SASSA Funeral Benefits: What happens When A Grant recipient Passes Away

SASSA Funeral Benefits – Death is a difficult thing to deal with. When someone dies, it is an already excruciating phase, especially when the financial burden falls into place. Funerals do not come cheap, so when a beneficially of the SASSA grant dies, family members often ask what happens to their grant. SASSA has specific procedures and measures that have been put in place to make sure that this transition phase or process is handled with all fairness, dignity and accountability. In this article, we are delving into what happens to a grant recipient when they pass away. Questions like will they receive any funeral benefits, will their grant still hold after their passing, or will it cease the moment they die, will be answered.

Find out more by sticking around, all these will be discussed in the proceeding paragraphs.

SASSA Funeral Benefits Offer Grieving Receipients Financial Relief Via Third-party Coverage

When someone who is a beneficiary of the SASSA grant dies, SASSA steps in. They do not leave the bereaved family high and dry. They make sure they are supporting the families with something, in this case, no matter how little it is, to foot some of the funeral costs. SASSA does this through the third-party coverage. They provide financial assistance to the grieving families. This is to make sure that the family manages the funeral with dignity and ease.

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Here are some key things to note;

• For the third-party coverage, SASSA allows only authorised deductions from the grant money for the funeral insurance, which is managed by a service provider. What this means is that, if the beneficiary of the grant does not permit SASSA to make these deductions for the funeral insurance, they will not get any financial relief for their funerals should they pass away.
• SASSA will always request proof of the beneficiary’s death. The family will be required to submit the death certificate, ID documents, and policy documents to the insurance company if they want to claim.
• Always note that the claims are not processed directly by SASSA. The insurance is a third-party provider. SASSA only acts as an intermediary, so the details of the insurance provider will be in the deceased’s folder or file. That is where the families will go for their claims.
• The ultimate goal of this insurance for SASSA beneficiaries is to ensure that the grant beneficiary is buried with dignity and ease, thereby lifting the burden of funeral costs from the heads of the families.

How To Check If A Deceased Grant Recipient Had Funeral Cover

When someone dies, it is not only a time for sorrows and sadness; most of the time, the financial cost plays a major role during these already difficult times. Families have to come up with means to give the death a befitting burial, and if the deceased did not make any arrangements while they were alive, it doubles the pain. In this light, families would always want to know if the dead had made some arrangements or had some money stashed somewhere to foot their funeral. This is what you can do to check if they were on the grant insurance;

• The first thing you can do is to check the grant payment slip or bank statement. You can check to see if there were deductions that were made when they were alive. They are typically labelled as funeral deductions, insurance premiums or the name of the funeral policy holder. These deductions are not that big, usually between R10 and R50 per month.
• You can always contact SASSA directly to find out if the grant holder was on any specific insurance. You can visit SASSA’s office. Note that you need the deceased’s ID documents, grant information, policy information and the birth certificate to prove that he or she is indeed dead.
• Once you have the name of the insurance provider, you can contact them directly to know the next course of action. This is preparation for claiming the benefits of the insurance.
• The next and final stage is preparing all supporting documents. You have to present the death certificate of the deceased. Then the deceased’s SASSA policy number, their South African Identification number, their policy number and all other documents that will be required to make the claims.
• You must have it at the back of your mind that, if no deductions were made, it means that the deceased was not on any insurance policy and therefore, SASSA will not make any contribution towards the funeral. It is, however, important to communicate the passing of someone on the SASSA grant to SASSA to cease paying.

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SASSA Does Not Provide Monthly Payments After A Client’s Death 

SASSA is there to give financial assistance to persons who are in dire need of financial assistance. The agreement is between SASSA and these people. SASSA will provide them with an allowance at the end of every month so they can have access to basic needs like food and shelter. Once anyone who is a beneficiary of this grant dies, the agreement dies with the person.

What this means is that there is no longer someone to give the money to because the person who applied for the grant is no more. The only time SASSA will continue paying allowances into the accounts of a deceased person is when they do not know the recipient has passed on. Otherwise, the moment they know the person is of blessed memory, the allowances cease.

Note the following;

• SASSA does not pay any posthumous grant. The moment SASSA is notified that a beneficiary is dead, the payment ceases immediately.
• If, for any reason, SASSA continued making payments even after the death of the beneficiary, SASSA will collect that money from the deceased estate of the next of kin or from the person who took over the policy, as it is not been done.
• Families are always encouraged to report the passing of a beneficiary almost immediately to SASSA to avoid any drama.
• If the deceased was under any funeral policy, SASSA will not be the one to process the insurance claims for the family. The family will have to make claims from that insurance company.

