Not working at the moment due to an injury or illness? Perhaps a Total Permanent Disability claim could be an option for you, but before you get started here are some things to consider.
We feel your frustration. The claims process can be lengthy and complex. We understand that you obviously want every chance of making a successful TPD claim. So here are 5 ways to strengthen your TPD claim for a successful outcome.
1. You’ve got to show that your medical condition is genuine. Be sure to visit a doctor and ask the doctor to take detailed notes of your condition. Always describe and explain your injury or illness to your doctor in as much details as possible. If you’re not happy with your regular GP, then change doctors!
2. Provide an exact job description to the insurer. Otherwise they may find a generic job description for your specified job title and this may not always correlate to the tasks that you were doing. Put all your regular work tasks in writing.
3. Make sure you know the exact date your doctor declared you as unfit for work due to permanent injury/illness. Your sum insured can be completely different depending on the date you were declared unfit to work. At times it may even restrict you from making a TPD claim if at the date of injury, you did not have TPD cover. Eg; You ceased work on 1 Jan 2020 due to a permanent injury, but took out your annual leave until the 14 Jan 2020. On 10 Jan 2020, you withdrew your superannuation because you needed the money to pay for ongoing expenses. If you then make a TPD claim declaring that your last date of work was 14 Jan 2020, the insurer will reject your TPD claim. Why? Because you withdrew your super on 10 Jan 2020 thus your claim made after that date will not be considered. Hence understanding your last date of work is really important and may be the difference between a successful claim and a not so successful claim.
4. Request the insurer for the applicable policy document and really understand which policy definition is applicable to you. You may think that because you cannot work due to injury/illness then you can definitely get your TPD lump sum. It sounds reasonable, but unfortunately that’s not the case. Insurers assess you according to their TPD definition. So make sure you understand it and see whether your situation fits within that definition or not.
5. Regularly follow up with the insurer. You cannot just assume that if the insurer has not replied back then they are working on your matter. Generally the insurance industry has a high staff turnover which means your file can cause unnecessary delays for no reason. Therefore, regular follow ups will help getting your case reviewed quicker.
So there you have it, 5 easy strategies to help strengthen your TPD claim.
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