Grant of ECHS Facilities to World War II Veterans, ECOS, SSCOS and Pre-Mature Retirees
Ministry of Defence has decided to grant ECHS facilities to World War II Veterans, Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs), Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs) and pre-mature retirees.
It is being proposed to waive the conditions relating to being ESM/in receipt of pension for grant membership of ECHS to World War II Veterans, ECOs, SSCOs and pre-mature retirees subject to the following conditions:
They must apply for membership of ECHS and accept the Rules of ECHS.ECHS facilities would be extended only to the individuals of the above-mentioned categories and their spouses. They will have to pay one-time contribution and become members of the ECHS. (However, war widows shall be exempt from payment of one-time ECHS contribution). They should not have been discharged on disciplinary grounds. They should not be covered under any other institutional health scheme of the Government.They should abide by the ECHS Rules as amended from time to time.The WW-II Veterans and ECOs and their spouses would be allowed all ECHS facilities including treatment in ECHS empanelled hospitals, and free OPD and IPD treatment facilities at the AFMS Hospitals, as available to other ECHS members.The SSCOs and pre-mature retirees and their spouses would be eligible for the following facilities:
- Free OPD services from ECHS Polyclinics
- They must pay for OPD/IPD/Investigations in ECHS empanelled hospitals and seek reimbursement @ 75 per cent of total admissible expenditure for personnel having more than 10 years of service and @ 50 per cent of total admissible expenditure for personnel having less than or equal to 10 years of service.
It may be noted that there has been a long pending demand from the World War II Veterans, Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs), and Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs) for grant of ECHS facilities.There are precedents when the conditions of ECHS membership have been waived due to special circumstances with the approval of CCS in the past. (For example, in the cases of Uniformed Coast Guard pensioners, Defence Security Corps, Assam Rifles, etc.). The Raksha Mantri’s Committee of Experts has recommended in its report that SSCOs and ECOs and all other personnel released without the benefit of pension but on completion of terms with gratuity be granted ECHS facilities.
The total annual financial implication would be about Rs21.28crore per year plus Rs94.30 lakh per annum due to members added every year. In addition, the financial implication would increase to the extent of number of pre-mature retirements taking place in subsequent years.Expected number of beneficiaries going to be around 43,000.