Reporting Death To SASSA

Family members of the bereaved family must report the death to SASSA almost immediately. SASSA encourages that. This is because if deaths are not reported, SASSA will continue making payments to someone who is already dead, and that is not what SASSA aims to achieve. SASSA’s mandate is to provide financial assistance to persons who are in dire need of it and not persons who are already dead. 

Reporting death to SASSA is not at all hard. Do the following;

• Visit the nearest SASSA office in your province and ask that you want to report the death of a beneficiary. You will be taken through the process.
• You will be asked to bring certain documents, which include the death certificate of the deceased, their South African ID card number, their SASSA policy documents and all other documents that will be required.
• SASSA will then verify the death and update its system.
• The last thing is to return overpayment if there is any. This is when you don’t report the death as and when it happened, which means that you have to return the money SASSA paid to the beneficiary before you reported it.
• After this, you can check if the deceased had any funeral policy; if there is any, you can go ahead and start the process to make your claims. If the deceased was not under any policy, note that SASSA will not contribute to the funeral.

Knowing How To Claim SASSA Funeral Benefits Alleviates Some Stress from Receipts During A Time Of Loss

Losing a loved one is never easy. It takes a great toll on the bereaved family, and what almost always makes the issue a hard one is when the person in question had no arrangement, no funeral policy plans to foot the funeral. SASSA has made it possible for grant beneficiaries to sign up for a funeral policy. This contribution, which is deducted from their grant, will be saved to foot their funerals when they are no more.

Here, SASSA acts as the third party, which means that SASSA is not directly the body offering the insurance but works with a trusted and certified insurance company to make sure claims will be paid should anything happen. Knowing how to claim this makes it a tad easier on families who are grieving.

The process can be demanding, especially when sadness is already brooding. It is advisable for families to know all of these before starting the claim process. It saves a lot of time, brings ease and dignity to the entire funeral.

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FAQ

How Can Someone Apply For A SASSA Funeral Cover

You always know that SASSA does not directly manage your funeral policy. SASSA only acts as an intermediary, so choosing a service provider that will serve you well will depend on you. You can apply for funeral cover by;

• Visiting the insurance company of choice to get more information on their policy.
• Once you have decided which one to go with, you can get all your required documents ready. This includes your South African ID card, SASSA grant card, your contact details and details of your next of kin.
• Authorise your monthly payment deduction.
• Always make sure you are keeping your documents safe.

What Happens When A SASSA Pensioner Dies?

Once a pensioner dies, the grant automatically stops with their passing. This means that SASSA will no longer pay the monthly allowance or grants to that person again. The grant or agreement was between SASSA and the deceased, so if they are no longer alive, there is no need for SASSA to keep making payments. However, the family has to inform SASSA about the passing of the person. SASSA may not know and will continue making payments. By informing SASSA, they will update their system and cease making payments.

Who Qualifies For SASSA Funeral Benefits?

• Older Persons Grant, Disability Grant, Child Support Grant, or other SASSA-administered social grants.
• You also qualify if you have authorised a monthly deduction for a funeral policy.
• If you chose an approved insurance provider, you qualify as well.
• Your Policy Was Active at the Time of Death.
• If you named a valid beneficiary, you qualify, too.

Who Does Not Qualify?

• Individuals who never signed up for a funeral policy linked to their grant.
• Those whose policy was cancelled or inactive at the time of death.
• Families expecting SASSA itself to pay funeral expenses (since SASSA does not directly fund funerals).

What Grants Does SASSA Offer?

The South African Social Security Agency has a myriad of grants. It is almost as though there is a grant for everyone. Here are some of the grants;

• Older Persons Grant (Old Age Pension)
• Disability Grant
• Child Support Grant
• Foster Child Grant
• Care Dependency Grant
• Grant In-Aid
• Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant
• War Veterans Grant

SASSA Funeral Benefits Contact Details 

Conclusion

Death is painful, and funerals are the most difficult times that anyone has to deal with. That notwithstanding, death will come when it will come; making plans for when it comes, especially for the bereaved family, is important. That is what the funeral benefit of the SASSA grant is all about. 

With this, grant beneficiaries are able to plan for their funerals even when they are alive, just by paying something small at the end of the month. SASSA will not give any money to a beneficiary’s family for a funeral after their passing. Beneficiaries are thus advised to jump on these funeral plans to make it easier for their families after their passing.