The online filing and registration of new employees as members of the Social Security System (SSS), as well as the electronic submission of most forms and benefit claims, have been made mandatory as of July 15, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.
This is in compliance with the directive of Carlos Dominguez, DOF secretary, to the pension fund to shift to digital technology to further improve its services, the DOF said in a statement yesterday.
In a report to Dominguez, the SSS said the release of loans and benefits to members, except for unbanked pensioners, have also been made “cheque-less” through the use of PesoNet and other electronic payment systems as of July this year.
Aurora Ignacio, SSS president and chief executive officer, said the state-run firm is targeting to include unbanked pensioners in the “cheque-less” release of benefits by October this year.
She said since July 15, the submission of the maternity notification form for pregnant female SSS members and the sickness notification form were required by the SSS to be done online, along with the retirement benefit claim of members who are at least 65 years old and the application for unemployment insurance benefit.
Online filing of applications for the calamity loan and salary loan were made mandatory by the SSS a month earlier on June 15, while the filing of the sickness benefit reimbursement claim of employers was required to be done online as of July 1 this year.
The online enrollment of bank accounts in the My.SSS or SSS online portal is already mandatory for members since June 2020 and for employers starting August 2020.
This online enrollment will enable the SSS to automatically deposit benefits to the member’s and employer’s enrolled bank account.
SSS has also made mandatory the online filing of applications for the coronavirus disease 2019 calamity loan assistance package since the program was launched last June 15.
Online filing of funeral benefit claims for SSS member-claimants was made available starting July and will be mandatory by August, Ignacio said.
Online filing of the retirement benefit claim of overseas Filipino workers and voluntary members who are 60 to 64 years old has also been made mandatory starting August.
