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Seven steps to successful TPD claims

A lot of people have their Total Permanent Disability claims rejected by insurers, even when they do have an eligible claim that should be approved. In order to help you avoid this situation, I’m going run through the seven steps you need to know in order to make successful TPD claims.

When you’re unable to work due to injury or illness, making a success TPD claim for a lump sum amount against your superannuation policy could be the key to helping you get your life back on track. So here are the seven steps you need to know in order to make successful TPD claims.

Step 1: Identify your superannuation / TPD policies
The first step is to identify all your policies. Many people have multiple super funds from having had multiple jobs over the years. If you have multiple super funds, then you might have multiple TPD policies you can claim against.

Step 2: Check which policies were valid when you were injured or became ill
To make a claim against a policy it will need to have been valid at the time you became injured or ill. This can be a grey area, as some illnesses and injuries develop over time, so if you’re unsure, think about the date you first became aware of your injury or illness.

Step 3: Take time to understand the approval criteria
Read through the terms of your TPD policy (or policies) to understand what qualifies for a lump sum payout.
For example; with some TPD policies in Australia, you don’t necessarily have to be unfit for all work to make a successful TPD claim.

Step 4: Submit a thorough application, including all documents and medical records to substantiate your claim
This is the key step in successful TPD claims. Many people simply complete the application forms and assume their claim will be approved. But if you do that and fail to supply all the evidence needed to support your claim, it’s like the insurer will simply keep asking you for more information and the process can really drag on.

Step 5: Include a thorough written submission explaining why your TPD claim should be approved
This is also an essential part of all successful TPD claims. A well-written submission will clearly state how your situation satisfies the criteria in your TPD policy. Our TPD specialists write literally hundreds of these submissions every year, and when the insurer sees them, they know they’re dealing with claims that have been professionally prepared and are highly likely to be valid claims.

Step 6: Follow up with the insurer to make sure they have everything they need
Being proactive will help avoid unnecessary delays and frustration in the TPD claim process. Don’t assume that the insurer will tell you immediately if anything is missing or not filled out correctly – follow up with the claim assessor to check on the status of your claim, and make sure they have everything they need from you.

Step 7: Follow the dispute process if your claim is denied
If your TPD claim is denied, don’t assume that’s the end of the matter – there are options available to dispute insurers’ decisions. Our TPD specialists have made successful TPD claims on behalf of many clients who originally submitted their own claims and had them denied.

Hopefully this has been helpful to you, but if you’re still unsure about TPD or need help with your claim, call Law Partners and you can have a confidential conversation with one of our specialist TPD specialist lawyers today.