The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THREE years after the death of public school teacher Jay Roosevelt, his mother says she is still unable to access gratuity and backpay owed to him — despite being listed as his sole beneficiary.

The prolonged delay has left H Guillaume-Thompson, Roosevelt’s mother, financially strained and at risk of losing her home as she struggles to settle outstanding debts.

A signed beneficiary form obtained by The Tribune shows Roosevelt designated his mother to receive 100 percent of the entitlement. She said the document had been submitted to the Ministry of Education in 2020 and was intended to ensure that any unpaid salary and gratuity could go toward clearing her son’s mortgage.

“I can’t get beyond the first stage of grief because I have to keep dealing with his name on all this paperwork,” she said. “These are funds that are his, and I don’t see why I have to go through all of this.”

Roosevelt, who died at 53, had been teaching electronic engineering at AF Adderley Junior High School and had served in the public education system since 2009.

His mother said she has had ongoing correspondence with the Ministry of Education and other government departments to obtain the necessary approvals to release the funds. She said the matter was even brought to the attention of the Office of the Attorney General but remains unresolved.

According to Ms Guillaume-Thompson, the beneficiary form was meant to be processed through the Ministry of Education and forwarded to the Public Service Commission before payment could be issued by the accounts department. She said although the Ministry of Education signed and stamped the relevant paperwork, the process stalled after Permanent Secretary Lorraine Armbrister declined to authorise the release and redirected her elsewhere.

She expressed frustration, noting that insurers had already accepted the same beneficiary form to process her son’s life insurance claim.

Roosevelt was her only child. Educated in the United States, he returned to The Bahamas but struggled to find employment in his field. He worked at a gas station for six years before retraining as a teacher at the then College of The Bahamas. His mother said he was passionate about teaching and particularly focused on helping young men improve their maths skills.

“He wanted to see his students be the top in math, especially the men, because he felt that the girls were very good and the young men were somewhat behind,” she said.

When contacted, Permanent Secretary Lorraine Armbrister declined to speak on the specific cases but said there are standard procedures in place for handling gratuity matters. She explained that the Ministry of Public Service will process the payment if a beneficiary is named. If no beneficiary is listed, the matter must go through probate, and letters of administration must be provided before any funds can be paid out.

She added that the final determination on payment is made by the Ministry of Public Service, not the Ministry of Education or any other line ministry.

Public Service Minister Pia Glover-Rolle said the matter was referred to the Pension Unit.