Losing a job is a hard ordeal for workers, especially those who have families to support. There is also never a guarantee that you can find another work immediately after you lost your last one. Thus, it is a relief that the Social Security System (SSS) now offers Unemployment Benefit for employees who were involuntary separated from their work.
SSS has released the guidelines on the payment of unemployment insurance pursuant to Section 14-B of Republic Act (RA) No. 11199 otherwise known as the “Social Security Act of 2018”. The unemployment insurance or involuntary separation benefit is defined as a cash benefit granted to covered employees, including Kasambahays and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who were involuntarily separated from employment.
Eligibility:
– Employee should not be over sixty years old at the time of involuntary separation (except underground or surface mineworkers, not over fifty years old, and racehorse jockeys, not over fifty-five years old)
– Has paid at least thirty-six monthly contributions, twelve of which should be made in the eighteen-month period immediately preceding the month of involuntary separation
– Has not settled employment insurance within the last three years prior to the date of involuntary separation
Who are covered under ‘involuntary separation’?
– Those who were terminated by their employer just to authorized causes under Articles 298 (283) and 299 (284) of P.D. No. 442 or the Labor Code of the Philippines. The causes are:
a. Installation of Labor-Saving Devices
b. Redundancy
c. Retrenchment or Downsizing
d. Closure or cessation of operation
e. Disease/illness of the employee whose continued employment is prohibited by law or prejudicial to his/her co-workers’ health
– Employees who put an end to the employment relationship due to just causes stated under Article 300 (285) of P.D. No. 442 or the Labor Code of the Philippines, as amended. The just causes are:
a. Serious insult by the employer of his representative on the honor and person of the employee
b. Inhuman and unbearable treatment accorded to the employee by the employer or his representative
c. Commission of a crime or offense by the employer or his representative against the person of the employee or any of the immediate members of his/her family
d. Other causes analogous to any of the foregoing
– Those affected by economic downturn, natural or human-induced calamities/disasters, and other analogous cases as determined by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and SSS.
– For OFW, the reasons for involuntary separation shall be determined by DOLE.
Note: Employees Terminated Due to the Following Reasons are NOT COVERED by the unemployment benefit:
– Serious misconduct
– Willful disobedience to lawful orders
– Gross and habitual neglect of duties
– Fraud or willful breach of trust/loss of confidence
– Commission of a crime or offense
– Analogous cases such as abandonment, gross inefficiency, disloyalty/conflict of interest/dishonesty
How much can you receive?
Qualified individuals shall be given a monthly cash payment equivalent to 50% of the average monthly salary credit, not exceeding Php10,000 a month.
Do you need to pay after you got a new job?
The SSS Unemployment Insurance or Benefit is NOT A LOAN. Rather, it is a financial assistance that you can claim if you are eligible.
Document Requirements:
– Original Copy and photocopy of one primary ID document or in absence of which, two supplementary ID document, both with signature and at least one with photo
– Certification establishing the nature and date of involuntary separation from DOLE thru its Regional Offices and Philippine Overseas Labor Offices; or
– Notice of Termination from Employer or Affidavit of Termination of Employment
– UMID Card enrolled as ATM or UBP(Union Bank of the Philippines) Bank Card or bank statement/certificate with the name of member, savings account, bank branch and address.
After you have completed the said requirement, simply proceed to any SSS branch to submit them. The prescriptive period of filing is within one year from the date of involuntary separation.
Source: https://www.sss.gov.ph/sss/DownloadContent?fileName=ci2019-011.pdf
