SSS SICKNESS BENEFIT

 

SSS Sickness Benefit is a daily cash allowance paid to a member for the number of days he/she is unable to work due to sickness or injury.

How to qualify?

• Confinement either at home or in the hospital for at least four (4) days
• Paid at least three (3) monthly contributions within the 12-month period preceding the semester of sickness
• Has notified his employer; or if unemployed, has notified SSS
• Has used up all current company sick leave with pay

FIRST STEP:  Sickness Notification

Note: SSS has other advise/notification period during lockdown; ECQ or in case there is still a Covid -19 pandemic which causes the branch to close or stop their operation at their office.

In general, the following rules is being followed:

For Employed Members:

• Employee shall advise employer within 5 calendar days after the start of confinement
• Employer shall notify SSS within 5 calendar days form the receipt of employee notification
• If the employee notifies the employer beyond the prescribed five-day period, the confinement shall be deemed to have started not earlier than the fifth day immediately preceding the date of notification.
• If the employer notifies the SSS beyond five (5) calendar days after receipt of the notification from the employee, the employer shall be reimbursed only for each day of confinement starting from the 10th calendar day immediately preceding the date of notification to the SSS.
• If the employee has given the required notification to the employer, but the employer fails to notify the SSS of the confinement within the prescribed period resulting in the reduction of the benefit or denial of the claim, the employer shall have no right to recover the daily sickness allowance advanced to the employee.
• the employer must notify the SSS within ten (10) calendar days from the start of the employee’s sickness or injury while he was working or while he was within the company premises.

 If filed through Company Representative, the following documents should be forwarded to SSS:

·       System-generated Transmittal List (TL) or System-generated Acknowledgment Letter, if filed through Electronic Notification (three copies); or Employer TL (three copies)

·       Member’s Sickness Notification Application

·       Member’s identification card/s or document/s (photocopy)

·       All attached medical documents and reports, if any;

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·       ​​A Medical Specialist shall determine other required medical documents based on a separate checklist.

Amount of Benefit

The daily cash allowance is equivalent to 90% of the average daily salary credit

 Computation of Benefit

• Exclude the semester of sickness/contingency
• Select the 3-6 highest Monthly Salary Credits within the last 12 months preceding the semester of contingency to arrive at the Total Monthly Salary Credit (TMSC)
• Divide the TMSC by 180 to get the Average Daily Salary Credit (ADSC)
• Multiply the ADSC by 90%, then further multiply it by the approved number of days (maximum period of entitlement is 120 days in one calendar year)

  Online Sickness Notification via SSS website

• Employer must have a registered My.SSS account ;
• Employer is enrolled in the Sickness and maternity Benefit Payment Thru-the-Bank Program and has a registered bank account;
• Has an approved SSS notification that is included in the SBRA claim; and
• Employer has a certification to advance the sickness benefit of the employee according to their sickness notification

 How to file SBRA for your employees via SSS website

1. Log in to My.SSS account (sss.gov.ph) and click Employer
2. Encode your User ID and Password then tick box for the captcha
3. Under E-Services, click Submit SS Sickness Benefit Reimbursement Application (SBRA)
4. Encode the SS number of the employee. Then select Claim Reference Number button from the list of approved sickness notifications (ex: confinement period, number of days approved) Then click Proceed
5. Enter other needed information then click the certification box. Then click Submit.
6. Confirmation page will be displayed. Make sure to get a copy of your Transaction Reference Number (TRN)
7. Confirmation of successful SBRA will also be sent via the registered email of the employer.

 Manner of Payment & Reimbursement for Employed Members

1. Once employer successfully sent the sickness notification, employer shall advance the benefit every regular payday of the employee
2. The amount advanced will be reimbursed 100% by the SSS thru employer’s depository bank.

 

Reference: SSS website

 

 

SSS OR SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM - GOVERNMENT MANDATORY BENEFIT

 

SSS or Social Security System is one that I did not appreciate when I was just starting as an employee. I bet all newbies and fresh graduates who happened to get their first job could relate to me especially if this was not explained well to them during their orientation. I disliked it because it is one of the deductions that I see in my payslip but never did I understand that it is also my gain, only that it is being deposited in my fund… for my future when I can no longer work as an employee.

 

So for the young employees out there, you’re so lucky because our SSS contributions nowadays have gone higher especially the employer’s part of contribution. So what does that mean? It means the higher contribution you have ( both your own and your employer’s share ), the higher retirement benefit / and other related benefit you could get in the future. That is because most of the computations of the benefits are based on the amount that we have invested while we were employed.

 

On top of that retirement benefit, below are the other benefits which we can enjoy being a member of the Social Security System.

 

1.    Sickn​ess.

2.    Maternity

3.    Disability

4.    Death

5.    Funeral

6.    Unemployment

7.    Salary Loan

8.    Calamity Loan

9.    Educational Assistance Loan

10. Housing Loan

11. Retirement

 

We will tackle each of these SSS benefits in my next writing. ‘till then. Happy Easter and I am happy to get back and relive this blog…

GAP IN APPLICANT’S EMPLOYMENT – SHOULD YOU FOCUS ON IT NEGATIVELY?

