Frente Amplio and ANEP Propose ROP Refund for Pensioners from 2021 to 2029
New legislative initiative aims to refund complementary pension regime contributions to thousands of Costa Rican pensioners.
The Frente Amplio (Broad Front) party has adopted a legislative project proposed by the Asociación Nacional de Empleados Públicos y Privados (ANEP), which seeks to implement the refund of the Régimen Obligatorio de Pensión Complementaria (ROP) to individuals who retired between the years 2021 and 2029.
This refund would occur in installments over a maximum period of two years.
Representative Rocío Alfaro explained that this timeframe was selected because individuals in this group have not contributed long enough for their savings to have increased significantly through investment returns from their retirement fund operators.
The initiative will be examined under legislative file No. 24,972, with projections indicating it could impact approximately 30,000 ROP contributors who have either retired or are nearing retirement within this specified period.
Alfaro emphasized that the measure would not adversely affect other savers, as the ROP system is designed to operate independently of social subsidies.
She stated, 'each individual receives what they have saved, and at this moment they require access to their savings.'
The Frente Amplio noted that the financial impact of this ROP refund would represent only 1.6% of the total funds managed, suggesting that the phased delivery over two years would allow fund operators to recover these resources through ongoing investments.
Alfaro asserted that this distribution would not jeopardize other contributors' savings.
In advocating for this plan, the Frente Amplio referred to the challenging economic conditions currently faced by Costa Ricans, which have been exacerbated by two successive crises: the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, alongside increased geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
Statistics from a 2021 survey conducted by the Oficina del Consumidor Financiero (Financial Consumer Office) indicated that 74% of retired individuals carry debts and allocate a significant portion of their income toward repayments.
On April 22, a related bill was approved, allowing individuals with serious illnesses to withdraw the totality of their ROP funds, permitting either a lump-sum withdrawal or monthly installments over up to 60 months.
In a separate development, Gilberth Jiménez, a deputy from the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN), recently introduced another legislative proposal aimed at allowing workers to withdraw their entire accumulated ROP savings in a single payment upon reaching retirement age.
This refund would occur in installments over a maximum period of two years.
Representative Rocío Alfaro explained that this timeframe was selected because individuals in this group have not contributed long enough for their savings to have increased significantly through investment returns from their retirement fund operators.
The initiative will be examined under legislative file No. 24,972, with projections indicating it could impact approximately 30,000 ROP contributors who have either retired or are nearing retirement within this specified period.
Alfaro emphasized that the measure would not adversely affect other savers, as the ROP system is designed to operate independently of social subsidies.
She stated, 'each individual receives what they have saved, and at this moment they require access to their savings.'
The Frente Amplio noted that the financial impact of this ROP refund would represent only 1.6% of the total funds managed, suggesting that the phased delivery over two years would allow fund operators to recover these resources through ongoing investments.
Alfaro asserted that this distribution would not jeopardize other contributors' savings.
In advocating for this plan, the Frente Amplio referred to the challenging economic conditions currently faced by Costa Ricans, which have been exacerbated by two successive crises: the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, alongside increased geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
Statistics from a 2021 survey conducted by the Oficina del Consumidor Financiero (Financial Consumer Office) indicated that 74% of retired individuals carry debts and allocate a significant portion of their income toward repayments.
On April 22, a related bill was approved, allowing individuals with serious illnesses to withdraw the totality of their ROP funds, permitting either a lump-sum withdrawal or monthly installments over up to 60 months.
In a separate development, Gilberth Jiménez, a deputy from the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN), recently introduced another legislative proposal aimed at allowing workers to withdraw their entire accumulated ROP savings in a single payment upon reaching retirement age.
