmacy for that purpose. At the hospital during the operations I met a former municipal councillor who is now a member of the hospital's visitors board. He told me that I can get back the money I spent for the lenses from the Pensions Department. He told me about the Government Pensioners Society which can help me.

The nextt thing I did was going to the Seremban branch of the Government Pensioners Society. I was told that to receive their services I have to become a member with a life membership fee of RM 50 payable in advances. I felt a slight guilt for not knowing about this society's existence, not forgetting that I had started receiving my pensions more than four years ago.

I filled the membership form straight away and paid the life membership fee in one payment. I was then given a claims form which I filled promptly but it still needed to be endorsed by the medical officer treating my wife.

This endorsement had to take a few more weeks until my wife's next visit to the hospital.

After getting the medical officer's endorsement I sent the forms to the Pensions Department, Putrajaya through Pos Laju which cost me RM 6.

Officers from the Pensions Department, Putrajaya visit the Government Pensioners Society's Seremban office every first Wednesday of the month. I enquired about my claims when I met the officers during their month of October visit. It was there that I was told I had sent my claims to the wrong place.

The Pensions Department only entertain medical claims from Federal Government pensioners. Former workers of State Governments and Local Authorities should claim from their former employees. I never know about this fact until recently.

Not wanting to waste my time in filling fresh forms I called the Pensions Department to return the forms I sent to them. This they did promptly. After getting the forms back I sent them personally to my former department. After explaining my ignorance in this case the officer there who I had known for years just smiled and said "Why didn't you ask us?"

So much for my ego.