Sunsuper income protection insurance claims guide
Transcription
Sunsuper income protection insurance claims guide
Sunsuper income protection insurance claims guide 1 July 2016 make your dreams more than dreams INCOME PROTECTION INSURANCE CLAIMS We can appreciate that being unable to work would be a difficult and uncertain time for you. We will strive to ensure that your claim is processed in a timely manner so you can receive a decision as quickly as possible. The Income protection insurance claims guide provides information about making an insurance claim. For information about insurance cover, including eligibility and the terms and conditions that apply, you should refer to the applicable Product Disclosure Statement (PDS). For a copy of the PDS, call us on 13 11 84. General advice disclaimer The information in this guide is general information only and doesn’t take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider the appropriateness of any general information in this guide having regard to your own personal objectives, financial situation and needs. You should consider the Product Disclosure Statement before making a decision. Call 13 11 84 or visit sunsuper.com.au for a copy. You should obtain financial advice tailored to your personal circumstances. Call us if you would like to speak with one of our qualified financial planners. Our phone based qualified financial planners provide simple advice about your Sunsuper account at no additional cost. More comprehensive advice may incur a fee. Sunsuper employees provide advice as representatives of Sunsuper Financial Services Pty Ltd (ABN 50 087 154 818 AFSL No. 227867) (SFS), wholly owned by the Sunsuper Superannuation Fund. We are committed to respecting the privacy of personal information you give us. If you would like a copy of Sunsuper’s Privacy Policy visit sunsuper.com.au/privacy or call 13 11 84. Sunsuper income protection insurance claims 13 11 84 sunsuper.com.au INCOME PROTECTION INSURANCE CLAIMS 1. What is Income Protection (IP) Insurance Income Protection (IP) insurance provides you with a monthly income while you’re unable to work due to temporary injury or sickness/illness. It is intended to ease the financial burden of your injury or sickness/illness by helping to cover the costs of day-to-day living as well as your treatment costs. To make an IP claim, you must meet the definition of ‘Total Disability’ as outlined in your Insurance Guide (Sunsuper for life and Sunsuper for life Business) or your Corporate Plan guide (Sunsuper for life Corporate) and have become totally and temporarily disabled while you were insured with Sunsuper. 2. How to make an IP claim If you believe you that you may be eligible to apply for an IP payment, we are here to help you along the way. To submit your claim you need to complete three major steps: Step 1 Step 2 Before you call us, you will need to prepare some basic information about your claim Call Sunsuper on 13 11 84 to start the claims process This will allow us to start the claims process from the moment we first speak to you. The necessary information includes: • Your Sunsuper membership number • You can find this number in the top right hand corner of your Annual Statement as well as most other correspondence from Sunsuper You’ll be transferred to our Claims Team who will be able to help with the first steps of the claims process. The Claims Team will: • provide you with details of your current account balance and insurance cover • advise you of the documents and information you need to provide for the claim to be assessed, and • send you the IP claim forms for completion. • Details about your injury/illness • Date on which your injury first occurred or your sickness/illness first presented itself • Details and date of your diagnosis • Details about your work status • The date you last worked • The amount of hours worked per week leading up to your injury or sickness/illness Step 3 Complete and return the IP claim forms Please read all information we send to you carefully, and take the time you need to gather all information required to complete the claims process. You will need to answer several questions and provide us with additional information. Completing the claim form is the largest and most important step in this process: the details and evidence you provide will form the basis upon which the Insurer makes their decision in regards to your IP claim. We recognise that this may be a daunting task, and our Claims Team is here to help you every step of the way. We will provide you with the name and contact details of your own dedicated Claims Representative who will assist with your claim and help answer any questions you may have along the way. 1 Sunsuper income protection insurance claims 13 11 84 sunsuper.com.au INCOME PROTECTION INSURANCE CLAIMS 3. What does an IP ‘claims pack’ contain? There are a number of forms you will need to complete when making an IP claim (detailed below). Please do not hesitate to call the Claims Team if you have any questions. This will help us to ensure that your claim is progressed as quickly as possible. 