By: Staff Writer
October 9, 2026
The Minister for Health and Social Development in the British Virgin Islands, Vincent Wheatley, said at a press briefing for the 10th Meeting of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Council of Ministers for Human and Social Development that inflation is the biggest challenge when administering social security for seniors.
Wheatley said: “From the BVI context, what we have done, we have done various concessions. We all have the same challenges: aging populations, greater inflation, and so forth.
The government, along with the private sector, has done a considerable work in the BVI in supplementing social safety net support for senior citizens Wheatley said. “I saw a few days ago one supermarket gave all seniors like a 20 percent discount for some days.”
He continued: “We do public assistance to some seniors, which was just increased this year. Some persons as much as 200 percent on their monthly grants.
“They would get things like passports are free. You don’t pay for passports once you’re a senior. Your medical attention at the public facilities are also covered by NHI (National Health Insurance). So a number of things we have to do.
“But the biggest challenge I think is with inflation in terms of social security. That’s actually increased based on the U.S. price consumer price index, which is usually very, very small, so the government recently took a position with its public officers, those who work in the public and who are not retired, to give them a significant increase in their monthly stipends that they will get, which is often the only income most of them have, and that has been a tremendous help.”
Inflation directly changes the purchasing power and payment amounts of Social Security through built-in adjustments, though rising costs can still outpace fixed check increases. “We just have to keep plugging away at it, making sure people aren’t falling by the wayside because of things like inflation and the increased costs, costs of medicines and goods and so forth,” Wheatley acknowledged.
Emma Hippolyte, Minister for Equity, Social Justice, Gender, Older Persons, Labour, Co-Operatives and Consumer Affairs in Saint Lucia, also said that what they did in her country to assist in anticipation of the growing number of senior citizens is that they increased the pension age to 65. “At that time, we had a lot of pushback, but it really did improve the sustainability and health of the National Insurance Corporation (NIC), which is the most important institution regionally to hold our economies together. And I think it’s important that that conversation is done throughout the region.
“Some of the policies that we have to take, the whole issue of persons receiving pensions, we need to augment in Saint Lucia, for example.
“Last year, the Prime Minister (Philip Pierre) increased the minimum pension from the NIC. Some persons were getting EC$200 and EC$250 to $500. Also, persons within the government, the pension increased to EC$750 from some persons who were getting EC$300. But you’re right. You have to look at what is inflation and what really is a minimum that you can do, as it relates to the aging population and our ability to replace the population.”