Honoring a Lifetime of Faithful Service

The normal retirement age is the first day of the month in which you attain age 65, with a minimum of 15 years in your service credit. However, an active employee who has reached age 60 and has 30 years of service credit may elect to retire from active service and receive benefits.

An employee with fewer than 15 years cannot be admitted to the Retirement Plan — the minimum vesting is 15 years. Those with 15 years and above can be admitted to the Retirement Plan when they reach age 65.

An employee with a minimum of 15 years of service credit who becomes disabled before qualifying for regular benefits on the basis of age and service may apply for temporary benefits on the basis of disability. A medical report from a qualified physician shall accompany the application.

Temporary disability benefits are limited to those who experience the disability and apply while in full-time denominational employment. The retiree's medical status is reviewed from year to year; if the health condition changes, he or she may be removed from retirement and re-instated by the previous employing organization.

Application procedure depends on your employing organization:

• Local Conference/Mission employees — application is sent to the Union for recommendation.
• Union employees — recommended by the Union Committee.
• Division employees — recommended by the Administrative Committee (ADCOM).
• Individuals not currently employed — submit to and are processed by their last employing organization.

It is highly encouraged to send or process your retirement application six months before your actual retirement to avoid delay in processing.

Apply through your institution, to be forwarded to the Conference or Mission, then to the Union for review, and to SSD for final approval.

The Retirement Review Form is a yearly requirement for retirees to continue to receive their retirement benefits, as part of an Internal Control Measure to guard and protect the Retirement Fund.

In cases where a retiree cannot attend due to physical frailties, the retiree may contact the Retirement In-charge.

Failure to submit the yearly retirement review form will render the retirement benefits to be frozen the following year. To avoid this from happening, we highly encourage retirees to go to the closest Mission, Conference, or Union on your birth month and get a Retirement Review Form in the Accounting Office to be signed, and the Missions and Conferences will forward the forms to the Union.

Pension and medical refunds are posted and transferred to your registered bank account via PESONet on or before the 20th of each month.

To request a copy of your Statement of Account (SOA), contact the retirement in-charge by filling out the Retirement Beneficiary Review Form.

Surviving dependent spouse benefits continue subject to denominational policy. Requirements include:

• The spouse must have been dependent on the deceased for at least 15 years immediately preceding death.
• The deceased must have at least 15 years of service credit.
• The surviving spouse must be at least 65 years old.

The retirement office assists families with all paperwork and pastoral support.

Surviving Dependent Spouse

The following criteria apply for a dependent spouse to receive benefits from a deceased employee who accumulated at least 15 years of service:

• The surviving spouse must have been dependent on the deceased employee for at least 15 years immediately preceding the death.
• The deceased employee must have a service credit of at least 15 years (except ISE or D-ISE).
• The surviving dependent spouse must be 65 years old.
• The non-overlapping service credit of the deceased employee during their marriage will be added to the personal service credit of the surviving dependent spouse, if any.
• The surviving spouse may retire at 60 years old, provided the deceased accumulated at least 30 years of service or more, the surviving dependent spouse has a personal service of at least 15 years, and the total service credit (including non-overlapping service credit) is at least 30 years.
• If both are receiving a pension under this plan and one dies, the surviving spouse receives whichever is the higher pension between them. This provision does not apply if the marriage is short of 15 years.

Dependent Child

A dependent child:

• Is born to, or legally adopted by, the employee, or is a stepchild by marriage receiving more than 50 percent of support from the new family unit; and
• Is unmarried and has no child of his/her own; and
• Is less than 19 years old if not in school, or less than 24 years old if still eligible for education subsidy.

Fill out the Retirement Beneficiary Review Form, or contact the retirement in-charge, Sheila Joy S. Jangit, at 0976-508-2244.

Updates require written confirmation and valid identification.

Send your receipts to the WCPUM Retirement in-charge:

Sheila Joy S. Jangit · 0976-508-2244
WCPUM-ADRA Bldg., Cor. Jalandoni-Ledesma Street, Brgy. Wilson, Iloilo City, 5000.