1. Claim Application What is this form for? This form is to be completed by you. It includes your contact information, employment details and basic details about your injury or sickness/illness. It will ask specific details about the work you performed leading 3. An Employer statement What is this form for? This form is to be completed by your employer with whom you were employed at the time of your injury or sickness/illness. Your employer will be required to detail the scope of your position and outline the types of duties you performed in your role. Tips: We recommend that you contact the Human Resources department or your direct manager from your employer as this form must be completed by an authorised person who worked closely with you. up to your injury or sickness/illness, how your injury or sickness/ illness has affected your ability to work, whether you’ve had a similar condition before and whether you intend to claim other benefits. Tips: You must provide us with several pieces of information, and these tips will help you to find them. 4. Centrelink Authority to Release Personal Information What is this form for? If you receive Centrelink benefits, you must complete this form to give authority to Sunsuper and its Insurer to obtain information about your benefits. • The ‘Trading name of last employer’ will be detailed on your payslip or your Payment Summary (group certificate)—the Trading name of your last employer may not be the name you know your employer as, so please check this carefully. • ‘Fund of choice’ means the fund your employer was paying into at the time of your injury or sickness/illness. If you are unsure about the dates and hours you worked, we recommend that you contact the Human Resources department of your (previous) employer or refer back to your previous payslips. 5. Authority to release personal Medicare and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) claims information What are these form for? These forms provide authority for release of information from both Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) directly to the Insurer to assist them with the assessment of your claim. Please note: These forms are not required in every instance 2. Treating Doctor’s Report and will only be included where necessary. What is this form for? This form is to be completed by the 6. Tax File Number declaration doctor who treated you at the time of your diagnosis. Their statement will describe the nature and extent of your disability What is this form for? We are required to advise the Australian and provide evidence for it (such as medical records, test Taxation Office that we are making income payments to you in results etc.). lieu of your salary. Tips: We recommend that you phone your doctor and let them know that you are in the process of making an IP claim. You may be required to make an appointment with your doctor to have them to complete this statement. Please note that you will be responsible for the costs of this appointment and any other costs involved in obtaining this statement. 7. Bank Account Nomination form What is this form for? This form asks how you would like to receive your money should your claim be successful. Tips: Providing this information to us at the outset will ensure that you can receive your payment without delay if your claim is approved. Remember, if you need assistance please call the Claims Team 2 Sunsuper income protection insurance claims 13 11 84 sunsuper.com.au INCOME PROTECTION INSURANCE CLAIMS 4. What you will need to provide in your IP claim Completing your IP claim forms is an important step in your claim process. The details and evidence you provide will form the basis upon which the Insurer makes their decision. Providing us with all the information we require and completing your forms correctly will speed up your claims process. If information is missing or incomplete, we will need to contact you to ask for it, which will delay your claim. We understand that completing the claims application may be a daunting task, and our Claims Team is here to help you every step of the way. Please contact the Claims Team who will assist you with any questions you have about the information we require and completing your claim forms. Certified proof of your identity You must provide a certified copy of your ID as proof of your identity (for example, a driver’s licence or passport). Why? Your super is your money, so for security purposes, we need to be sure that the super belongs to the person submitting the claim. Understandably, you won’t want to send us your original documents, so we ask that you have a copy certified by an authorised person. Tips: See our Proof of Identity Requirements section for information on what forms of ID are suitable and how to have a copy certified. 3 Sunsuper income protection insurance claims 13 11 84 sunsuper.com.au Income Protection claims checklist Before you send your claim through, make sure you have fully and correctly completed the following requirements: □ Certified proof of your ID □ Claim Application □ Treating Doctor’s Report □ Employer statement □ Centrelink Authority to Release Personal Information (if required) □ Authority to release personal Medicare and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) Claims information (if required) □ Tax File Number declaration □ Bank Account Nomination form 4 INCOME PROTECTION INSURANCE CLAIMS 5. The IP claim assessment process Claim forms are received Insurer assesses the claim Claim is accepted by the Insurer Claim is declined by the Insurer Claim outcome and ongoing payment Sunsuper Trustee reviews Insurer’s decline of claim Sunsuper Trustee disagrees with decline Sunsuper Trustee upholds decision to decline The Insurer may also: Claim forms are received • ask for additional reports from your doctor/s • ask you to provide more information • ask your employer for more information, and/or Your dedicated Claims Representative will notify you once your claim has been received. Your Claims Representative will review your application and ask you for any further information we • make an appointment for you to have a medical examination with an independent specialist/s. require. Once we have received all the information we require The Insurer will pay for any additional medical reports they for this initial stage, we can begin the assessment of your claim. request and any examinations they arrange for you to attend. Your Claims Representative will endeavour to keep you updated on your claim’s progress each fortnight. Insurer assesses the claim Claim is accepted by the Insurer If your claim is accepted by the Insurer, we will contact you to advise that your claim has been approved, arrange for The Insurer will use the information you, your employer and your payment directly to your bank account, and send you a payment treating doctor provide when making its assessment. confirmation letter. 