Philippine Public School Teachers Association “Bayani ka, gurong Pilipino. Ang PPSTA, kumakalinga sa iyo!” Frequently Asked Questions  What is the Mutual Aid System or MAS? The MAS is a death benefit system. It started sometime in the 50's as an "abuluyan system", whereby every  member donates 10 centavos to the family of every co-member who died. To simplify matters, it was later agreed that  regardless of the number of members who die, each member contributes a fixed amount monthly and the members of the  families of those who died are given a fixed amount. This transformed the MAS into a type of insurance known as mutual  benefit system.  How much is the benefit given by the MAS? The total amount of the MAS benefit of a deceased member which shall be awarded to his/her beneficiary/ies upon his/her demise depends  on the plan for which he/she was a member as well as his/her premium contributions. The schedule of MAS benefit is as follows:  MAS PLAN      BENEFIT             0 P     7,000.00           1      14,000.00                     2      30,000.00                     3      50,000.00                     4     100,000.00                     5     150,000.00                     65     200,000.00       The beneficiary/ies of a member of MAS Plan 2, 3, 4, 5 or MAS 65 who dies by accident before reaching the age of 70, for Plans 0-5 or 65 for  MAS 65 shall receive accidental death benefit in an amount equal to the member's MAS benefit. Upon reaching age 65, a member of MAS 65 shall receive a P 50,000 endowment benefit. Accordingly, his/her death benefit shall be reduced to  P 150,000. A MAS 65 member who has been diagnosed to be terminally ill (life expectancy of 6 months) may obtain advance death benefit equivalent  to 50% of his/her MAS benefit. Until when am I supposed to contribute for the MAS? If you are a member of either MAS Plan 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, you have to contribute your premium dues until you reach age 75. On the other  hand, if you are a member of MAS 65, you have to continue paying your premium dues until age 65.  What is the EQUITY APPLICATION Policy and how does it affect my MAS membership? The equity application policy applies to old MAS (Plans 0-5). It allows the Management to automatically deduct from the equity value of a MAS  member who is below 70 years old, the amount of his loan balance and the remainder thereof, to his premium arrears in case he fails to pay the  same for at least 4 months. This extends the insurance coverage of a member until his equity value is fully exhausted. In the event of full exhaustion  of the MAS equity of a member, no refund or benefit shall be paid by PPSTA to the member or to his beneficiary/ies. What happens if I fail to pay the required MAS contribution? Your membership will lapse after a grace period of ninety (90) days. You will be allowed to reactivate your membership only if you are below  age 70, in good health and have paid your MAS arrears.   What happens if my MAS membership lapses?  If you are not covered by the equity application policy, you will be refunded only 50% of the premiums you have paid. If you die, your  beneficiaries will not be paid the death benefit. The 50% refund however, shall be given to your beneficiaries in case you have not obtained the same  during your lifetime.  If you are covered by the above-mentioned policy, the MAS benefit shall be granted to your beneficiaries if your equity is enough to cover your arrears for the program. In the event that that your equity has been fully exhausted prior to your death, no MAS benefit shall be given to you or to  your beneficiaries. Why do I have so many deductions for the PPSTA MAS code in my pay slip? For reason of expediency, the Department of Education (DepEd) Payroll Services Unit deducts the premiums for the different MAS Plans  separately but if you add all of them, they will equal the premium for the MAS Plan of which you are a member.  MUTUAL AID SYSTEM - MAS Copyright 2011 Philippine Public School Teachers Association. All rights reserved.