The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) to stop enforcing a revised rule that excluded secondary beneficiaries from receiving survivorship benefits of deceased members who had paid premiums for at least three years. The SC issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on June 22, 2026, in response to a petition filed by the Public Attorney's Office (PAO) on behalf of affected members.
The revised GSIS rule, implemented in early 2026, had limited survivorship benefits to primary beneficiaries only, such as spouses and dependent children, removing secondary beneficiaries like parents and siblings from eligibility. The PAO argued that this violated the constitutional right to security of tenure and due process, as many members had paid premiums under the previous rules.
The SC's TRO is effective for 90 days, pending a full hearing on the case. GSIS has been directed to comment on the petition within 10 days. The case is expected to clarify the extent of GSIS's authority to amend benefit rules retroactively.
