Are single

women
entitled to
maternity
benefits?
By
Susie Bugante
-
JULY 7, 2015
0
1137
 THIS is a question

often asked by female members of the

Social Security System (SSS) who had
become pregnant outside of marriage.
In reply, let me cite Section 14-A of the
Social Security Law, which provides for
the maternity-leave benefit as follows:

A female member who has paid at

least three monthly contributions in the
12-month period immediately
preceding the semester of her
childbirth or miscarriage shall be paid a
daily maternity benefit equivalent to
100 percent of her average daily salary
credit for 60 days or 78 days, in case of
caesarean delivery.

The law is silent on the civil status of

the female member. Instead, it requires
that the member must have paid at
least three monthly contributions
within the 12-month period before the
semester of childbirth. Thus, a
members right to the benefit is
assured by her contributions,
regardless of her civil status. Single
women, therefore, are entitled to
maternity benefits for as long as they
meet the qualification requirements
under the law.
Aside from the required number of
contributions, the entitlements to
maternity benefits are subject to the
following conditions: 1) the member
has given the required notification of
her pregnancy through her employer if
employed, or to the SSS if separated,
self-employed or voluntary member; 2)
the maternity benefit shall be paid only
for the first four deliveries or
miscarriages; 3) no sickness benefit
may be claimed within the same period
for which maternity benefits have been
received.
For the employed member, the benefit
is advanced in full by the employer to
the qualified employee, within 30 days
upon filing of the maternity-leave
application. The SSS, in turn, shall
immediately reimburse the employer,
100 percent of the amount of
maternity benefit advanced to the
female employee upon receipt of
satisfactory proof of such payment and
legality thereof.
If the member gives birth or suffers a
miscarriage but the required
contributions were not remitted by the
employer, or the SSS was not notified
of her pregnancy by the employer, the
benefits that the member would have
been entitled to shall be paid by the
employer.

For the separated, self-employed or

voluntary-paying members, the benefit
shall be paid directly to them by the
SSS.
To apply for maternity benefits, the
member must submit a duly
accomplished maternity benefit claim
application (SS Form MAT-2), together
with the maternity notification form (SS
Form MAT-1) duly stamped and
received by the SSS. The member must
also present her SSS ID card or any two
valid IDs, both of which must bear her
signature and at least one, her photo
and date of birth. Depending on
whether the member is employed,
separated from employment, self-
employed or a voluntary-paying
member, there might be other
documents that will be required in
claiming for maternity benefits.

****

For more information about the SSS

and its programs, call our 24-hour call
center at (632) 920-6446 to 55,
Monday to Friday, or send an e-mail to
member_relations@sss.gov.ph.

Susie G. Bugante is the vice president

for public affairs and special events of
the Social Security System. Send
comments about this column to
susiebugante.bmirror@gmail.com.

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