How to make a successful TPD claim

Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) insurance is an insurance benefit that covers individuals who cannot work due to a serious injury or illness. Despite most Australians being covered for TPD through their superannuation policy, a lot of people are unaware that they can benefit from it.

If you are dealing with a debilitating illness or disability, it might be difficult or even impossible to keep working like normal. In a worst-case scenario, you might have to stop working and stay home. This means you won’t be able to generate income as a healthy person would do, and with the government dealing with health system funding issues, you’d want to be able to secure your own contingency plan.

With a TPD insurance claim, you can get a lump sum that’ll give you financial safety. Thus, you’ll be able to support your family, provide for your basic needs, and pay for all your medical costs.

To qualify for a TPD claim, you must be someone unable to work because of your injury or illness. However, this doesn’t mean that your work contract has to be terminated before you can make a TPD claim. You’d want to hire one of the best personal injury lawyers in Melbourne to help you make a successful TPD claim.

There are a few things you can do to further ensure that your TPD claim is approved as explained below

1 – Get To Know All Your TPD Policies

It’s possible to have many TPD policies, especially if you’ve worked for different employers. Holding multiple superannuation accounts means you can make claims for all of them.

You must check your member statements and confirm the insurance cover indicated. Ideally, each fund should have a separate cover. After identifying all of them, list all those with TPD insurance to make it easier when making a claim. In case you don’t have a track for the statements, your lawyer can guide you on what to do to get them.

2 – Confirm the workable policies when you get injured

One principle of insurance is indemnification. This means that the insurance policy aims to restore you to the initial financial position before the risk occurs. The key word here is “restore;” their aim isn’t to make you gain profit.

You must confirm whether the claim is valid when you get the injury or illness. Remember, some illnesses or injuries start out largely unnoticed for years before they have more obvious symptoms show up. The condition might have existed when the insurance policy had slightly different terms. This is why it’s essential to remember the exact date when you first knew that you were ill or injured. After that, confirm all the valid policies at that particular time and use them as the basis for your claim.

3 – Try and understand the basis used to make the policy

You must go through all the terms written in your TPD policy. It’ll help you understand what exactly the policy entails and have a clue about the amount that you’re expecting to receive.

For instance, some policies assure you you’ll get covered if the illness affects your ability to return to work. On the other hand, some policies can cover you if you’re unlikely to return to your initial occupation, but you can still do other jobs. An example is if you get lame yet can work online using your hands.

4 – Submit a detailed application with all the relevant documents

You wouldn’t want to deal with frustrations and complications when submitting your applications. This is why you should ensure that you submit all the required documents, including all your medical records, to have a seamless TPD claim process.

In some cases, the insurer may ask you for specific documents and information other than the essentials, so you might end up having to come back with the requested documents at a later time. To save yourself all the back-and-forth hassle, ask your lawyer what is needed when submitting the insurance claim.

While the requirements can vary from case to case, you can expect most insurers to ask for the following documents:

• Initial claim form
• Certificate of release
• Medical attendant statements, including diagnosis of your illness and the treatment procedures carried out so far
• Employer Statement confirming your work capacity, typical job duties, and the average number of hours you used to work daily
• Tax return records

5 – Follow up

Most superannuation companies decide on your TPD claim within six months of application. They can either accept your claim and remit a lump sum compensation into your account, decline it if it doesn’t satisfy the eligibility criteria, or request further documents to support your claim. Whichever the outcome, be proactive by frequently contacting the assessor to get updates. In case of denial, you still have the chance to appeal and make the claim a second time.

Conclusion

If you get injured or permanently disabled in the course of duty, you deserve financial compensation to help you cover the losses arising from your inability to work. Filing for a TPD claim is usually straightforward, but you’ll need to thoroughly convince the insurer to accept your claim.

Hiring expert lawyers increases your chances of getting TPD claim compensation. While no monetary reward is enough to restore a lost limb or a damaged organ, the claim will at least help you cover the unexpected medical bills and ensure you have food to eat, clothes to wear, and a good roof over your head.

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