The Social Security System will no longer release funeral benefit checks following the implementation of the mandatory payment of the said benefit through the banks and alternative payment channels.
SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Aurora C. Ignacio said the funeral benefit will now be released either through the Philippine Electronic Fund Transfer System and Operations Network (PESONet) participating banks, e-wallets like PayMaya or remittance transfer companies (RTCs)/cash payout outlets (CPOs); in addition to the earlier launched mode of payment via unified multipurpose identification (UMID) cards enrolled as an ATM card.
Ignacio said upon the filing of funeral claim applications, claimants who are also SSS members are required to have an enrolled disbursement account in the SSS’ Bank Enrollment Module (BEM), if they do not have a UMID-ATM.
To access the BEM, members must log in to their My.SSS account at www.sss.gov.ph, then proceed to the e-services tab and click bank enrollment.
Members must select their preferred PESONet participating bank, e-wallet, or RTC/CPO. They must supply their bank account number to enroll their bank account or their mobile number for e-wallets or RTCs/CPOs.
The complete list of PESONet participating banks and electronic money issuers (including e-wallets) is available under the “ACH participants” section of the payments and settlements tab of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas website at www.bsp.gov.ph. Aside from banks and e-wallets, the DBP cash padala through M. Lhuillier, an RTC/CPO, may also be selected in the BEM.
Members must provide their bank account numbers as a continuous string of numbers without dashes between non-numeric characters. Meanwhile, mobile numbers must also be in the same format, such as 0917-123-4567 or 0918-123-4567.
Claimants who are non-SSS members, are required to present and submit a copy of their disbursement account together with their funeral claims application and other documentary requirements.
To receive the benefit payment through PESONet participating banks, non-SSS member claimants must present the original copy and submit the photocopy of any of the following: passbook, ATM card with the name of the claimant and account number, validated initial deposit slip, or a bank certificate or statement issued within three months before the filing of the claim with the name of the claimant and account number.
If they opt to receive the benefit through e-wallets or RTCs/CPOs, claimants must provide their mobile numbers.
“The disbursement of funeral claims through banks and alternative payment channels allows SSS beneficiaries to conveniently receive their benefits without having to wait for their checks to arrive. They can pick it up at the SSS branch where they filed their claims, and go to the bank to encash it,” Ignacio said.
The enhanced payment method for the funeral benefit took effect on June 22. Funeral claims encoded in the SSS’ funeral system as of the said date will still be paid through checks. However, if the application is not yet encoded in the system, the SSS branch will inform the claimant to enroll a disbursement account in the BEM or provide the corresponding documentary requirement for his/her disbursement account. – Press release
May 1, 2024