5 Sunsuper income protection insurance claims 13 11 84 sunsuper.com.au INCOME PROTECTION INSURANCE CLAIMS Claim outcome and ongoing payment Claim is declined by Insurer If your claim is accepted and you remain unable to work, If your claim is declined by the Insurer, this generally means each month you will be asked to fill in a progress claim form that the Insurer doesn’t regard you as ‘Totally Disabled’ or and arrange for your treating doctor to complete a Medical ‘Partially Disabled’ according to the policy definition. Attendant’s Statement form, so that the Insurer can consider further payments. We will send these forms to you after each payment, and you must return them at least 10 working days before your next payment is due. Unless further medical evidence is required, the prompt return of these forms will Sunsuper Trustee reviews Insurer’s decline of claim ensure you receive your next payment on time. Please note you are required to meet the cost for completion of these forms. Benefit payments will generally continue until: • you no longer satisfy the relevant definition, e.g. ‘Total Disability’, ‘Limited Total Disability’ or ‘Partial Disability’ • you reach the end of the benefit payment period or you turn 65 (whichever is earlier) • you are employed under a Class 457, 422 or 418 working All claims declined by the Insurer are referred to the Sunsuper Trustee for assessment and consideration. If the Sunsuper Trustee disagrees with the decision of the Insurer and believes that your claim should be approved, your claim will be referred back to the Insurer for their reconsideration. The Claims Team will contact you to advise you of the next steps. If the Sunsuper Trustee agrees with the decision to decline the claim, your Claims Representative will contact you to advise you of this outcome. If you disagree with this decision you visa and the term of the Class 457, 422 or 418 visa can lodge a written complaint with Sunsuper. Your complaint expires, or you permanently depart Australia (whichever will be investigated, and if you are not satisfied with our occurs earlier) response or we haven’t responded within 90 days, you may • you reside overseas and have received 12 months of payments, or • your death. ask the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal (SCT) whether you are eligible to submit a complaint to them. Time limits apply that affect when you can make a complaint to the SCT about an IP claim. Call the SCT on 1300 884 114 or visit their website www. sct.gov.au for more information. 6 Sunsuper income protection insurance claims 13 11 84 sunsuper.com.au INCOME PROTECTION INSURANCE CLAIMS 6. Frequently Asked Questions about IP claims Do I need a lawyer? Are there any exclusions or restrictions? Our claims process has been designed so that in most cases, You will not be eligible to be paid an IP benefit if your injury you or your family should not require the assistance of a lawyer or illness/sickness is caused, wholly or partly, directly or when making a claim. We don’t give priority to claims lodged indirectly, from: by lawyers – all claims are dealt with in the same manner and follow the same process. If you are thinking about seeking legal help, we recommend that you first determine the costs involved in doing so and how they will impact your benefit payout. We recommend that you call us before seeking help from a lawyer. Do I have IP insurance? Not all Sunsuper members have IP insurance. To check your • deliberate self-inflicted injury or attempted suicide or self destruction while sane or insane • uncomplicated pregnancy, childbirth or miscarriage • your deployment to a hostile environment as part of active military service, or • a criminal act committed by you. level of cover, login to Member Online, review your Annual Limited cover will apply to your Standard IP cover for a period of Statement or call us on 13 11 84. 24 months and until you have been At Work for 30 consecutive days at the end of the 24 month period. Is there a Waiting Period? In most cases, you will need to have been continuously unable What happens if I’m partially disabled? to work due to injury or sickness for a period of time: 30, 60, A reduced monthly IP benefit may be payable if you become 90 or 180 days depending on your type of cover. The Waiting ‘Partially Disabled’. For definitions, refer to your Insurance Period will begin from the date you are Totally Disabled and guide (Sunsuper for life and Sunsuper for life Business) or unable to work as certified by a medical practitioner. your Corporate Plan guide (Sunsuper for life Corporate). Do I have to re-start a Waiting Period if I return to work? How much will I be paid? Generally, you may be able to return to work during the Waiting Period, but it is important to contact us to check this applies to you. If your waiting period is 30 days, you may be able to work for up to five days without having to start the Waiting Period