To help implement the 105-Day Expanded Maternity Leave Law, SSS has just released additional guidelines on processing and claiming your maternity benefits. According to SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Aurora C. Ignacio, these are applicable to "claims of every delivery, miscarriage or emergency termination of pregnancy (ETP) that occurred on or after March 11, 2019."
Based on a recent release, the new guidelines cut down a few steps:
"For cesarean deliveries, additional documents indicating the type of delivery will no longer be required.
"Instead of returning Maternity Claim Applications and supporting documents with minor discrepancies or inconsistencies, the SSS will now receive and process them if the member’s identity can be established in them.
"Female members applying for their maternity benefit claims are given the option to either update or retain their maiden names.
"Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) members in apostille countries now have the efficient and less costly option of submitting supporting documents issued with an apostille by the Foreign Ministry, Embassy or Consulate General, in substitute of authentication from the Philippine Embassy/Consulate General."
Aside from this, SSS also grants 15 additional days for solo parents who need to submit additional documents.
If you're planning to claim your benefits, you can download forms from and learn more about the new guidelines via www.sss.gov.ph. You may also update your status through the My.SSS portal. For additional details, you may email member_relations@sss.gov.ph.
