Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS)

Provision of integrated services such as provision of direct financial and material assistance to individuals and families in crisis or difficult situation to enable them to meet their requirements for food while in hospitals caring for sick persons or when traveling back to their home town/destination, transportation, medical burial and education. Other assistance such as referrals for medical, legal, psychosocial, temporary shelter, and other services to walk-in and referred clients in crisis situation may be provided through the Department’s Field Offices’ Crisis Intervention Units (CIU) and SWAD Satellite Offices, an extension unit of the DSWD which serves as an action center to immediately respond to cases of individuals and families in crisis situations at the local government level.

 

Target Beneficiaries

The beneficiaries the program shall be any constituent of a congressional district of any local government who sought assistance directly or are referred to the Crisis Intervention Units (CIU) of DSWD at the Central Office (CO), Field Offices and/or DSWD satellite offices in the provinces. Priority shall be given to families who are indigent, vulnerable and disadvantaged or those in the informal sector, and others who are in crisis situation based on assessment of Social Workers.

 

Coverage

The transportation Assistance – assistance for the purchase or payment of transport tickets and/or expenses (such as to purchase tickets to air/sea/land transport facilities) to enable them to return to their home provinces permanently or to attend to emergency concerns such as death of loved ones or to care for a family member or relative who has a chronic illness in their home provinces or other other emergency situation requiring their immediate presence.

Medical Assistance – assistance to help shoulder hospitalization expenses, purchase of medicines, and other medical treatment or procedures (i.e. laboratory procedures including but not limited to CT Scan, ECG, 2D Echo, assistive medical devices, etc. ) and other medical expenses. Cases with chronic illnesses may be referred to the Philhealth insurance for coverage, in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH). They will no longer be entitled to in-patient financial assistance except for instances when the drug or treatment is not available by the Philhealth.

Burial Assistance – assistance to shoulder funeral costs and related expenses, including, but not limited to, expenses in bringing the remains of the deceased to their residence to be with their loved ones in accordance with existing customary practices of the family especially among the indigenous people.

Educational Assistance – is a form of assistance given to eligible beneficiaries to help defray the school expenses and/or cost of sending students/ children to school such as school tuition fees, school supplies, transportation allowance and other school related expenses. This intervention does not cover expenses for graduate or post graduate expenses.

Food Assistance – provision of food assistance to clients who are assessed to be in need of such for at least one and half days up to a maximum of ten( 10) days for those caring for sick loved ones or relatives. It includes the immediate provision of hot meals, food/meal allowance, family food packs or financial assistance equivalent to the amount of the required hot meals and food packs. The said assistance may be provided as food allowance to the clients who were granted with transportation assistance during their return to their home province, and/or as meal support for the clients who are watching their parents in the hospitals.

 

Requirements

The clients seeking assistance from CIU shall bring and submit the following original or certified true copy documents, and/or photocopy documents certified by CIU social worker:

Medical Assistance

  • Clinical Abstract/Medical Certificate with signature and license number of the attending physician (issued not later than 3 months)
  • Hospital Bill (for payment of hospital bill,) or Prescription (for medicines) or Laboratory requests (for procedures)
  • Barangay Certificate/ Indigency and Valid ID of the client
  • Referral Letter (if applicable)

 

Burial Assistance

  • Funeral Contract
  • Death Certificate of the deceased
  • Barangay Certificate/Indigency and any Valid ID of the client
  • Permit too transfer/ Health permit (for transfer of cadaver)
  • Referral Letter (if applicable)
  • Transportation Assistance
  • Barangay Certificate/ Indigency and any Valid ID of the client
  • Police Blotter (for victims of pick pockets, illegal recruitment, etc.)
  • Referral Letter (if applicable)

 

Educational Assistance

  • Enrolment Assessment Form or Certificate of Enrolment or Registration
  • School ID of the student/ beneficiary
  • Barangay Certificate/ Indigency and any Valid ID of the client
  • Referral Letter (if applicable)
  • A Social Case Study report prepared by the LGU social worker/ medical social worker, or a social case summary prepared by a registered social worker may be required by the CIU social worker to support assessment and recommendation of assistance. A social case study report is required as supporting document for assistance more than Php5,000. The client will be assessed based on the assistance requested and documents presented. The social worker shall initially assess the appropriateness of the documents presented vis-ὰ-vis the requirements. The client will be requested to complete necessary requirements as basis of assessment and recommendation of the social worker.

In extremely justifiable cases (urgent/life threatening condition), the assistance may still be processed and provided to clients even with incomplete documents, subject to the assessment and justification of the social worker and provided that a promissory note shall be provided by the client signifying willingness to complete the documentation and the date of the completion of his/her documents.

For confidentiality of case files, the General Intake Sheet (GIS) and the Social Case Study Report (SCSR) of the clients shall remain with the Crisis Intervention Unit. All other supporting documents shall be submitted to the Financial Management Service (FMS) /Units (FMU) for auditing purposes.

 

General Policies

The provision of financial assistance to be beneficiaries shall be in accordance with the parameters established under this guidelines, and supersedes any provision contained under the Memorandum Circular 15 Series of 2014 or the Amendment to MC 02 – Guidelines to Strengthen and Enhance the Implementation of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), and related issuances of the Department which are inconsistent thereof.

The type, kind, and amount of financial assistance to be provided to beneficiaries shall be based on the assessment and recommendation of the DSWD Social Workers as the case maybe, duly approved by the authorized official/s of the Department.

Financial assistance amounting to not more than Php5,000 may be released immediately in the form of cash to the beneficiary, duly approved by the head of the CIU in the Central Office (Manila), Field Offices, or the SWAD team leader at the satellite office.

Assistance amounting to more than Php5,000 but not to exceed to Php10,000 shall be approved by the Assistant Bureau Director (ABD) of Protective Services Bureau (PSB) or the delegated office in the Central Office or the Assistant Regional Director (ARD) of the Field Offices. Amount of assistance beyond Php5,000.00 will be released through the issuance of a Guarantee Letter to service providers such as transport companies, medical institutions, pharmacies, funeral services, etc., or by check to the concerned establishment, or any other non-cash financial instrument, as may be appropriate under the circumstances.

The Social Worker and/or the authorized personnel may recommend assistance beyond Php10,000 but not to exceed Php25,000, subject to availability of funds and the approval of the Regional Director of the PSB or the delegated office for the DSWD Central Office.

The maximum allowable assistance that a social worker and/or the authorized personnel may recommend is only up to Php25,000. However, in extremely justifiable cases, the amount of assistance beyond P25,000.00 but not to exceed P75,000.00, may be granted subject to the approval of the Assistant Secretary for Protective Programs for DSWD Central Office or the Regional Director for DSWD Field Office.

A client can avail of the assistance only once within three (3) months per type of assistance beyond this limit must be supported by a justification based on the urgency and nature of the need of the beneficiary assessed by the Social Worker, subject to availability of funds and the appropriate level of approval.

Partnership with transport companies, funeral parlors, drugstores/ pharmacies, hospitals, other concerned government agencies and other service providers shall be established by the Department to ensure that referred clients are efficiently and effectively assisted immediately. Contracts or Memoranda of Agreement ( MOAs) may be entered into b the DSWD with qualified service providers in accordance with pertinent regulations.

In no case shall implementation of the AICS be delegated and/or transferred to any kind of Civil Society Organization, whether it be a non-governmental organization or a people’s organization.

The DSWD shall submit a quarterly report on the implementation of this service to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the House Committee on Appropriations, and the Senate Committee on Finance.