DOLE urges workers with denied claims to appeal cases before ECC

The commission is an attached agency of Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) which provides a package of benefits for public and private sector employees and their dependents for work-related sickness, injury, disability or death. (Photo: Philippine News Agency)

MANILA— Government and private workers who were initially denied of their claim for compensation benefits can appeal their cases before the Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC).

The commission is an attached agency of Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) which provides a package of benefits for public and private sector employees and their dependents for work-related sickness, injury, disability or death.

With this, the ECC has reported to DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III separate cases of two workers who have suffered from work-related illnesses have recently been awarded compensation benefits despite disapproval by the Social Security System (SSS) and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

The workers were identified as 56-year old Susana Bonode from Boac, Marinduque, and Erlinda Isican from Baguio City.

Bonode, an agriculturist at the Provincial Agriculture Office of the Provincial Government of Marinduque, had initially sought medical consultation due to urinary tract infection and hypercholesterolemia.

Her job entailed her to travel to different places from September to November 2015. She conducted data gathering, encoding, analysis, as well as defending of project outcomes before the World Bank representatives for funding assistance purposes.

On December 1, 2015, while on her way to the Manila Grand Opera Hotel to attend the MIMAROPA Regional Conference on Provincial Commodity Investment Plan, Bonode was rushed to the Metropolitan Hospital in Manila and diagnosed to have coronary artery disease acute myocardial infraction.

She filed a claim at the GSIS Lucena Branch but it was denied which led her to appeal before the ECC, which conducted an investigation and found that Bonode’s three months of straight official travel weakened her resistance and affected her physical condition, especially at her age, as well as her previous history of heart ailment.

The ECC ordered the GSIS to grant Bonode EC disability benefits plus reimbursement of medical expenses due to her coronary artery disease.

On the part of Isican, who is as a Production Specialist for a semiconductor company in Baguio City. She underwent blood and audiogram examination between months of February and March 2016, where it was discovered that she has a spinal arthritis and coronary heart disease.

In April 2016, she filed a claim for disability benefits at the SSS Baguio Branch but her claim was denied. She also appealed her case before the ECC.

The commission has overturned the SSS decision and ordered it to grant benefits and reimbursement of medical expenses for Isican’s succeeding consultations due to spinal arthritis

On the other hand, workers with the same cases or have been denied in claiming compensation benefits are advised to go to the nearest ECC offices in their area or call the ECC Public Assistance Center at telephone number: ‪(02)8967837 or email at pac@ecc.gov.ph.