The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) will, from October 1, start processing Covid-19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) applications for the period covering August 16 to September 15. 

“To apply for the September period, employers are required to upload documentation that includes a signed approval or acceptance letter, a bank confirmation letter, proof of payment to employees and refund to the UIF – if applicable,” says acting UIF Commissioner Marsha Bronkhorst.

Applications will undergo a vetting process with external partners to ascertain the validity of claims before the funds are paid and to ensure the new controls weed out fraudulent claims.

“Early signs of the new vetting process with external partners show that we are on the right track, as we have been able to pick up potentially fraudulent claims.

Payments to these claims have been stopped and have been referred to our Risk Management Unit for further investigation.

“We are also subjecting claims applications by foreign nationals to the Department of Home Affairs to ensure that we pay to authentic and deserving beneficiaries, and we shall immediately start paying these claims upon the completion of the vetting process by Home Affairs,” says Bronkhorst.

The UIF reiterates that the Covid-19 TERS claim applications for the April and May period closed on September 25. Claims for the June period will close on October 15 and the July and August claims will close on October 30.

The extension of the payments was announced by the Minister Thulas Nxesi, widening the net of the Covid TERS scheme until the end of the National State of Disaster.

The directive allows for employers or employees to claim the Covid-19 TERS benefits for the extension period starting from August 16 until September 15.

The new directives cover the categories of employees whose employers are: not permitted to commence operations under the Disaster Management Regulations; unable to make alternative arrangements for vulnerable workers, such as working from home or taking special measures to protect them; or unable to make use of their services because of operational requirements caused by compliance with the regulations and directions such as rostering, staggering working hours, short time and the introduction of shift systems.

The application process remains the same for the extension period and all claims must be lodged via the online portal.