10 Dependants' allowances are a social benefit payable to staff members on continuing, fixed-term or temporary appointments with family members who are recognized by the WHO as dependants under Staff Rules
310.5.1 to
310.5.3. The rates and conditions for payment of dependency allowances differ for staff in the professional and higher categories from staff in the general service category.
20 Entitlement to dependants' allowances for professional and higher categories of staff members is determined in accordance with Staff Rules
340 to
340.5. Dependency benefits may be comprised of allowances with respect to a dependent spouse, together with flat-rate allowances for children and a secondary dependant. If both spouses are staff members in the professional category either in WHO or in another common system organization, none of them can be considered as a dependent spouse for the purpose of Staff Rules
330.2,
335 and
360.
For staff members in the professional and higher categories, the spouse’s annual gross earnings, if any, shall not exceed the higher of:
- the amount determined under Staff Rule
310.5.1; or
- the gross salary for the lowest entry level in force on 1 January of the year concerned at the base of the salary system (G-2 step 1, for New York).
30 General service staff members are eligible to receive dependency allowances in respect of their eligible family members under Staff Rule
1310.3. For general service staff, dependency allowances are payable in the form of non-pensionable flat allowances on a duty station-by-duty station basis. (See local salary scale.) If one or both spouses are staff members of WHO employed in the general service category, one spouse may remain a dependant of the other if the annual gross occupational earnings are below the annual limit provided by Staff Rules 310.5.1.2 - i.e. the spouse’s annual gross earnings, if any, do not exceed the lowest entry level of the United Nations General Service gross salary scale in force on 1 January of the year concerned for the closest United Nations duty station in the country of the spouse’s place of work. In duty stations where more than one salary scale is in force, the most recently issued salary scale shall apply for determining the threshold amount.
35 For the purposes of the spouse allowance, in situations in which it is difficult to determine the spouse’s place of work (e.g. employment that involves extensive or full-time telecommuting from a different country or location, consultancies in different countries or locations) or in cases involving spouses who are retirees, the United Nations salary scale of the staff member’s recognized place of residence or duty station, whichever is lower, will be considered to be the spouse’s place of work.
40 To claim a dependants' allowance, the staff member must provide the Organization with complete information as regards their dependant(s)'s status, including confirmation of the spouse's annual earnings through the on-line system. If both spouses are staff members of organizations in the United Nations common system, only one may claim dependants' allowance(s) for a dependent child or children, normally the spouse whose annual gross occupational earnings are higher, unless the staff members concerned request otherwise.
50 To establish that they are eligible for these allowances, all staff members must provide satisfactory evidence of dependency. For both staff in the general service and professional and higher categories, the child allowance shall be reduced by the amount of any benefit paid from any other public source by way of social security payments, or under public law, by reason of a dependent child. Staff members are required to declare any social benefits received in respect of a child.
60 For a spouse or a child, the following documents are accepted for this purpose:
- spouse: birth and marriage/legally recognized domestic partnership certificate initially; and
- if the spouse is employed a salary or tax declaration (see also
Determination of Personal Status); and/or
- if earnings/income are from other sources, a tax declaration;
- child: birth certificate initially; if between 18 and 21 and not incapacitated, evidence of full-time attendance at a school, university or similar educational institution; [see also Alternative Documents below].
70 A child with disability is defined, for purposes of dependency allowances, as a dependent child who has physical or mental disabilty, either permanently or for a period expected to be of long duration, which would preclude the child from substantial gainful employment. Determination of disability shall be made by Staff Health and Wellbeing (SHW) upon appointment or at any time thereafter on the basis of comprehensive medical reports which must be submitted by the staff member under cover of a memorandum providing all relevant information including request for recognition of a dependant child with disability, to the Staff Physician, SHW, along with the child's birth certificate. A determination of disability with respect to a dependant child may be made by SHW at any age. Staff Physician, SHW will notify the staff member of the outcome of the determination in writing and of the duration the child will be recognized as a child with disability, to either grant the allowance indefinitely or for a limited period to permit medical updates. When Staff Physician, SHW determines that the staff member's child qualifies for recognition as a child with disability the staff member then applies for dependency status for a child with disability through the on-line system and attaches the SHW determination. The HR Administrator, Global Human Resources (GHR) reviews the request and takes appropriate administrative action. The recommendation of Staff Physician, SHW as well as any other relevant documentation will be retained in the staff members records.
80 In the case of a child with disability of eighteen (18) years or over, the requirements as to age and full-time school attendance may be waived, provided that SHW certifies the child's permanent or prolonged condition of incapacity based on regularly updated medical reports from the child's private physician.
90 The dependency allowance payable in respect of a child with disability shall be determined in accordance with Staff Rule 340.6. The entitlement shall be reduced by the amount of any benefit paid from any other public source by way of social security payments, or under public law, by reason of such child.
100 In the case of general service staff, at certain duty stations, the local salary scale provides for a higher rate of dependency allowance in respect of the first dependent child of a staff member who is single, divorced, widowed or legally separated and not in receipt of spouse allowance. In such a case, if the first dependent child has disability, the staff member shall receive, in addition to the higher amount of dependency allowance payable for the first child, an amount equivalent to the regular child allowance, less social security payments.
