Bidding farewell to a loved one is a painful journey. It is filled with many difficulties and responsibilities. One of them is managing and holding a funeral for the deceased. Whenever someone receiving the SASSA grant passes away, the agency stops the grant and does not make payment to that person. However, the funeral of the deceased person puts an extra financial burden on his family. In these special cases, these families try to reach out to SASSA to receive the SASSA Funeral benefits.
SASSA funeral benefit is not an actual grant issued by SASSA, rather it is just the existing grant amount in the account of the deceased beneficiary that was not withdrawn. Other organizations manage the State-funded funerals in South Africa. No doubt this acts as an extra helping hand for the family by contributing towards the funeral expenses of the deceased SASSA beneficiary, but receiving these SASSA funeral benefits requires certain conditions to be fulfilled. All of these requirements for SASSA funeral benefits are discussed below:
What is the Funeral Policy?
There are two different types of funeral policies available for the SASSA beneficiaries:
The Unclaimed SASSA Benefits
SASSA records are directly connected to the database of DHA (Department of Home Affairs). So it instantly gets notified when a beneficiary of the SASSA grant passes away. As a result, SASSA terminates the grant of a deceased person on the final day of the month in which the beneficiary passed away.
However, if a beneficiary passes away without collecting his grant in the month he passed away, his family can claim that amount for the funeral expenses. This allows the family to bear the funeral expenses without much financial burden. Moreover, to claim this grant amount as the SASSA funeral benefit, the family of the deceased should fulfill the eligibility criteria and provide essential documents discussed further below.
Funeral Insurance/Scheme by a Third Party
Since 2017, SASSA has allowed the beneficiaries to choose third-party insurance. This allows the third-party insurance company to deduct a specific percentage (maximum 10%) of the SASSA grant for the insurance policy of the beneficiary. These “26A deductions” can only be allowed by the beneficiaries receiving the War veteran grant, Old age grant, and Permanent disability grant.
However, this insurance policy is not controlled by SASSA. SASSA can just assist the family of the deceased in processing the claim. It provides a copy of the signed mandate form by the deceased that helps the family process the claim conveniently.
Eligibility Criteria For SASSA Funeral Benefits
- According to the eligibility criteria of SASSA for the SASSA funeral benefits, the deceased beneficiary must have been receiving one of the following grants at the time of death
If the beneficiary was receiving any other SASSA grant, such as a grant-in-aid, SRD or child support grant, then no amount will be paid by SASSA.
- The second thing to take care of before applying for the unclaimed SASSA funeral benefits is to confirm that the deceased beneficiary did not withdraw his grant payment in the month he passed away. However, suppose the beneficiary had withdrawn his grant payment in the month he died. In that case, his family or legal representative can not receive any amount as the SASSA grant is terminated on the last day of the month the beneficiary dies.
- According to SASSA policy, the persons eligible to receive the SASSA funeral benefits must prove that they are either of the following:
Documents Required for the SASSA Funeral Benefits
To collect the SASSA funeral benefits, the legal representative or the next of kin of the deceased beneficiary should provide the following documents:
If the recipient’s spouse or a qualifying child under the age of 18 passes away, funeral benefits can be claimed in that case too. The following documents are necessary to process this claim:
Step-by-step Guide to Apply for SASSA Funeral Benefits
After gathering all the required documents, the applicant can apply for the SASSA funeral benefits by following the step-by-step guide below:
Reporting the death to SASSA
The legal representative or the next of kin must inform SASSA about the beneficiary’s death by contacting SASSA toll-free helpline 0800 60 10 11. The applicants can call this number on weekdays from 8 AM to 4 PM.
Gathering the Required Documents
The applicant must gather all the required documents so that there is no difficulty when applying for the SASSA funeral services. If the beneficiary was living in the old age homes for SASSA pensioners, his documents can easily be collected from there.
Visiting the nearest SASSA office
The applicant must find and visit his/her nearest SASSA office. SASSA offices are open from 8 AM to 4 PM on weekdays. You may find a long queue after reaching the SASSA office. Be patient and wait for your turn. You can also ask SASSA staff for your respective queue if you have a problem finding it.
Submitting the Documents to the SASSA Representative
When it’s their turn, the applicant should inform the SASSA representative that he is here to apply for the unclaimed SASSA funeral benefits. Then submit the documents the representative asks for. The representative will then perform initial verification and initiate the complete verification and payment processing.
Waiting for the payment
Complete verification and payment processing takes about 24 to 72 hours. SASSA will transfer the funds within this time. Applicants should contact the SASSA helpline at 0800 60 10 11 if the payment isn’t processed within the given time.
The Total Amount of SASSA Funeral Benefit
SASSA does not offer any special funds as a funeral benefit. It is just the unclaimed grant amount of the deceased SASSA beneficiary. There is no exact amount for this benefit. If the amount in the deceased beneficiary exceeds the amount the applicant spent on the funeral, he will only be paid the amount spent. No extra payment will be made by SASSA.
If the deceased beneficiary opted for any private insurance funeral company, then the amount received by the beneficiary depends on the chosen package and the contributions made. SASSA will not cover the entire cost of a funeral in any case. Suppose the deceased beneficiary had used the option to transfer the grant money from the SASSA card to Capitec or any other bank account he owned. In that case, SASSA will not pay any extra money to the deceased’s next of kin.
However, in some specific cases, SASSA can pay up to R9,000 to the applicant if he had arranged for the funeral and burial of the deceased SASSA beneficiary. Moreover, a one-time payment of R2,500 is paid to the applicant as a death reward. This is provided to cover the funeral costs such as arrangements, transportation of the body, and other necessary expenditures. The payment is made after intensive verification and processing.
If the deceased beneficiary was the family’s sole breadwinner, the family may be provided the entire accumulated funds. However, this is assessed on a case-by-case basis and depends on strict eligibility requirements.
How much time it takes to receive the payment?
On average, it takes SASSA about 24 to 72 hours to make the payment. However, the time taken by each application is different as it depends on various factors such as:
SASSA Death Benefit
SASSA death benefits refer to SASSA funeral benefits or unclaimed benefits. The process to claim both of these benefits is the same. These terms are interchangeable as they both are for the unclaimed grant amount in the deceased beneficiary’s account. So these terms should not be considered separate as they are different names for the same process.
Things To Remember
Conclusion
In conclusion, the SASSA Funeral Benefit acts as a beacon of hope and support during one of life’s most challenging moments. As SASSA does not offer a traditional funeral policy, the unclaimed grant funds in the deceased beneficiary’s account help the family to arrange for the funeral expenses. However, to receive the unclaimed funds, applicants need to follow the instructions given in this guide. This will surely help them to receive the funds without any delays.