Retirement pensioners residing in Philippines are exempted from ACOP —SSS chief

Newly-appointed Social Security System (SSS) president and chief executive officer Michael Regino on Saturday said that retirement pensioners residing in the Philippines are still exempted from complying with the Annual Confirmation of Pensioners’ Program (ACOP) to continue receiving their monthly pensions.

In a statement, Regino said retirement pensioners living in the country were no longer required since October 30, 2017 to report to any SSS branch on their birth month to comply with ACOP.

“We recognize the challenges brought about by the pandemic and we have suspended ACOP compliance starting February 2020 until September 30, 2021 to protect the safety and health of our pensioners,” Regino said.

“We devised a way that will no longer require our pensioners to do the annual reporting to SSS. We implemented various verification procedures to confirm if a retirement pensioner is still alive and entitled to receive his/her monthly pension,” he added.

The SSS chief said the pension fund required pensioners to annually report to SSS to ensure the rightful recipients would continue to receive their benefits.

“We have established ACOP in 2012 to ensure that we are giving the benefits only to those who are entitled under the Social Security Law. ACOP protects the SSS fund from various kinds of fraudulent claims wherein some beneficiaries still receive SSS pensions while the member is already deceased, especially for surviving spouses,” Regino said.

He clarified that there are only four types of pensioners which includes survivor (death), total disability, dependent’s pensioners and retirement pensioners residing abroad who should comply with ACOP.

They have until March 31, 2022, to conduct their yearly reporting online and other non-face-to-face methods.

Regino said that it was important for concerned pensioners to comply with this program so they could enjoy receiving their monthly pensions.

“Non-compliance with the yearly reporting will lead to temporary suspension of their monthly pensions starting May 2022,” he added.

The SSS chief said that pensioners could send their ACOP compliance through the SSS corporate e-mail address of the nearest SSS branch or service office if they reside in the Philippines. 

"They also have the option to send their compliance through mail or courier service addressed to the branch head of the nearest SSS branch if they reside in the Philippines. If residing overseas, they can send it to the SSS OFW-Contact Services Section located in the SSS Main Office in Quezon City, or the nearest foreign representative office," Regino said.

Regino said they could also opt to do their ACOP compliance through video conferencing via Microsoft Teams for pensioners residing abroad. They can request an appointment at ofw.relations@sss.gov.ph.

“On the other hand, total disability pensioners residing in the Philippines can comply with ACOP through a home visit by sending a written request via e-mail or mail addressed to the Medical Services Section of the nearest SSS branch,” he said. —Ted Cordero/KG, GMA News