again. If your Waiting Period is 60, 90 or 180 days, you may be able to return to work for up to 10 days during that time without having to re-start the Waiting Period. In these circumstances, if you do return to work, your original Waiting It is important to understand that any insurance benefit amount is determined at the date you became disabled; the insurance benefit amounts shown on your Annual statements or in Member Online may therefore differ to the amount at your disablement date. The monthly benefit you will be paid will be the lower of: • the level of cover selected by you less any offsets, and • 75% of your monthly rate of Pre-Disability Income less any Period may be extended by the number of days you work. If you offsets, plus a superannuation contribution where this forms return to work for longer than the periods specified above, then part of your insured IP cover. the Waiting Period may start again. When are benefit payments made? Once your claim has been accepted by the Insurer, your first monthly payment will be paid in arrears one month after the end of the waiting period. Subsequent payments are made monthly. 7 Sunsuper income protection insurance claims 13 11 84 sunsuper.com.au INCOME PROTECTION INSURANCE CLAIMS Will I pay tax on the benefit? Your monthly benefit will be paid to you, less any PAYG tax payable. You will receive a PAYG Payment Summary for IP benefits paid to you during the financial year as soon as possible after the 30th of June for inclusion in your annual tax return. Will there be offsets to my benefit payment? Your IP benefit payment may be reduced by the following payments: • Workers’ Compensation or Transport Accident Compensation or similar legislation in relation to your injury or illness • any other payments, statutory or otherwise, paid to you for loss of income in relation your injury or sickness • any other payments made under any disability income type insurance policy, and/or • any other lump sum payment which relates to loss of income due to injury or illness (other than a TPD or terminal illness benefit under the relevant Policy). Your IP benefit payment may also be reduced by any sick leave from your employer, however you are generally not required to use all your sick leave before receiving an Income Protection benefit. What happens if I have a recurring injury or sickness/illness? Following a claim, if you make a further claim arising from the same or related cause as the first claim, the further claim will be: a)treated as a separate claim if it occurred after you returned to work for at least 6 continuous months, or b)deemed to be a continuation of the original claim if made within 6 months from the end of payments from the earlier claim. A further Waiting Period will not apply in this case, however the relevant benefit period will be adjusted to take into account prior benefits paid under the relevant policy for the original claim. 8 Sunsuper income protection insurance claims 13 11 84 sunsuper.com.au Occupational Rehabilitation in Super – ‘Work is Good Medicine’ Returning to work can restore more than your income: it helps to restore your identity and self-esteem. At Sunsuper, we work with our insurers to offer you access to one of the largest and most experienced rehabilitation teams. This means that if you have suffered an injury, disability or health condition, we can arrange workrelated rehabilitation to assist in your return to meaningful work. Together with our insurers, we work in partnership with you, your treating health professionals and employer to help you return to suitable work as part of your recovery plan. If you are unemployed, we can help you improve your readiness for work and/or locate suitable employment. Occupational rehabilitation services may include: • initial meetings with a rehabilitation provider to identify your return to work needs • workplace visits to identify solutions for your return to work plan • equipment to ensure you maintain your job • career guidance to explore alternative work options if you can’t work in your usual role • improving your skills and capabilities so that your return to work is sustainable. Rehabilitation is not appropriate for everyone. If you would like further information about your rehabilitation options please speak with your Claims Representative at Sunsuper by calling 13 11 84. Together we may be able to assist you in getting back to work and back to a fuller life! 9 Proof of identity requirements 10 PROOF OF IDENTITY REQUIREMENTS when it comes to safeguarding your money; and no-one is What is an acceptable identification document? immune. That’s why super funds will ask you to provide certain Any one of the following documents will be accepted as information and documents about your identity when you primary identification: Australia’s $2 trillion super pot represents a large and growing temptation for criminals, with identity theft the biggest risk request money from your account. We need to be sure that the super belongs to the person making the claim. Getting your identity documents together to access your money may seem like an unnecessary hassle, but we can assure you it’s essential, your protection is our top priority. When do you need to prove your identity? All super funds, including Sunsuper, will ask you to provide certified identification before paying any money out. If you cannot provide us with one of the primary identification documents outlined on this page, then we may accept two of the documents listed in the table on the following page, one document from each column. It’s important to note we cannot accept documents that have expired. We also reserve the