Covid-19 Ters payouts still on hold while five million IDs are verified

The Covid-19 Ters benefit has been extended.
The Covid-19 Ters benefit has been extended.
Image: Leon Swart/123rf.com

The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has extended the processing of new claims for Covid-19 temporary employee/employer relief scheme (Ters) benefits — but grant payments are on hold while millions of identity numbers are verified.

“Covid-19 Ters benefit applications for March to May 2020 shall close on September 25 and no further applications for that period shall be accepted beyond that date,” the department of employment and labour said on Tuesday.

Covid-19 Ters benefit applications for June would close on October 15, while applications for July to September 15 will close on October 30.

The department said closing dates would not affect claims already submitted as they would be processed and paid once all the outstanding information was submitted to the fund.

“Payments are still on hold as the fund is still working with the department of home affairs and other government databases to verify about five million identity documents of Covid-19 Ters applications. This is done to ensure that payments are made to deserving and authentic workers,” it said.

An announcement is yet to be made on when the fund will resume payments.

“We are aware of the affect this delay has caused and is causing, but in the interests of mitigating the risks which have been identified both by our risk unit and the auditor-general, we unfortunately have to pause payments,” said acting UIF commissioner Marsha Bronkhorst.

“As soon as we have a sense of comfort with the steps taken, we will announce to the country the resumption of payments.”

TimesLIVE


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