The Social Security System (SSS) announced the temporary suspension of its Annual Confirmation of Pensioners Program (ACOP) until the end of April 2020 amid the threat of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

“In this time of crisis, the importance of providing our pensioners with the SSS pension they can rely on and ensuring their health and safety overshadows the need for their timely compliance with the ACOP requirement,” SSS President and CEO Aurora C. Ignacio said.

Ignacio added that for humanitarian consideration, SSS would continue to release the monthly pensions of pensioners who failed to comply with the ACOP requirements since January 2020.

The ACOP ensures that SSS pensions are given to the rightful beneficiaries. It requires all survivor and total disability pensioners in the Philippines and retiree, survivor, and total disability pensioners residing abroad to annually report at SSS offices on their birth month or of the deceased members’.

The SSS conducts home visits for pensioners who are 85 years old and residing in the Philippines. Home visits are also administered for pensioners who cannot personally report to SSS branches due to medical conditions such as total blindness and amputation of two or more extremities.

Pensioners abroad may also comply with the ACOP via video conference.

Under normal circumstances, failure to comply with the program leads to the suspension of the benefit.

On the other hand, retirement pensioners who are 85 years old and below and residing in the Philippines are no longer required to comply with the ACOP since October 2018.

Also, SSS is temporarily suspending the applications for the Unified Multi-Purpose Identification (UMID) card since it involves direct contact.