SSS Funeral Benefit can now be Claimed via Bank, E-Wallet

The Social Security System (SSS) will no longer release checks for funeral benefit claims as the pension fund shift its transactions online.

This took effect on June 22, 2020 in an effort of the SSS to go digital and decongest or limit walk-in transactions for the safety of the members and SSS employees well.

SSS President and CEO Aurora C. Ignacio said the SSS funeral benefit is a cash benefit granted to anyone who paid the funeral expenses of a deceased member. The release of the benefit will now either through ​Philippine Electronic Fund Transfer System and Operations Network ​(PESONet) participating banks, e-wallets​, ​e.g., PayMaya, or Remittance Transfer Companies (RTCs)/Cash Payout Outlets (CPOs), in addition to the earlier launched mode of payment via Unified Multi-Purpose Identification (UMID) cards enrolled as an ATM card.

“Upon the filing of their funeral claim applications, claimants who are also SSS members must enroll a disbursement account in the SSS’ Bank Enrollment Module (BEM), if they do not have a UMID-ATM,” Ignacio said.

To access the BEM, members must log in to their My.SSS account at the SSS website, and proceed to the E-services tab then 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. Aside from banks and e-wallets, the DBP Cash Padala Thru M Lhuillier, an RTC/CPO, may also be selected in the BEM.

SSS reminds its members that the entry of their bank account numbers must be a continuous string of numbers without any dashes or non-numeric characters. Meanwhile, mobile numbers must also follow the same format, e.g., 09171234567 or 09181234567.

“Claimants who are non-SSS members must present and submit a copy of their disbursement account together with their funeral claim application and other documentary requirements,” Ignacio said.

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 the benefit without having to wait for checks, picking them up at the SSS branch where they filed their claims, and going to the bank to encash them,” Ignacio said.

Funeral claims encoded in the SSS’ funeral system as of June 22, 2020, will still be paid through checks. However, if it is not yet encoded in the said 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.