As all human beings unfortunately are, you may become afflicted with a disease every now and then.
Perhaps you can tough out a cold or flu and still be able to go to work, but there are times when that sickness may be something more serious and it would be best to seek treatment while taking time away from work.
When that happens, you have to make sure that it does not take away too much from your own livelihood.
That is where the SSS Sickness Benefit can come in to soften the blow.
What is SSS Sickness Benefit?
Sickness benefit is cash allowance paid daily for how long the employee is unable to go to work due to sickness or injury.
Of course, playing hooky by calling in sick when it is not true happens to be a common occurrence, so there has to be a set of requirements in order to legitimately apply for a sick leave with benefits.
What are the Requirements to avail of SSS Sickness Benefit?
The employee applying for sick leave must be unable to attend work due to sickness or injury and confined in either at home or a hospital for at least 4 days.
He/she must have also paid contributions to SSS for at least 3 consecutive months within the 12-month period prior to the semester when the sickness occurred and all current sick leaves with pay that employee has with that company have been used up.
Application Process
The employer must have been notified about the needed time off due to sickness or injury.
If the individual in question is either unemployed, voluntary, or self-employed, then that sickness notification must be submitted directly to SSS.
It does seem like a chore to go through while the person is sick, but this is to ensure that the SSS sickness benefit is indeed being given to someone who is truly too sick to work.
To that end, companies would usually require the sick employee to provide a medical certificate for the day of absence.
Some companies do only require it for absences of more than 2 days, while others employ a bit more flexibility with the employee’s ability to avail of sick leave benefit.
If it is something you are concerned with, that should be worth discussing with the company’s human resource officer.
Other Sick Leave Cash Incentives
For some companies, accumulation of unused sick leave credits may be converted to cash at either the end of the year or upon leaving the company.
If you happen to be someone who never gets sick at all, then this is good news as it is a measure put in place to discourage abuse of sick leave benefit, so there is certainly incentive in not using them.
Long-term Sickness
If that employee happens to come under a long-term sickness, then he/she may be excused for an extended period of time.
Each employee is granted a maximum of 120 days in 1 calendar year, with which any remainder is not transferable to the next year.
Sickness benefit shall not be paid for more than 240 days with the same sickness or injury, which may then necessitate a disability claim.
If that sickness or disability is found to be indefinite and work either is physically impossible to perform, is prohibited by law, or is detrimental to the individual’s health, then the employer may choose to terminate his/her services under the Labor Code of Philippines Article 299.
However, this is only the case when there is a certificate provided by a competent public health authority stating that the sickness or injury cannot be properly treated within six months.
Upon termination, the employee is entitled to severance pay.
If the sickness or injury is treatable within 6 months, then termination is not permitted, but a leave of absence must be taken and the employee should be able to be reinstated to his/her former position upon return to good health.
Read more about SSS Sickness Benefit or visit the SSS website for more info.
Click the link for more info about other SSS benefits: SSS Retirement Benefit, SSS Maternity Benefit, SSS Disability Benefit.
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