The government announced that the Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) will give additional benefits to frontliners and other employees who were affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
ECC said the additional benefits could be accessed not only by those who tested positive for Covid-19, but also by individuals classified as patients under investigation (PUI) or those suspected of having the disease.
“All workers whether they belong to health-care [sector] or not, can claim the EC [Employees’ Compensation] benefits,” ECC Executive Director Stella Zipagan-Banawis told the BusinessMirror via SMS.
Cash aid
Qualified employees could apply for daily sickness benefit (DSB) for suffering temporary total disability due to Covid-19. The DSB for the private sector is at P480 for a maximum of 120 days, but the period could be extended to 240 days if necessary.
For those in the government, the DSB is at P200 or P340 if the worker avails of the sickness benefit under the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) Law or Republic Act 8291.
Qualified applicants could also reimburse their medical expenses, including the cost of their medicine, and also a cash assistance.
The cash assistance is P10,000 for a disability/sickness claim and P30,000 for a death claim.
Death benefits
Beneficiaries of employees, who died of work-acquired Covid-19, could apply for survivorship pension, which will be computed based on the number and amount of premium paid by the employer.
The minimum EC surivorship pension for private-sector workers is P2,000 per month.
The survivors could also avail the funeral benefit worth P30,000.
PUIs or their beneficiaries could apply for the said benefits at the Social Security System (SSS) and GSIS if they are diagnosed with respiratory infection or similar illness related to Covid-19.
Covid-infected workers and their beneficiaries could also apply once they are diagnosed for the said illness.
To prove that their Covid-19 exposure is work-related, Banawis said applicants will have to present basic documentary requirements including their medical records, certificate of employment with job description, certificate from employer that they worked during enhanced community quarantine, and logbook indicating where they got infected by it.
As of Saturday, the Department of Health (DOH) said there were already 3,094 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country. The DOH said 144 died due to Covid-19 while 57 were able to recover from it.