The Social Security System (SSS) said that the agency has already addressed the influx of transacting members in certain SSS branches in the National Capital Region (NCR), especially in SSS Diliman Branch.
SSS made the statement after a media report showed claimants camping outside the SSS Diliman Branch along East Avenue in Quezon City.
“We have accommodated all the transacting members who flocked in several of our SSS branches. We are in 100% operation capacity since all our employees are reporting in the office,” SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Aurora Ignacio said.
Ignacio said that they will continue to monitor the influx of members in SSS branches. “We will evaluate the situation to determine if there is a need to extend its servicing hours and extend its daily operations until Saturday,” she added.
Likewise, SSS renews its call for members, claimants, and the transacting public to use the agency’s online facilities such as My.SSS and SSS Mobile App for their various SSS transactions.
“We urge them to fully maximize its online facilities, especially the My.SSS portal. There are more than 30 member services available on My.SSS. They can even access some of these services on the SSS Mobile App,” Ignacio said.
Even before the pandemic, SSS have been shifting our core and business processes towards digitalization. In 2011, SSS started accepting online submission of several SSS transactions through My.SSS, an online service portal which can be found on the SSS website (www.sss.gov.ph).
Since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, SSS has accelerated the shift of its over-the-counter transactions through its various online platforms using the member’s My.SSS account and SSS Mobile App which can be done 24/7 at the comfort of their homes or offices. It is in line with SSS’ brand campaign “ExpreSSS” to provide a simpler, faster, safer, and more convenient transaction to minimize their exposure to COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Ignacio said that there is an existing online branch appointment system. Members may use the appointment system to indicate the preferred date and time that they want to be accommodated in their chosen SSS branch.
Further, SSS debunks the misconception that processing of claim and loan applications is faster in SSS Diliman Branch than in other SSS branches. It clarifies that the speed of processing their SSS transactions is based on the completeness of the documents they have submitted.
The “File Anywhere” policy is still in effect so they can transact at the nearest branch of their choice. Currently, there are 58 branches in NCR, about 135 branches in Luzon, 44 branches in Visayas, and 44 branches in Mindanao.
“We want to assure our members that we are continuously finding ways to improve our processes to better serve our members,” Ignacio concluded./PN
