Social Security System (SSS) members who cannot work due to sickness, injury, and including those who contracted the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are qualified for sickness benefits, the state-run insurance agency announced.
SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Aurora C. Ignacio explained that the sickness benefit is a daily cash allowance paid for the number of days that a member cannot work due to sickness or injury.
"We are aware that many of our members are getting sick right now. Some of them even got infected by the current Omicron variant. We want to assure them that SSS is providing them with sickness benefit to augment their lost income," Ignacio said.
Under the program, she furthered, a member must have paid at least three monthly contributions within the last 12 months prior to the semester of sickness or injury and has used up all his current company sick leaves for the current year.
Ignacio said a member must be confined either in a hospital or at home for at least four days.
Employed, self-employed, voluntary, and overseas Filipino worker (OFW) members are also qualified to avail of the sickness benefit which is granted up to a maximum of 120 days in one calendar year.
As a protocol members who contracted COVID-19 are required to provide a positive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test.
Ignacio said the daily cash allowance is equivalent to 90 percent of the members' average salary credit (ADSC).