Nav changed the payment date for May – This affects children in poor families
Before Easter, Dagbladet mentioned a wish from a group of disabled people to receive payment before Easter. Nav then argued that it was important with predictability and retained the original plan with payment on the 20th, which is common except in December and May.
Dagbladet has received several inquiries from frustrated Nav users after they changed the date in “Your Pension” from May 15th to 16th. At the same time, ‘before May 17th’ was changed to May 16th on the payout date list. The National Federeration for the Disabled has posted a complaint on its web pages.
The finance department at Nav announces that the payment date is May 16th, but writes to Dagbladet that since the bank begins processing of payments the day before, some users will have the money on account May15th. In addition, they point out that the payout date in May may vary from year to year, because payment will take place no later than the last working day before May 17th.
Totally unacceptable
Randi Sejer is the administrator of the Facebook groups “Nav Help” and “disability Arena” and wrote a post about Easter payout that was shared, liked and commented on by almost 5000. She is not happy.
– It’s completely unacceptable. I also remember what Nav said about the Easter payment: Disabled people need predictability. One and a half week before the scheduled payment date in May is Nav changes this. Then there is no predictability anymore.
She also says it is common to obtain the payout on Friday if the date falls on a Monday, and that many had counted on that now, since May 15th is a Monday.
– Many disabled people have planned for this, it’s a weekend for confirmations, and many will buy new clothes for their children before May 17th, some will surely want haircuts and the like. Now Nav changed the date and it has led to such agreements for many must be canceled, and many do not have the opportunity to get their children to May 17th equipped.
Calculated with money earlier
She says the pay out has previously been available between May 10th and 14th to ensure that everyone had available funds for the National Day, and that many people counted on it for this year as well.
– This hits children of poor families in Norway over and over again. It’s a shame and it is abuse of power by Nav.
She says another factor that influences was that you received child benefits well before May 17th.
– The scheme was changed a few years ago, so now the poor families do not receive this support before May 17th, says Sejer.
– Disabled people perceive this as a kind of revenge and abuse of power, which are linked to our request for payment prior to Easter.
– Why do you think it’s a revenge? What is the revenge action in that case, and why should they retaliated?
– It might be better to call it arrogance of power than revenge. But they show clearly who decides and who should create the so-called predictability for disability. It applies only when it suits Nav, not throughout the year.
Nav understands the frustration
CFO in Nav, Geir Axelsen, says he understands the users:
– We understand that some may be frustrated when information about the payment date change and we apologize, but most will have money in their account already on May 15th. The payment date in May would also vary from year to year, because the payments will be made no later than the last weekday before May 17th. There is information about payment dates on nav.no.
© Dagbladet / Norway Today
