Palau court granted a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) stopping Palau Social Security Administration (SSA) from suspending, terminating or reducing supplemental benefits as required by laws, RPPL 11-12 and RPPL 11-24.
The request for TRO was filed by the Senate of the Olbiil Era Kelulau, the House of Delegates of the Olbiil era Kelulau and individual Social Security beneficiaries (plaintiffs) to stop SSA from enforcing their announcement to terminate payment of the $50 supplemental benefits to all retirees and the $50 for retirees and disability beneficiaries effective October 14, 2022.
In addition to filing for TRO, the plaintiffs also filed a civil lawsuit against SSA for their decision to terminate the payments of the supplemental benefits.
The TRO will remain in effect for ten (10) days, and the preliminary hearing will be held on November 4, 2022.
Palau Social Security Administration has notified all SS beneficiaries that the supplemental benefit authorized under the two laws, RPPL 11-12 and 11-24, will no longer be paid, effective October 4. No actuarial study on the two benefits was undertaken to determine their impact on the Social Security Retirement Fund. The SSA notice said that based on the 2020 SSA Actuarial Study shows that the Fund will collapse if this practice continues.
Olbiil era Kelulau – both Senate and House of Delegates, argue that the SSA should follow what is already mandated by law and that SSA’s authority is limited to paying SSA benefits, determining the eligibility of beneficiaries, and investing SSA Retirement Fund.