USE SOCSO COUNSELLORS, CLAIMANT TOLD

Source By : Selvanathan

15 October 2009 (the star) KUALA LUMPUR: Despite efforts by the Social Security Organisation (Socso) to weed out middlemen, many people are still seeking their services, Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said. Contributors, he said, should deal directly with Socso counsellors, who have been placed at the Socso head office and branches in Petaling Jaya, Ipoh, Penang, Seremban and Johor Baru. Dr Subramaniam said in a statement that the counsellors would assist contributors to apply for social protection via Socso’s Employment Injury Insurance and Invalidity Pension Schemes. A Socso official said they had previously detected about 500 fraudulent claims by contributors and third parties using false identity cards. In some cases, workers and employers colluded to make the claims, he said. He said middlemen or agents would charge up to 30% commission when making claims on behalf of contributors, mostly those from the lower income group who are not well versed with the procedures. There have also been complaints that they had filed false claims for Socso members and used fake medical reports to get invalidity pensions approved, he added