Secondary Dependant (father, mother, brother or sister)
110 To claim a secondary dependants' allowance, the staff member must provide the Organization with complete information as regards their secondary dependant through the on-line system.
120 For secondary dependants ( father, mother, brother or sister) it must be demonstrated by submission of documentary evidence that the staff member provides more than 50% of the total support and that such contribution is at least twice the amount of the allowance claimed. The secondary dependent’s pension income, such as retirement and disability benefits, and earnings resulting solely from investments, shall not be included in the computation of the overall financial support provided by the staff member. The following other evidence of dependency should also be provided:
- mother or father: birth certificate initially;
- brother or sister: birth certificate initially; medical certificate if appropriate; if between 18 and 21 and not incapacitated, evidence of full-time attendance at a school, university or similar educational institution. The age limit does not apply to a brother or sister who is physically or mentally incapacitated for substantial gainful employment, either permanently or for a period expected to be of a long duration as determined by Staff Physician, SHW. A determination of disability with respect to a dependant sibling may be made by SHW at any age.
130 If a birth certificate is not available the first time a dependant's allowance is claimed for a child, other valid evidence of the date of birth such as a passport, family book, hospital certificate, baptismal certificate, or statement from a consulate, should be submitted to the HR Administrator, GHR. However, the birth certificate must be provided not later than 6 months from submission of the claim.
140 For the purposes of Staff Rule
310.5.2, the term "parent" includes step-parents and the term "child" includes:
- a child, issue of the staff member;
- other children who fulfil the age, school attendance and support requirements specified in Staff Rule
310.5.2 may be recognized as dependent children when the following requirements are met:
- a child legally adopted under the adoption laws of a state by means of a Court Order or by other process recognized under the laws of the country concerned. Recognition of dependency is effective from the date the adoption comes into force, subject to any limitation created by Staff Rule
380.7. Should the adoption order limit the period of adoption, or should the adoption subsequently be terminated, the recognition of dependency extends only for the length of adoption and ceases thereafter unless the adoption is further extended or renewed by the appropriate national authority;
- a stepchild if residing with the staff member;
- an unadopted child, permanently residing with the staff member, subject to the production of documents proving that the staff member provides the main and continuing support and has taken the child in charge as if they were a member of the family and subject to evidence that the country of nationality of the child does not have adoption laws;
- the child is not a sibling of the staff member; and
- the number of children, not issue of the staff member for which dependency benefits are claimed does not exceed three.
150 Satisfactory documentary evidence must be produced to show that the staff member has assumed responsibility for the main and continuing support of the child:
- if divorce or legal separation has occurred and the child is not residing with the staff member;
- if the staff member has not married the other natural parent, and the child is not residing with the staff member;
- if the child is married.
This documentary evidence could be a bank statement accompanied by a divorce decree, or the terms of separation or, if these do not exist, an affidavit giving the agreed terms of separation.
160 Attendance at a boarding school, or a similar educational arrangement, is not, by itself, interpreted as meaning that a child is not residing with the staff member.
170 The expressions used in Staff Rule
310.5.2 "under 18 years of age" and "under the age of 21 years" are interpreted as meaning up to the day on which the eighteenth (18th) or twenty-first (21st) birthday occurs. "Full-time attendance at a school or university" is interpreted to mean the taking of a full course of instruction for a normal school year, or continuous attendance during that portion of a normal school year during which the staff member is employed. For a child with disability, age and school attendance requirements shall not apply if the child is physically or mentally incapacitated for substantial gainful employment, either permanently or for a period expected to be of long duration as determined by Staff Physician, SHW.
180 Changes in the status of any dependants for whom an allowance is paid must be reported by the staff member to the HR Administrator, GHR. The HR Administrator, GHR ensures that the staff member's personal status is updated if the change in status affects in any way the payment of the allowance, or causes it to be discontinued.
190 The staff member is responsible for updating and reporting any changes related to their family members information through the on-line system.
200 HR Administrator, GHR shall provide written notification to all staff members whose dependants are approaching twenty-one (21) years of age of the impending implications to dependency allowances, education grant and eligibility for Staff Health Insurance coverage. Staff members are notified to update their child(ren) information through the self-service feature in the on-line system prior to the date when the child(ren) will reach the age of 18 to ensure that the child continues either to be eligible for dependency allowance and/or education grant entitlement and eligibility for Staff Health Insurance coverage.
210 Staff members approaching retirement, should ensure that they update if necessary their family members information in advance of their retirement through self-service feature in the on-line system or by notifying the HR Administrator in writing of any necessary changes to their dependant's information. In addition, staff members approaching retirement, particularly those staff members with dependants who have received a determination of disability from SHW for a dependent child, should consult with the HR Administrator, GHR in advance of their retirement to clarify the impact of retirement on their pension benefits and Staff Health Insurance and refer to Coordinator, Insurance and Pension Services for further details.
220 Payment of an allowance for those dependants recognized at the time of appointment, and for whom the staff member continues to receive an allowance throughout the period of service with WHO, begins on the date of appointment and ends on the date of separation. When a staff member acquires a dependant after appointment, payment of the allowance begins on the date on which the dependant was acquired. When a staff member ceases to be entitled to an allowance for a dependant, payment ends on the day on which the entitlement lapses.
