The Philippine Social Security System gives benefit to those who are unable to work due to sickness or injury.
The sickness benefit covers the salary of the days that the sick or injured beneficiary was unable to work or do the job.
What are the requirements to qualify for SSS sickness benefit?
- He/She is confined at the hospital or at home for at least four (4) days due to sickness or injury.
- Before the semester of sickness or injury, he/she must have been paid the 3-month contribution within the 12-month period immediately.
- All the current company sick must be completely used up with pay; and
- He/She must notify the ER, or SSS employee, and if separated from employment, he/she must notify the VM or SE about his/her sickness or injury.
The question is how much SSS benefit will be given to the beneficiary?
The amount of benefit that will be given depends on the SSS members’ average daily salary. The SSS will give the 90% portion of the salary to the SSS member.
How is the SSS Sickness Benefit computed?
- The semester of sickness is excluded.
What is semester?
- That is in the ending of quarter of sickness, there is two consecutive quarters.
Then what is quarter?
- It is referring to the three consecutive months ending March, June, September or December.
- At the time before the semester of sickness will be the start on counting backwards the twelve (12) months backward.
- Within the 12-month period, identify the six (6) highest Monthly Salary Credit (MSC).
What is Monthly Salary Credit or MSC?
- Effective on January 1, 2014, the maximum compensation or earning will be PHP16,000. So, monthly salary credit means the compensation base for benefits and compensation based on the total earning of the month.
- Get the total of the highest six (6) MSC.
- To get the ADSC, divide the total MSC by 180 days.
- To get the daily sickness allowance, you have to multiply the ADSC by ninety percent (90%)
- There is an approved number of days, and you have to multiply it by the daily allowance to get the total amount of benefit due.
Let say for example: for 20 days starting from October 2015, the SSS members go sick or injured:
a. July 2015 to December 2015 is what you called the semester of sickness.
b. Within the 12-month period from July 2014 to June 2015, the six (6) highest MSC will be picked.
c. For example, PHP15,000 each are the six (6) highest MSC. Then PHP90,000 will be the total MSC.
d. To get the ADSC, divide PHP90,000 (total MSC) by 180, then you’ll get PHP500.
e. To get the total daily allowance, you have to multiply the total ADSC by ninety precent (PHP500 x 90%), then the total will be PHP450The sick days are 20 days, so multiply the total daily to 20 (PHP450 x 20 days) resulting PHP9000 of the total sickness benefit.
f. The sick days are 20 days, so multiply the total daily to 20 (PHP450 x 20 days) resulting PHP9000 of the total sickness benefit.
Another question is, “In one year, how many days can SSS member avail the sickness benefit?”
The maximum days of SSS sickness benefit that can be granted to the member is not more than one hundred twenty (120) days in a calendar year.
But keep in mind that the unused days for this SSS benefit cannot be used for the following years.
For some cases that the illness or injury lasts for more than 240 days, it will be a disability claim.
Who should notify the SSS office about the member’s sickness or injury?
Notifying ahead of time is needed to get the SSS benefit. The notification should be submitted within five (5) calendar days after the sickness started.
- For Employed Members
It should be done by the EE (Employee). After the notification given by the EE was received, then it’s the ER’s (Employer) turn to notify the SSS about the confinement within five (5) calendar days.
If the SSS member’s confinement is at the hospital, then the length of notifying the SSS shall be within one (1) year starting from the moment of confinement.
The other case is when the member that got sick is under the company premises – wherein the ER should notify the SSS within ten (10) calendar days from the moment the member got sick or injured while in the premises of the company.
What if the SSS member got separated from employment? What would be the procedure that will be given to the member, SE and VM?
- For Self-employed (SE) and Voluntary Members (VM)
The notification by SE and VM should be direct to the SSS wherein in five (5) calendar days after the member got confined, unless the member got confined at the hospital.
In this case, the SE or VM will notify the SSS within one (1) year from the start of confinement.
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