The Social Welfare Bank (BPS) pay 15 thousand pensions abroad. The liabilities that collect abroad must be presented at the Uruguayan consulate and thus prove that they are alive. Now, with the development of software, the process can be done more easily.
The president of the BPS, Alfredo Cabrerareported to The Observer that the bank pays pensions in 34 countries. The vast majority focus on Argentina, Spain and the United States. Every month, the Uruguayan retiree has to travel to the consulate.
“Surely someone of age has to be accompanied by a child or family member. That capable person who is working and has to ask for the day to transfer someone who has displacement problems and prove that the retiree is alive, ”said the hierarch.
To avoid this procedure, the BPS began to applyfacial recognition. A pilot plan was carried out at the consulate in Buenos Aires at the end of November. Three officials went to test the facial recognition software. After some adjustments it was operational. “The person registers with his cédula and a photo. The software recognizes if it is alive. After the document is enrolled, the retiree, sitting in his house, enters a link that will be sent to him by WhatsApp, takes the photo and sends it, ”explained Cabrera.
With the first commissioning in Buenos Airesnow the BPS will hold meetings with the Foreign Ministry to plan that the software can be installed in all the consulates located in the countries where there are Uruguayans receiving pensions, mainly in Spain and the United States.
retirees with cell phones
“It was one of the objectives of the bank’s strategic plan. Consolidate a faster customer service system. A new care model is being worked on. We want to improve service times, granting benefits,” said Cabrera.
Ibirapita Plan
In the middle of last year the BPS relaunched the Ibirapita Plan. The objective was that people over 65 years of age and who earned up to $25,820 (equivalent to 5 BPC –Base Benefits and Contributions- from last year) could receive a free cell phone and an Ibirapitá Mobile Plan granted by Antel.
The plan includes monthly, free of charge, 10 GB of navigation, 10 GB for Vera TV, 50 minutes to make calls to Antel fixed and mobile destinations and 50 SMS for cell phones of the company.
“Ibirapitá changed his concept. He started with a delivery of tablets. What we did was change the focus and emphasize the content. Now a Smartphone and 20 GB were given to people with fewer resources. We give the device and volume of traffic to the Internet,” said Cabrera.
The president of the BPS expressed that beyond the delivery of cell phones and Internet access, it is also sought that the plan include concrete activities. “They have spoken with the authorities. Our idea is to coordinate with other State actors to give content to a community. We hope that it will make it possible to improve the quality of life of old age in non-voluntary solitude, ”he said.
“Sometimes a person ends up alone and not because of a voluntary choice, but because life left you there. In those cases, Ibirapitá, the community, are places that tend to compensate for loneliness,” she concluded.
