Lawmaker seeks release of SSS benefits within 30 days

By Delon Porcalla (The Philippine Star), October 3, 2016

MANILA, Philippines – A lawmaker wants red tape at the Social Security System (SSS) reduced drastically by cutting the usual six-month processing and release of members’ benefits to a maximum of just 30 days.

Quezon City Rep. Winnie Castelo’s House Bill 3544 or the “Expeditious Payment of SSS Benefits Act of 2016” mandates the SSS to implement an expeditious system of processing and payment of claims of legitimate claimants and beneficiaries.

“SSS members who come to us for assistance complain that it would take three to six months for their claims to be paid out,” he said, referring to the slow processing of retirement, maternity, sickness, disability, death and funeral benefits, even loans.

If approved, the measure will require the state pension fund to pay right away the claims of its member-beneficiaries – and their benefits they applied for – within a month from the day the application and complete requirements have been filed.

As it turned out, the Civil Service Commission revealed that SSS carries the highest record of complaints in their hotline – a total of 4,421 calls from Aug. 1 to 24, mostly owing to the slow pace or processing of transactions.

Castelo cited the need for the SSS to promulgate stricter and more simplified rules, regulations, mechanics and guidelines to expedite the processing and payment of claims so that benefits can immediately be enjoyed by SSS members and beneficiaries.

In his explanatory note, he noted that SSS members and beneficiaries often “suffer the brunt of a rather tedious, difficult, and delayed processing” of their claims, preventing them from enjoying the benefits due them when most needed.

Such undue and unjustifiable delay “betrays the very mission of the SSS to provide social protection.”

In the past, the SSS has acknowledged the delay in the payment of claims and vowed to adopt measures to significantly reduce the time required to process them.

The state pension fund adopted in 2015 a five-year program to cut down the processing of retirement benefits which on average takes 39 days, death benefits 62 days, disability claims 31 days, and employees’ compensation that normally takes 49 days.

The Commission on Audit has also taken the SSS to task for the delay, noting in its 2014 audit report that it deprived members – all of whom are workers of private companies – of their much-needed benefits.

An evaluation of sample benefit payments processed at three SSS branches in the National Capital Region showed that “the processing time from filing date to check date (approval of payment) ranged from at least two months to as long as six months.”

The audit report indicated that out of 1,030 sample paid claims from January to December 2014, 649 had a processing time of two months, 255 had three months, 94 had four months, 30 had five months, and two had six months, most of which were retirement claims.