State-run Social Security System (SSS) announced on Friday that it will no longer release checks for funeral benefit claims and will instead pay through banks and other alternative payment channels after the pension fund shifts its transactions online as part of the "new normal."

SSS President and CEO Aurora Ignacio said benefit payments will now be released through PESONet participating banks, e-wallets, or Remittance Transfer Companies (RTCs)/Cash Payout Outlets (CPOs).

This is in addition to the earlier launched mode of payment through Unified Multi-Purpose Identification (UMID) cards enrolled as an ATM card.

The enhanced payment method, which took effect June 22, is part of the initiative of the SSS to go digital, as well as to decongest or limit walk-in transactions in its offices for the safety of both members and employees due to the pandemic.

"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, Ignacio said members must log in to their My.SSS account at the SSS website at www.sss.gov.ph, and proceed to the E-services tab then click Bank Enrollment.

Members must select their preferred mode of payment and 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 Thru M Lhuillier, an RTC/CPO, may also be selected in the BEM, Ignacio explained.

"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," the SSS chief said.

To receive the benefit payment through PESONet participating banks, non-SSS member claimants must present the original copy and submit a photocopy of their 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, Ignacio said that 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," she added.

Meanwhile, funeral claims encoded in the SSS' system as of June 22 will still be paid through checks. However, if not yet encoded, the SSS branch will inform the claimant to enroll a disbursement account in the BEM or provide the corresponding documentary requirement for his or her disbursement account.