Fomag answers the five most frequently asked questions about teacher pensions: for retired and active teachers.
The Teachers' Social Benefits Fund (FOMAG), through Dr. Carlos Cortés, Director of Economic Benefits, answered the five most frequently asked questions about teacher pensions.
Among the topics discussed are pension replacement, survivors' pensions, pension recalculation, and recommendations for streamlining procedures through the Humano en Línea platform.
1. Can teachers' pensions be inherited? According to Dr. Cortés, the term "inherit" is not technically correct: "No, let's see, specifically, it's not inherited, and that wouldn't be the term we should use for economic benefits," he said.
In the event of the teacher's death, there are two scenarios:
When the teacher is already retired, the pension is transferred to his or her beneficiaries. These can be:
- The wife or permanent partner.
Children, if they meet any of the following requirements:
- Be up to 18 years old.
- Be up to 25 years old if they are studying (they must present a school certificate).
- Have a duly certified disability condition.
This is what you should know about pension replacement. Photo: iStock
- Survivors' pension
When a teacher dies without receiving a pension, beneficiaries may access a survivor's pension, provided the teacher has met the legal requirements for length of service and affiliation. Under the special regime of Law 91 of 1989, the possibility of a posthumous pension is assessed.
2. Why are the recalculations of teachers' pensions taking so long? Although pension recalculation is a right, Dr. Cortés explained that this procedure does not have priority over other urgent requests.
Fomag must manage requests using prioritization criteria due to its operational and budgetary limitations.
Applications are processed in the following order:
- Disability pensions.
- Survivors' pensions.
- First retirement pension.
- Recalculations (adjustments to the value of pensions already recognized).
- The lower priority is because the beneficiary already receives monthly payments while their application is being processed.
Teachers are governed by a special pension system established by Law 91 of 1989. Photo: iStock
The complete re-liquidation process includes the following deadlines:
- 4 months for technical and legal analysis by the territorial entity and Fomag.
- 2 additional months for the inclusion of the new approved value in the payroll.
- Total estimated time: 6 months.
When the process exceeds six months, Fomag prioritizes the oldest cases. This measure follows guidelines from oversight bodies, such as the Comptroller General of the Republic, which oversees compliance and timeliness of payments.
5. How can retired teachers expedite their procedures?- Do not share personal passwords: Fomag has detected that some teachers give their credentials to third parties who offer assistance with procedures. This practice exposes them to fraud and unnecessary blocking.
- Frequently check your Humano en Línea account: It's essential for teachers to check the status of their applications and withdraw unrecognized applications.
- Know the correct route to start the pension process : the process begins with the certified Ministry of Education, not directly with the Ministry of Education (FOMAG). This entity is responsible for certifying the length of service and consolidating the documentation.
Official channels, knowledge of the process, and protection of personal data are key to ensuring that procedures run smoothly and safely.
More news in EL TIEMPO *This content was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on publicly available information released to media outlets. It was also reviewed by the journalist and an editor.
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