The SSS Sickness Benefit

IT’S summertime once again: time to enjoy the sand, surf and sun! But it’s also a time to watch out for heatstroke, food poisoning, sore eyes, prickly-heat rashes and many other ailments associated with this season. For some of us, being unable to go to work because of an illness could mean financial difficulties. Thank goodness, there is the Social Security System (SSS) that provides some cash benefits for the days that one is unable to work because of sickness, through the SSS Sickness Benefit program.

The sickness benefit is a daily cash allowance paid for the number of days that a member is unable to work because of sickness or injury. A member is qualified to avail himself or herself of the benefit if:

1. He or she was sick and confined either in a hospital or at home for at least four days.

2. He or she has paid at least three months of contributions within the 12-month period immediately before the semester of sickness or injury.

3. He or she has used up all company sick-leave days with pay.

4. He or she has notified his or her employer or the SSS, if unemployed, self-employed or voluntary, regarding his or her sickness or injury.

The amount of sickness benefit a day is equivalent to 90 percent of the member’s average daily-salary credit. To compute for the average daily salary credit, add the six highest monthly-salary credits within the 12-month period prior to the semester of sickness or injury. Divide the resulting number by 180 days to get the average daily-salary credit. Ninety percent of that amount is the daily sickness allowance. Multiply the approved number of days of sickness by the amount of sickness allowance to get the total amount of sickness benefit.

For example, is a member falls ill with a fever for seven days within this month, the semester of contingency is from January to June 2014. Look for the six highest salary credits within the entire 2013. Let us assume that the six highest salary credits are P15,000 each. The total monthly salary credits would be P90,000 (P15,000 x 6). Divided by 180 days, this would result in an average daily-salary credit of P500, and 90 percent of this amount is P450. Hence, the cash benefit for seven days of sickness would be P3,150. –Susie G. Bugante, Businessmirror

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For more information about the SSS Sickness Benefit, contact our 24-hour call center at (632) 920-6446 to 55, Monday to Friday, e-mail member_relations@sss.gov.ph or visit our website at www.sss.gov.ph.

Susie G. Bugante is the vice president for public affairs and special events of the Social Security System, where she has worked for close to 24 years handling the agency’s public-information and public-relations activities. Send feedback about this column to susiebugante.bmirror@gmail.com.