INFORMATION SHEET 4.2-4
Employees Compensation Commission Regulations
Learning objectives: After reading this information sheet, you must be able to know the importance of ECC regulations.
The Employees Compensation Commission is part of the Philippines Department and Employment Agency in the Philippines. The goal of the program is to ensure fair job practices between employers and employees
The Employees' Compensation Commission is a government corporation created on November 1, 1974 by virtue of Presidential Decree 442 or the Labor Code of the Philippines. Attached to the Department of Labor and Employment, ECC provides services and benefits to both public and private sector employees.
According to Presidential Decree 626, ECC has the following functions and powers:
1. To assess and fix a rate of contributions from all employers;
2. To determine the rate of contribution payable by an employer whose records show a high frequency of work accidents or occupational disease due to failure by the said employer to observe adequate measures;
3. To approve rules and regulations governing the processing of claims and the settlement of disputes prescribed by the System;#To initiate, rationalize and coordinate the policies of the Employees Compensation Program;
4. To initiate policies and programs toward adequate occupational health and safety and accident prevention in the working environment, rehabilitation and other related programs and activities, and to appropriate funds therefore;
5. To make necessary actuarial studies and calculations concerning the grant of constant help and income benefits for permanent disability or death, and the rationalization of the benefits for permanent disability and death with benefits payable by the System for similar contingencies;
6. To upgrade benefits and add new ones subject to approval of the President of the Philippines;
7. To determine and approve additional occupational diseases and work-related illnesses with specific criteria based on peculiar hazards of employment; and
8. To review and decide appealed cases.
Programs, Projects and Activities
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The Programs, Projects and Activities (PPAs) of the ECC are classified into five (4) Key Result Areas (KRAs). Below are the brief description of these KRAs and PPAs:
KRA 1: EC Appealed Claims Disposition One of the reasons for implementing the Employees Compensation Program (ECP) is the EC appealed claims disposition. It focuses on the need to ensure the prompt and expeditious settlement of all EC claims whether filed at the Systems or on appeal at the Commission. The program under this Key Result Area is: 1.1 Speedy Disposition of EC Appealed Claims - This involves the evaluation and adjudication of all EC claims elevated to the Commission after denial by the System. A system of monitoring/tracking every action taken on the case has been installed to ensure prompt disposition of appealed EC claims. Among noteworthy projects to promptly and judiciously evaluate EC appealed claims and to ensure that EC claimants are served promptly, efficiently and effectively in this regard are the following:
· Evaluation of EC Appealed Claims · Policy Development · Legal Action on Delinquent Hospital Loans · Legal Advisory KRA 2: Work Contingency Prevention Services Work Contingency Prevention is necessary if we have to spare the workers and their families from the problems and pain that come along with any work-connected sickness, injury or death. At the ECC, it is our wish that the workers would rather not avail of the employees' compensation benefits, meaning they do not get sick or injured while at wok because to do so would mean financial, emotional and psychological costs to the workers and their families. Besides, the EC benefits are not that substantial. The program under this Key Result Area is:
2.1 Work Contingency Prevention Services - The WCP program is designed to help ease the problem of increasing number of workers who either become disabled or died due to occupational injuries or diseases. The aim is to promote health and protection of workers in the workplaces by raising the employers and workers awareness on the value of adopting and observing appropriate preventive measures. The program also assists companies in developing sectoral action plans for implementation within a year to reduce the number of workers affected by identified occupational diseases and injuries that are frequently claimed by occupationally disabled workers. This is done by facilitation of linkages with other agencies, GOs, NGOs and other specialty group involved in the prevention and control of occupational diseases and injuries. Hence, our focus on work contingency prevention which involves, among others, the following:
· ECP Advocacy Activities · OSH Awareness Generation · TB Prevention in the Workplace · OSH Related Article for ECC Reporter |
KRA 3: Rehabilitation Services
The rehabilitation of the occupationally disabled workers (ODWs) gives new hope and brings life to our ODWs. Its primary objective is to bring back the ODWs into the economic mainstream as productive members of society through rehabilitative services. The program that is being pursued in this regards is:
3.1 Rehabilitation of ODWs Program - The main objective is to facilitate the integration of ODWs into the economic mainstream as productive and self-reliant members of society. The following are the projects under this program:
· ECC-Quick Response to ODWs - This project aims to provide immediate assistance to workers or their families within a week in the event of major work accidents or outbreak of occupational diseases at the workplace. The ECC intervention includes psycho-social counselling services, medical help and assistance in the filing of the necessary claims with the System.
· KAGABAY Program - "Katulong at Gabay sa Manggagawang May Kapansanan" or KaGaBay is a special assistance project to occupationally-disabled workers (ODWs) aimed at facilitating their re-integration into the economic mainstream either through vocational skills training and placement assistance or through entrepreneurial training and assistance in the setting-up a micro-enterprise or home-based business.
· Physical Restoration of ODWs - This is another special assistance project to facilitate ECC-funded rehabilitation services for ODWs lie physical therapy by partner hospitals and provision of free rehabilitation appliances.
