SSS sets March 31 deadline for pensioners’ ‘proof-of-life’

MANILA, Philippines—The Social Security System (SSS) has asked pensioners to comply with their 2021 “proof of life” requirement to continue receiving their monthly pension.

In a statement on Thursday (Feb. 17), the SSS said the deadline for last year’s annual confirmation of pensioners program (Acop) will be until March 31 of this year.

Amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the SSS had suspended its yearly proof-of-life program, which had been put in place to ensure that pension payments were being remitted to living pensioners and their beneficiaries. In the past, some took advantage of pension disbursements despite them not being the rightful pensioners.

“For over one-and-a-half years, we have continuously granted our pensioners their respective pensions without the corresponding reporting under the Acop since they are high-risk individuals to the virus,” said Aurora Cruz-Ignacio, SSS president and CEO.

“We have then resumed the implementation of this program last October 1, 2021, and to make up for the suspension period, we have given all covered pensioners, except those who already complied for calendar year 2021, a period of six months or until March 31, 2022, to submit their compliance through online and alternative methods that are designed for their safety and convenience,” Ignacio said.

At present, pensioners can comply with Acop by submitting the required documents to the SSS’s corporate email addresses, via mail or courier. or through drop boxes of the SSS branches nearest to them.

In light of pandemic restrictions, the SSS also allowed home visits by its personnel to pensioners, especially disabled retirees, after sending a written request. Pensioners may likewise opt to prove they’re still alive through video conference.

Ignacio warned that failure to comply with the March 31 deadline will result in suspension of pension disbursements beginning May 2022.

“Starting April 1, 2022, we will follow the usual schedule of compliance for the program, wherein retirement pensioners residing abroad, and total disability pensioners must comply on their birth month; survivor pensioners must comply within the birth month of the deceased member,” said Ignacio.

Dependents and guardians, Ignacio said, “must comply on the birth month of the member or deceased member, whichever is applicable. Non-compliance to this will also lead to the temporary suspension of their pensions.”

The list of documentary requirements and contact information, like email addresses and branch locations here and abroad, can be accessed on the SSS’s website.

By Ben O. de Vera