The initial provision for special withdrawal to meet financial needs during the pandemic was introduced in March 2020. Those who have already availed the first COVID-19 advance are also free to opt for a second advance. “The COVID-19 advance has been a great help to the EPF members during the pandemic, especially for those having monthly wages of less than Rs. “As on date, EPFO has settled more than 76.31 lakh COVID-19 advance claims thereby disbursing a total of Rs. “Auto-mode of settlement enables EPFO to reduce the claim settlement cycle to just 3 days as against the statutory requirement to settle the claims within 20 days.”

Source: The Hindu May 31, 2021 12:11 UTC