My answer is a big “NO”. Why? Because something good might have happened during the gap period. He/She may have experience a milestone in her life where she has to stop working for a while and give time to a certain happening. Probably, she got married and needed to take care of her husband’s needs. A time to deserve her married life. Or it might be that she needed to take care of her old mother. A time to pay back and express her love and care of her old parents. A time of joy and a time of sorrow – yet both entails LOVE. If you will dig on it deeper, both experiences will make him/her a mature and better individual. Both will make her strong and nurturing. Both will make him/her a good leader – happy and humane.

Some applicants do have a long gap period of employment. But have you asked her what did she do during this break? Having the gap period in employment does not always mean incompetence. In fact, some people use it in upgrading their knowledge. With the advent of new technologies, being out of work is not anymore a reason to stop learning and remain extinct. Online magazines and newspapers have left printed ones out of fashion.

Being at work the whole period does not always mean that an individual is learning or in trend with the current practices in ones field of work. There is even a higher chance for the unemployed person to continue learning and upgrading his/her craft.

With the rise of blogs and google, unemployed person has a better chance of getting updated information as long as he/she uses internet at home. A better alternative in order to add value in ones career.

So should you say “NO” to an applicant with a big gap in employment? 

LABOR POLICIES IN THE PHILIPPINES TO BE ADHERED BY THE EMPLOYERS

These are the summary of policies and employment terms and conditions consistent with the mandated labor policies set forth in the Labor Code of the Philippines.

*Under the Labor Code, your employees are entitled to compensation or wages, overtime pay, holiday and premium pay, service charges and tips in service businesses, SSS, EC , Pag-Ibig and NHI remittances, service incentive leaves, and retirement pay.

*You must pay your employees no lower than the minimum wage rates prescribed by law. The minimum wage rates are based on the normal working hours of eight (8) hours a day.

For access , see the Department of Labor and Employment website, www.dole.gov.ph.

*

ON CONTRACTUAL/CONTRACTING EMPLOYEES

Department of Labor and Employment, Department Order 18-A, with the Implementing Rules on Article 106 to 109 of the Labor Code is all about Job Contracting.

There are different types and terms of Job Contracting. One which is familiar to me is the Contractual Type of employment wherein a worker works only for a specified period time. They are not considered regular.

However, they are covered too by the rules on Labor Standards.

a.      They are entitled to government-mandated benefits - SSS, PAG-IBIG, Philhealth, 5 days Service Incentive Leave after 1 year of service.

b.       It is legally advisable not to renew their contracts. A six months service in a company, whether continuous or broken, entitles them to claim for regularization.

Another type in which I am also familiar with is hiring of personnel through an agency or contractors. The following are considered in checking if said contractor is prohibited or not.

It is a legitimate contractor when:

a)      The contractor or subcontractor carries on a distinct and independent business and undertakes to perform the job, work or service on its own account and under its own responsibility according to its own manner and method, and free from the control and direction of the principal in all matters connected with the performance of the work except as to the results thereof; (b) The contractor or subcontractor has substantial capital or investment; and (c) The agreement between the principal and contractor or subcontractor assures the contractual employees entitlement to all labor and occupational safety and health standards, free exercise of the right to self-organization, security of tenure, and social and welfare benefits.

ARTICLE V OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9165 - A DRUG FREE WORKPLACE – IS A MUST

Pursuant to Article V of Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and its Implementing Rules and Regulations and DOLE Department Order No. 53-03, series of 2003 (Guidelines for the Implementation of a Drug-Free Workplace Policies and Programs in the Private Sector), the following policies and programs must be adopted to achieve a drug-free workplace:

COVERAGE

This law applies to all establishments in the private sector, including contractors and concessionaires.

COMPONENTS

Advocacy, Training and Education – employees should be kept aware and educated about the dangers of using drugs including its consequences.

Drug Testing – random drug testing should be done in accordance with the company’s rules and regulation in order to avoid or lessen the risk in the workplace.

Treatment, Rehabilitation and Referral – this option is given only to officers and employees who are diagnosed with drug dependence for the first time, or who turn to the Assessment Team for assistance, or who would benefit from the treatment and rehabilitation.

CONSEQUENCES OF POLICY VIOLATIONS

1.       Any officer or employee who violated or commits other unlawful acts as defined under Article II of RA 9165 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations shall be subject to the pertinent provisions of the said Act.

2.       Any officer or employee found positive for use of dangerous drugs shall be dealt with administratively in accordance with the provisions of Article 282 of Book VI of the Labor Code and under RA 9165.

CUSTOMER SERVICE – TO RECRUIT OR TO OUTSOURCE?

We are a customer oriented company and currently thinking of the need to have a Customer Service Desk in order to fully address the necessitates of the clients including the seems to be hard to resolve critical protest or complain. What is the best thing to do – to recruit or to outsource?

In deciding on whether to recruit or outsource personnel, following are essential to be considered:

Scope of Work and Volume of Work – Is it a very complicated task or merely just answering phone calls and queries? If it is just a small task with less danger if someone commits a mistake, then outsourcing is an option. But if entails full responsibility of the taking care of the general requirements of the clients, then recruiting a personnel would be better.

In other words, it depends on your objective and the set budget in deciding so.