SSS amends guidelines on temporary ACOP suspension
THE Social Security System (SSS) amended the guidelines on the temporary suspension of the Annual Confirmation of Pensioners Program (ACOP) following the continuous implementation of the community quarantine (CQ) in the Philippines due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
SSS President and CEO Aurora C. Ignacio said that under the amended guidelines, pensioners who have not complied with the ACOP for the calendar year 2020 (covering birth months from January up to the end of the CQ) would continue to receive their monthly pensions until the following month of the last day of the CQ in the country.
Once the entire country is under the new normal, meaning all forms of CQ have been lifted, the said pensioners will be given 60 days to comply with the ACOP requirement. Should they fail to comply within the said period, only then will their monthly pensions be suspended.
However, verification processes/activities are continuously implemented by the SSS for those pensioners residing in the Philippines.
“Despite the gradual easing of community quarantine restrictions, we have decided to err on the side of caution and extend the temporary ACOP suspension. The health and safety of our members and pensioners remain our top concern,” Ignacio said.
Meanwhile, pensioners whose pensions were already “suspended due to non-compliance with the ACOP” before the community quarantine will be given an online option to comply.
The said pensioners may file their ACOP compliance by submitting a duly accomplished ACOP form, which is downloadable at https://www.sss.gov.ph/sss/appmanager/sss_downloads.jsp?type=forms, together with photocopies of their identification cards or documents.
If they are residing abroad, they may send the documents through email at ofw.relations@sss.gov.ph or the corporate email of the SSS foreign office in the area. For those residing in the Philippines, they may send them at member_relations@sss.gov.ph or the corporate email of the SSS branch concerned.
Pensioners residing in the Philippines may also submit their ACOP compliance through a representative or personally, if possible, at SSS drop boxes located in its branches nationwide.
The SSS reminds the transacting public to follow the government’s minimum public health standards to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19.
The ACOP is a program launched in 2012 that requires pensioners to annually report to the SSS to ensure the continuous payment of their benefits under the Social Security Law.
Under normal circumstances, ACOP compliance must be done by retiree pensioners residing abroad and total disability pensioners on their birth month. Survivor pensioners and dependents are required to do so on the birth month of the deceased member.