OFWs to get expanded insurance coverage, DOLE assures

By: Daniza Fernandez - Reporter / @DFernandezINQINQUIRER.net / 12:06 PM March 13, 2022 MANILA, Philippines — Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will get expanded insurance coverage amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Sunday. “The pandemic has left our migrant workers vulnerable to various risks and perils. By expanding the compulsory insurance coverage, we aim to extend the protection to all OFWs, at no cost to our workers,” DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III said in a statement. The expanded insurance policy guarantees coverage in case of death, disability, repatriation, medical emergency, and litigation. In case of accidental death, at least $15,000 will be provided as survivor’s benefit while at least $10,000 will be given in case of natural death. The insurance provider will also arrange and pay for the repatriation or worker’s remains. For disability benefits, at least $7,500 will be provided. Also covered under the policy is repatriation, when employment is terminated by the employer without valid cause or ended by the employee with just cause. Migrant workers who will be involved in a case or litigation and money claims will be eligible for a subsistence allowance benefit of at least $100 per month for up to six months. Likewise covered are medical evacuation, medical repatriation, and compassionate visit by a family member, should the migrant worker be hospitalized and confined for at least seven consecutive days.

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