KRA 4: Support Services
The programs, projects and activities implemented to support the operations are essential to achieve the ECC target performance for any given year. These are the following:
4.1 ECP Information Dissemination - This program is designed to increase public awareness on the Employees Compensation Program (ECP) and Work Contingency Prevention (WCP) and to ensure at all times that workers are informed of their rights, benefits and privileges under the ECP. This includes publication of press releases in broadsheets, tabloids and regional papers, linkages with radio and TV networks for possible participation in public affairs programs/interviews, distribution of IEC materials to ECC clients as well as conduct of lectures on ECP and WCP. The projects under this program are:
· Development/Production of IEC Materials - This project aims to ensure that reader-friendly WCP/ECP materials are continually developed. This involves three important activities, namely: (1) Development and printing of information materials such as flyers, posters, ads, audio visual presentation materials and other related information; (2) Bi-monthly publication of ECC Reporter designed to inform ECC's specific publics of the latest on employees' compensation policies, case decisions, OSH research findings on work contingency prevention and others; and (3) Re-printing and distribution of existing IEC materials.
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Intensification of ECP Information Campaign - This
involves the conduct of seminars/lectures on the ECP and WCP right at the
workplaces in coordination with the employers and the employees' unions. Target
participants of WCP/ECP seminars/lectures are rank and file workers, labor
union representatives and human resource officers. This also includes
publication of press releases in broadsheets, tabloids and regional papers,
airing of infomercials on radio, television and the cinema as well as linkages
with radio and TV networks for possible participation in public affairs
programs/interviews and distribution of IEC materials to ECC clients notably
flyers explaining the ECP, how to file EC claims at the SSS and GSIS, on
various projects of the ECC such as the Kagabay Program, the PWCA bill, and the
bi-monthly newsletter, The ECC Reporter.
Another important project is the Public Assistance Center (PAC) which is
designed to provide personalized assistance/information to walk-in clients on
how and where to file EC claim or the follow-up of the status of their claims
pending at the SSS or GSIS or at the ECC and other related matters. PAC is located
at the ECC ground floor for this purpose and was operationalized in 2003.
4.2 Technical Support for Policy/Program Development - The continuing review and updating of policies, programs and projects under implementation is what makes ECC services more meaningful to its clients. This program is designed to provide the agency with timely, accurate and relevant services relative to the conduct of researches/studies on ECP, statistical support, planning and monitoring of agency's programs, projects and activities (PPAs) and management of information system (MIS) in aid of policy formulation, program development and decision making. The projects under this regards are the following:
· Maintenance of EC Claims Database - The objective is to maintain an updated database on EC claims. This will provide all the necessary data/information needed in support of policy formulation, program development, effective planning, PPA review and improvement, and the day-to-day decision making.
· Conduct of Research Studies as Inputs to Policy Formulation - This involves the conduct of necessary researches or the compilation of results of studies (local and international) presently available for use in support of policy formulation or program development/improvement.
· Passage of PWCA bill in Congress - This involves a continuing review and analysis of the implementation of the ECP given the changing conditions over time to see whether the ECP as defined in PD 626 is still effective and relevant or whether there are new concerns that need to be addressed but only through legislation.
· Conduct of Agency-Wide Planning Activities - This involves the planning and programming of all programs and activities to be undertaken by the agency for the year through a conduct of a corporate planning session which includes the review and assessment of programs and project achievements serve as input to the formulation of Agency Action Plan for the following year. The agency performance is measure through a set of target indicators that are regularly monitored through the monthly and quarterly reports prepared by each Division. The conduct of a Mid-Year Performance Assessment (MYPA) the agency enables to the agency assess its first semester performance and reformulate actions and targets for the rest of the year.
· Provision of IT support - The Information Systems Strategic Plan (ISSP) serves as the framework for the computerization projects of the ECC. For effective information management, the Plan documents the procedures and the required budget for the maintenance of the Local Area Network (LAN) and the upgrading of existing IT resources and IT trainings.
· Implementation of Gender and Development Plan - This is in support of the government's advocacy in mainstreaming of gender and development in all government programs and projects.
4.3 Finance and Administrative Support Services - This program covers the efficient and effective delivery of administrative support to operations as in the case management of records, development of effective system of maintaining the personal files/records, issuances of office orders, memorandum and other official reports and communications, the procurement of equipment and office supplies requirements, and other related matters. The following are the projects under this program:
· Finance Services - Financial management's objectives are: (1) to improve the financial records and journals reporting system; (2) comply with the requirements of the Commission on Audit and other government agencies like GSIS, PAGIBIG, BIR, Bureau of Treasury, DBM and DOLE; and (3) the processing of valid claims/billings/vouchers within the day from receipt of document. The budget management's objectives are: (1) the preparation of annual ECC Corporate Operating Budget; (2) monitoring of loading fund requests; and (3) the submission of ECC fund status report to the DOLE.
· Administrative Services - This program covers the efficient and effective delivery of administrative support to operations as in the case management records, development of effective system of maintaining the personal files/records, issuances of office orders, memorandum and other official reports and communications, the procurement of equipment and office supplies requirements, and other related matters.
4.4 Secretarial Support for Executive Director/Deputy Executive Director Concerns - This program covers the efficient and effective provision of secretarial and clerical assistance to the Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director on the performance of the function of the office.
4.5 Technical Support for Board Concerns - This program covers the efficient and effective provision of secretarial and clerical assistance to the Board on the performance of the function of the office.
4.6 Continuous Service Improvement - The aim of this program is the continuous review and improvement of existing work processes/systems and work procedures for the different programs and projects of the Commission for a more effective and efficient public service delivery. The following are the projects under this program:
· Provision of internal audit services - the aim of this project is to ascertain the accuracy, integrity and authenticity of accounting data, to test the compliance with accounting procedures, prescribed applicable laws, rules and regulations, to determine that accumulation and reporting of accounting data is in compliance with generally accepted accounting principles, and to test the safeguarding of assets.
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