The Social Security System (SSS) said today that it will use the masterlist of Kentex fire victims issued by the City Government of Valenzuela as basis for processing of funeral and death benefits.
“The masterlist from the City Government of Valenzuela will serve as the death certificate of the 74 victims so we will start processing funeral and death claims,” Senior Vice President Jose Bautista of SSS NCR Operations Group said.
The SSS already has the official list of names of the victims and their respective beneficiaries including their relationship to the victims. This will be the basis of SSS in processing and approving claims.
As the administrator of the Employees’ Compensation Program (EC), the SSS will also process the EC claims for the victims since they died at the workplace.
The special procedures for processing of funeral and death benefits of the Kentex fire incident is contained in Office Order 2015-024 o “Guidelines on the Payment of Benefits to the Victims of the Fire Incident at Kentex Manufacturing Corporation” released last May 27, 2015. In the said guidelines, the masterlist of victims will be the basis for processing EC funeral claims.
The SSS is doing away with the usual documents needed in processing EC funeral claims to make the payment of the benefit easier.
Under normal circumstances, filing of EC funeral claims require submission of death certificate, report of death, certificate of employment, job description/ statement of duties and responsibilities, police investigation report and photocopy of the company logbook page that shows the record of death.
The SSS Benefits Administration Division has provided all branches concerned with the masterlist of victims to make filing of applications by beneficiaries easier.
The beneficiaries of the victims will receive up to P20,000 in funeral benefits from the SSS and P20,000 from the Employees’ Compensation. The funeral benefit under both programs are granted as long as member has paid at least one contribution.
The amount of death benefits that the survivors may receive will depend on the amount and number of contributions paid by the member. The dependent living spouse of the deceased member who has paid at least 36 monthly contributions will receive a lifetime death pension.
Legitimate and illegitimate minor children will also receive a dependent’s pension equivalent to 10 per cent of the basic pension or P250 whichever is higher.
Meanwhile, beneficiaries of members who have less than 36 monthly contributions will receive a lump sum death benefit.
