14th September 2026 - 3 min read
Workers in Kelantan are increasingly filing SOCSO claims for accidents that happen away from the job, like falling from a tree while pruning branches, or getting hurt while jogging, fishing, or playing sport.
Claims under the LINDUNG 24 Jam scheme in the state have quadrupled to 64 cases since it launched in June, up from 16. Kelantan SOCSO director Wan Izani Wan Isa said the rise has brought total payouts in the state to RM66,691.96, and reads it as a sign that workers are starting to realise the scheme covers accidents well outside the workplace.
Wan Izani shared the numbers at the SOCSO Kelantan Media Engagement and Networking Session. He pointed out that Kelantan’s pattern of claims does not necessarily mirror other states, because the types of accidents reflect what people in the state actually do day to day and where they live.
The 64 refers to claims filed since June. Separately, Wan Izani said payments had been made on 120 cases in the state as of 31 August. Claims filed and cases paid are counted differently and cover different points in time, so the two numbers do not line up one to one.
Nationally, PERKESO recorded 6,330 claims between 1 June and 31 August, an average of about 69 a day, and paid out RM9.97 million in the scheme’s first three months. Around 74% of those claiming earned below RM3,500 a month, which points to lower-income workers making the most use of the cover.
LINDUNG 24 Jam, officially the Skim Kemalangan Bukan Bencana Kerja, extends SOCSO protection to accidents that happen away from the job. Before June, SOCSO cover was limited to accidents at work and while commuting. If you got hurt during your own time, you were generally on your own.
The new scheme covers eligible workers 24 hours a day, including rest days and public holidays, as long as the accident happens in Malaysia.
However, it won’t cover you for illnesses like diabetes, fever or high blood pressure, and the same goes for accidents abroad, self-inflicted injuries, and injuries from criminal acts.
When the scheme started on 1 June, contributions were mandatory and fully borne by employees, starting at 0.75% of wages and rising over time to 1.25%. On 8 July, the Cabinet made participation voluntary for Malaysian employees. It remains mandatory for foreign workers.
So whether you’re covered today comes down to whether you stayed in the scheme rather than opting out through the PERKESO LINDUNG portal. Contributions already deducted in June were kept rather than refunded, because they provided valid cover for that month.
The scheme covers temporary and permanent disablement benefits, reimbursement of medical expenses, a dependants’ benefit, a funeral management benefit, and rehabilitation aids and implants.
To claim, your injury has to be verified through a medical investigation, and you’ll need a medical certificate from any hospital or private clinic. From there, a claim can be submitted for SOCSO’s assessment, provided it meets the definition of a non-work accident and the scheme’s conditions.
If an accident results in death, benefits may go to eligible dependants or next-of-kin, starting with the surviving spouse and children. Where there are no eligible primary beneficiaries, the payout can pass to parents, grandparents and siblings instead, subject to the eligibility rules.
If you’re not sure whether you’re still in the scheme, you can check through the PERKESO LINDUNG portal or with your employer’s HR.
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Christina writes about personal finance with an eye for making the complicated feel straightforward. She is drawn to the everyday money decisions people face and genuinely enjoys finding the clearest way to explain them. Between articles, she is probably napping, on a hiking trail, or terrorising her sister’s cats.
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