My mother died from complications of COVID-19. She died in a hospital, in a place where I thought the best medical treatment will be administered. I think everyone is aware that hospitalization arising from COVID-19 is financially draining. Hence, it was imperative for me to process claims and benefits that would aid in our financial recovery. 

Processing my mother's SSS benefits was the first in my list. Initially, I thought of simultaneously filing the funeral claim and death claim. It turns our that SSS does not allow this supposedly multi-tasking and time saving approach. I have to start from filing for a funeral claim.

As always, Google has been my main source. I was led to the link containing the SSS Funeral Claim Application Form. The requirements are also indicated in the last page of the form. 




From my experience, all the requirements stated in the form holds true. There were no additional documents requested during my appointment. The only challenge was securing an appointment. 

When I visited the SSS Branch in Marikina (Xentro Mall - Main), I was told that they don't accept walk-in clients. I was asked to leave my documents in branch's drop box. I have trust issues on leaving original copies of my documents. Instead, I submitted the original copy of the accomplished form and photocopies of the supplementary documents. 

I was reluctant to the process, but I had no choice. I was told to expect a call or SMS from the branch for my appointment. 

September 9, 2021 - I submitted my documents in the drop box
September 14, 2021 - I received an SMS from the branch, acknowledging my document submission. I was told to wait for another SMS for my appointment.
October 26, 2021 - I received the SMS for my appointment
October 27, 2021 - Finally, my appointment!!!
November 15, 2021 - The funeral claim was credited to my enrolled bank account. 

Total lead time : 44 working days or almost 1 and a half month 

I was scheduled 9 am for October 27, 2021. But as always, you don't expect punctuality among government offices. I was attended around 10 am. The interview was less than 15 minutes. I was instructed to regularly check my enrolled bank account. (Note : I have an enrolled bank account in my SSS portal. I made this for the processing of my calamity loan last year. I suggest that everyone does this process for convenience.) 

I'm not sure how the system works for other branches. I recently learned that some branches implement a number coding system for appointment. 

source : https://sssinquiries.com/benefits/sss-number-scheme-2021/

This advisory was released last January 15, 2021. I didn't encounter this at all. I only learned this during my. visit to another SSS branch in Marikina (Graceland Malanday Branch). I filed our application for death claim in a branch nearer to our home. I will detail my experience in another post because, I need to share my frustrations. :( 

Alternatively, you can also file funeral claims via the SSS portal. I did this several times. Unfortunately, I encountered the following problems

1. The portal does not read the SSS number of my mother. It keeps on saying invalid number. 
2. You need to upload the supplementary documents via the portal. Unfortunately, the portal has limited capacity for document upload. Everything has to be resized and fitted to a 2MB document. Seriously? The 2 MB is just a few bytes from an old 1.44 MB floppy disk. 

I wasted time trying to submit everything online. In the end, I physically went to the branch. This defeats the intention of deceasing the volume of clients reporting in a branch. 

If I would translate my entire experience to a rating system, I would give SSS 4 out of 5 stars. The interview and document requirements were reasonable. There were not additional or hidden document requirements during the interview.  

As a point for improvement, I highly recommend that SSS improve their online application system. I hope the glitches I've experienced and presented will be addressed. If possible, I also hope that a uniform appointment system be implemented among branches or satellite offices.