To get benefits: SSS defers requirement on personal appearance

The Social Security System (SSS) has deferred a requirement for pensioners to personally report in and confirm their entitlements as part of a program to ensure that SSS pensions are paid only to qualified claimants, a top official said.

SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Corazon de la Paz said the institution has completed the one-year cycle for its Annual Confirmation Program and it needed to assess its impact on the institution.

She said only those with suspended pensions and those submitting themselves for annual physical examinations are required to actually report to SSS offices.

The SSS started a census of its pensioners in 2004 under the ACOP to purge from its rosters those who died, remarried or have recovered from their disabilities. The ACOP is part of reforms intended to protect the viability of the SSS funds.

SSS has more than one million pensioners receiving three types of pensions: retirees, survivors' and disability. The pensions range from an average of P2,546 to a maximum of P14,861. - Jasmin R. Uy