The Social Security System’s (SSS) disbursements for funeral benefits posted a 27.42 percent drop in 2020, which the agency attributed to the nationwide implementation of community quarantines since March 2020.
SSS said in a statement yesterday it has disbursed P3.07 billion worth of funeral benefits to over 135,600 beneficiaries in 2020. In 2019, the pension fund released P4.23 billion to 186,730 members.
Aurora Ignacio, SSS president and chief executive officer, said the implementation of quarantine restrictions limited the movements of transacting members to various government offices, including SSS.
“Since COVID-19 has been a global health pandemic, precautionary measures are strictly being implemented in our branches such as wearing of face masks, face shields, accomplishing health declaration slip, and maintaining social distancing. However, we have implemented new policies such as the number coding scheme and submission of benefit applications through the drop box system,” Ignacio said.
“In compliance with Civil Service Commission guidelines, only 50 to 70 percent of our workforce has been deployed in our offices while some are on alternative work arrangements to protect our employees and transacting clients from the virus. Also, the majority of our members have postponed their personal visits to our branches for fear of being exposed to COVID-19, while some still wait for the availability of their supporting documents too, hence the decline of disbursements,” she added.
The SSS funeral benefit is a cash grant given to anyone who paid for the burial expenses of the deceased member, amounting to a minimum of P20,000 to a maximum of P40,000 depending on the contributions paid effective August 2015.
“We would like to remind our member-claimants that they may now submit their funeral benefit claim application online via My.SSS. It is also important that they have a Unified Multi-Purpose ID (UMID) or a SSS digitized ID and an enrolled disbursement account under the Disbursement Account Enrollment Module for checkless payment of cash benefits,” Ignacio said.
If with UMID card enrolled as ATM, the funeral benefit payment shall be credited to the latter by default. If none, member-claimants may choose their preferred disbursement account from any of the following payment channels: bank account in any PESONet participating banks; Union Bank of the Philippines Quick Card; electronic wallet such as PayMaya or pick-up arrangement with remittance transfer companies/cash payout outlets such as M Lhuillier.
Meanwhile, non-SSS members and SSS members without UMID or SSS digitized ID must submit their duly accomplished applications, together with the above-mentioned supporting documents, plus a photocopy of the claimant’s two valid IDs to the nearest SSS branch via drop box system. – Angela Celis
