NextGen Day

The Social Security System (SSS) has paid out PHP2.62 billion in unemployment insurance payments to approximately 196,000 members of its pension fund, the majority of which was paid out during the epidemic.

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic period from March 2020 to June 2021, Finance Secretary and Social Security Commission (SSC) Chairman Carlos Dominguez III said PHP2.35 billion, or 90 percent of the cash grants under the SSS unemployment insurance benefit (UIB) program, were released.

According to Dominguez’s letter to the Senate, 173,791 SSS members out of a total of 196,021 got the UIB during the pandemic period as of June this year.

“The UIB program, which went into force in March 2019, is one of the SSS’s main institutional solutions to the Covid-19 epidemic for its afflicted members from March 2020. The SSS paid out PHP2,354.33 million in UIB from March 2020 to June 2021, benefiting 173,791 members, according to Dominguez’s letter to Senate President Vicente Sotto III.

Senator Grace Poe Llamanzares, one of the vice-chairs of the Senate finance committee, had written to inquire about the provision of financial support to jobless employees during the Covid-19 epidemic.

The question was raised at the Development Budget Coordination Committee’s (DBCC) briefing to the Senate Finance Committee on Sept. 9 on the proposed National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2022, which was headed by Sen. Sonny Angara.

Dominguez’s letter was sent to Angara and Poe.

According to the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 11199, or the Social Security Act of 2018, the UIB will be granted if the members’ separation or involuntary unemployment was caused by any of the following, but not limited to: authorized causes of termination of employees, such as redundancy, retrenchment/downsizing, and closure/cessation of operation; just causes for ending employment relationship; economic downturn; natural occlusion; natural disaster

During the pandemic, the SSS has made it simpler and easier for members to file UIB claims by enabling them to do so online via the SSS website’s My.SSS member portal, according to Dominguez.

In accordance with Dominguez’s orders for the pension fund to digitize its system in order to speed up the issuance of loans and benefits to its members, the SSS began utilizing electronic payment methods in discharging UIB and other benefits claims.

A member who is not over 60 years old and has paid at least 36 months of contributions, 12 of which must be within the 18-month period immediately preceding the involuntary unemployment or separation, will be paid benefits in the form of monthly cash payments equal to half of his or her average monthly salary credit for a maximum of two months, as provided by Section 14-B of RA 11199.

For instance, if a member’s average monthly salary credit (AMSC) is PHP16,000, he or she may be eligible for a two-month UIB cash benefit of PHP16,000 (or PHP8,000 per month), subject to eligibility conditions and the submission of supporting documents, such as the Department of Labor and Employment’s certification on the employee’s involuntary separation.

An employee who is involuntarily jobless may only claim the UIB once every three years, according to the legislation.

In the event that two or more compensable circumstances occur at the same time, RA 11199 stipulates that only the highest benefit would be given, subject to the SSC’s rules and regulations.

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