The
Social Security System (SSS) has cut down the processing time of
members' identification cards to 10 working days, enabling it to
eliminate its production backlog and bring the total number of
SSS-issued IDs under the Unified Multi-purpose Identification System
(UMID) to over three million so far
.
The
10-working day processing time starts from the date of application up
to the date the UMID card package is released to the Philippine Postal
Corporation (PhilPost) for delivery to the member's mailing address.
“UMID
production entails much more than printing a member's photo and
personal details on a plastic card. The system uses biometric technology
to confirm a person's identity and prevent issuance of multiple UMID
cards that may be used to defraud SSS of undeserved benefits and
services,” SSS said.
UMID
applications start with the data capture, or the enrollment of
biometric information – such as fingerprints, photo and signature – and
encoding of the applicant's name, address, parents' names and other
demographic data. To ensure that only one UMID card will be issued to an
individual, the member's fingerprints are compared with other
fingerprints in the database during the centralized biometric data
matching process. This is done overnight, after the applications are
received at the branches.
Applications
with a fingerprint match are immediately investigated by SSS, while
those passing the uniqueness check are assigned a Common Reference
Number (CRN), and then sent for card printing and personalization of the
contactless smartchip, which takes three working days.
To
ensure good quality, each printed card undergoes visual inspection
within one to two working days, depending on the volume of cards, and
then forwarded for card packaging, a one-day process that also includes
the readability check and data verification of the smartchip.
Afterwards, the UMID card package is sent to PhilPost for delivery via
registered mail as the final step. Mailing takes five to seven working
days for addresses in Metro Manila, seven to 10 working days for outside
Metro Manila, and 10 to 20 working days for remote areas.
For
applicants still waiting for their UMID card after two months, it is
likely that their UMID application was rejected due to a previously
issued card with the same fingerprint but different SSS number --- which
indicates a fraudulent application using multiple identities.
“Another,
and more common, possibility is that their UMID card was declared as
RTS (return-to-sender) and sent back to the SSS by PhilPost after three
unsuccessful mailing attempts. RTS cards are caused by the change in the
member's mailing address or the lack of people to claim the card during
the time of delivery,” SSS said.
Members
can claim their RTS card at the SSS branch where they had applied for
the UMID. To check their UMID card status, members can check the list
found in the SSS Website (www.sss.gov.ph), email sss_id@sss.gov.ph,
contact the SSS Call Center (920-6446 to 55), or call the concerned SSS
office, using the SSS Branch Directory uploaded at the SSS
Website as reference.
Members
claiming their UMID cards must present one primary ID or document such
as government-issued IDs, birth or baptismal certificate, or company ID.
Two secondary IDs and documents, one of which bearing the member's
photo, can also be used in claiming the card.
“A
representative can also claim the UMID card on behalf of the member by
showing a letter of authorization. The letter must be signed by the
member and mention the IDs and documents of both the SSS member and
representative that will be presented while claiming the UMID card. SSS'
identification requirements for the representative are the same as
those for members,” SSS said.
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