Please attach your mobile number so we can send a confirmation message upon receipt of the documents and inform you of the expected refund amount once processed.

Due to the bulk transactions of medical refunds, we are appealing to give us 3 days of processing time for your request. All refunds must be made through bank transfers unless the retiree will personally visit the WCPUM office. Please update your bank accounts.

Medical aid, whether OPD or IPD, is refundable based on SSD-specified rates per retiree, proportionate to years of denominational service.

Beneficiaries with medical, dental, optical, and/or hearing aid expenses are granted health-care assistance on the following basis:

• No medical allowance with less than 15 years of service.
• After 15 years of service, outpatient expenses are paid at 25% assistance and inpatient expenses at 40%.
• For each year of service over 15, add 2.5% for outpatient. For inpatient, add 15% to whatever the outpatient percentage is.

Coverage is not provided for the following charges or expenses:

• Acupuncture therapy
• Batteries for hearing aids
• Career or financial counseling services
• Charges in excess of usual, customary and reasonable expenses
• Convalescent (long-term) hospital or nursing home care
• Cosmetic procedures
• Diet foods, food supplements, nutritional supplements, nutrition counseling, herbs and minerals
• Elective abortion, except when the mother's life is endangered (including complications arising from an elective abortion)
• First aid supplies
• Food and nutritional supplements
• Non-prescription drugs
• Non-prescription sunglasses
• Obesity treatment
• Routine physical examination for licensing or regulatory requirements, except where required by the employing organization
• Plastic, reconstructive, or cosmetic surgery or supplies that improve, alter or enhance appearance, whether or not for psychological or emotional reasons
• Pre-existing conditions
• Pregnancies of a dependent child
• Prenatal and parent training classes
• Procedures, services, drugs and supplies determined to be experimental or under clinical investigation
• Programs designed primarily to influence a healthier lifestyle, with only a secondary objective of providing necessary medical treatment
• Reversal of any sterilization procedure
• Services and supplies not certified as necessary by a licensed health care professional or physician
• Services of a person who ordinarily resides in the home of the patient
• Social worker visitation and transportation
• Sex change surgery or any treatment related to gender identity
• Telephone consultations
• Therapy, supplies or counseling for sexual dysfunction or inadequacies
• Travel to medical appointments
• Vitamins
• Work-related injury or illness covered by employer-purchased insurance, such as Worker's Compensation
• Homeopathic medicine (alternative medicine)

The Retirees' Emergency Fund (REF) provides financial assistance in the form of a non-interest-bearing loan to eligible retirees during times of financial need, in case of:

• (A) Medical Assistance — for necessary medical expenses not adequately covered by existing medical aid or insurance benefits.
• (B) Educational Assistance for Qualified Dependents — for retirees who continue to support qualified dependents pursuing formal education.
• (C) Calamity and Disaster Assistance — for retirees whose homes or properties are damaged by unforeseen events beyond their control, including typhoons, floods, fires, earthquakes, landslides, and other natural disasters or force majeure events.

Non-emergency loans that do not qualify under the categories above incur interest of 1% per month on the outstanding balance. Maximum loan amounts are determined by the Retirement Committee; repayment shall not exceed twelve (12) months. Interest earned becomes part of the Fund.

A retiree qualifies for assistance provided that he or she:

• Is an officially recognized retiree receiving pension benefits,
• Is an active contributor to the REF for at least 1 year,
• Has complied with all documentary requirements, and
• Has no past-due obligation with the Fund, unless otherwise approved by the Retirement Committee.

First-time applicants must enroll using the REF Membership Form (REF01). To request a loan, download and complete the REF Loan Application Form (REF02) below, then submit the hardcopy — with the required attachments for your loan type — to the Retirement Office in person or through a representative.

Go to Forms & Downloads ↓

The maximum loan is up to five (5) times the retiree's net monthly pension, subject to:

• Availability of Fund resources, and
• Approval by the Retirement Committee.

Help us process your medical refund with ease and efficiency by following the guidelines below: