The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) on Tuesday, Oct. 31, answered the questions regarding funeral benefits for members and pensioners.

“Ang GSIS funeral benefit ay tulong ng GSIS sa pamilya ng namatayan ng myembro o pensioners sa ginastos nila sa burol o libing ng pumanaw. Ang funeral benefit po ay P30,000,” GSIS President and General Manager Jose Arnulfo “Wick” Veloso said in an episode of GSIS Ginhawa For All.

Veloso, however, explained that not everyone could claim the funeral benefit as they have to qualify to receive it.

“Hindi makaka-claim lahat. Makaka-claim lang ng funeral benefit kapag ang namatay ay aktibong member o member na hindi na aktibo pero may 15 years na nabayarang premium, Itong old-age o disability pensioners, at saka mga retiree ng araw na nag-take all,” he added.

The GSIS chief also explained that the state pension fund follows an order of priority for claimants of funeral benefits.

The priority lies on the legitimate spouse, followed by the legitimate child who spent for the funeral services, and lastly on any person who could prove that they paid the funeral fees of the deceased person.

“Pag hindi po kayo lehitimo [na asawa] ay hindi po tayo magbigay,” Veloso said.

The following are GSIS’s requirements to claim the funeral benefit:

• Duly accomplished application form

• Death certificate of member issued by Local Civil Registrar (LCR) or Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)

• Marriage contract of member with the surviving spouse from LCR or PSA

• If claimant is not a GSIS member, birth certificate issued by PSA or LCR, or two valid government-issued IDs with date of birth and signature

When asked what happens when the sister pays for the deceased brother’s funeral fees with the wife still alive, Veloso said that the order of priority stands and the wife has a claim on the benefit.

“Binibigyan po ng priority ng GSIS ang legal na asawa na maka-claim ng funeral benefit. Kung wala ang asawa ay ang lehitimong anak [pero] dahil sa kaso ninyo buhay pa ang asawa ng inyong kapatid ay siya ang may karapatang maka-claim ng funeral benefit,” he said.

“Makaka-claim lang po kayo kung pipirma ng waiver ang asawa na hindi na niya ic-claim ang benefit at ibibigay niya sayo ang karapatang makuha ito,” he added.

The GSIS chief also explained that the funeral benefit has a prescriptive period of four years along with their survivorship and separation benefit offers.

“Ayon sa batas, ang funeral benefit ay kailangang mai-file sa loob ng apat na taon mula nang mamatay ang member o pensioner. Pag ito po’y lumagpas ng apat na taon ay prescribed na po ito at wala nang bisa,” Veloso said.