right to request additional information to verify your identity before paying your benefit claim. • a driver’s licence or permit issued under a law of a State or Territory, or equivalent authority of a foreign country, that contains your photo, name, residential address and date of birth (please copy and certify both front and back sections if relevant) • a passport issued by the Commonwealth • a card issued under a law of a State or Territory for the purpose of proving the person’s age which contains your photo, name and date of birth (please copy and certify both front and back sections if relevant), or • a passport or a similar document issued for the purpose of international travel or a national identity card issued for the purpose of identification that: A. contains your photo, name and signature B. is issued by a foreign government, the United Nations or an agency of the United Nations C. if written in a language that is not understood by the person carrying out the verification, is accompanied by an English translation prepared by an accredited translator. If you don’t have any primary identification, see the table over for acceptable forms of secondary identification. 11 Sunsuper income protection insurance claims 13 11 84 sunsuper.com.au PROOF OF IDENTITY REQUIREMENTS One document from this column • A birth certificate or birth extract issued by a State or Territory • A citizenship certificate issued by the Commonwealth • A citizenship certificate issued by a foreign government • A birth certificate issued by a foreign government, the United Nations or an agency of the United Nations plus One document from this column A notice that: a)was issued to you by the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory within the preceding 12 months, b) contains your name and your residential address, and c)records the provision of financial benefits to you under a law of the Commonwealth, State or Territory (as the case may be). • A pension card issued by the Department of Human Services that entitles you to financial benefits • A healthcare card issued by the Department of Human Services that entitles you to financial benefits A notice that: a)was issued to you by the Australian Taxation Office within the preceding 12 months, b) contains your name and your residential address, and c)records a debt payable to or by you to the Commonwealth under Commonwealth law relating to taxation. A notice that: a)was issued to you by a local government body or utilities provider within the preceding three months, b) contains your name and your residential address, and c)records the provision of services by that local government body or utilities provider to your address or to that person. In relation to a person under the age of 18, a notice that: a)was issued to you by a school principal within the preceding three months, b) contains your name and your residential address, and c) records the period of time you attended the school. Note: If any of the approved documents have been issued by a foreign government and are written in a language that is not understood by the person carrying out the verification, the documents must be accompanied by an English translation prepared by an accredited translator. Examples of acceptable linking documents are: • certificate from the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Office or relevant government source from the issuing country (i.e. marriage certificate or change of name) • deed poll or decree nisi. What if you’ve recently changed your name? What do we mean by certified? If you have changed your name and have not yet advised us, We understand you’ll want to provide us with copies of your you will need to provide what is called a ‘linking document’. A linking document is used to prove a relationship exists between two (or more) names. identification documents rather than the originals. However, you must have these copies ‘certified’ as a true copy of the original. This means that you need to have a person who is authorised to certify documents (see the section on the following page) sight the original document and the copy of the documents (e.g. a photocopy) to make sure both documents 12 Sunsuper income protection insurance claims 13 11 84 sunsuper.com.au PROOF OF IDENTITY REQUIREMENTS are identical, and then ‘certify’ all copied pages as true copies by writing or stamping ‘certified true copy’ on them. They must also sign and print their name on the document and record their qualification (e.g. Justice of the Peace) and the date. • Accountant (member of ICA, ASA, IPA or CPA, ATMA, NTAA) • Veterinary surgeon • Bank officer, building society officer, credit union officer, finance company officer – employed for five years or more Who can certify your identification documents in Australia? • Justice of the Peace, commissioner of declarations, or Only certain people are authorised to certify documents in • police officer, sheriff or sheriff’s officer Australia. Approved people include those who are currently authorised to witness a statutory declaration under the Statutory Declarations Regulations 1993 (Commonwealth), commissioner of affidavits • notary public • Those who hold a Court position, such as a Bailiff, Judge, Schedule 2, Part 1 and Part 2. Magistrate, Registrar, or Deputy Registrar, Clerk, Master of a court, CEO of a Commonwealth court People authorised to certify your documents include a: • Health professional, such as a Chiropractor, Dentist, • Government representatives (elected): Federal, State or Territory or Local Medical practitioner, Nurse, Optometrist, Pharmacist, Physiotherapist, Psychologist • Public servants: Federal, State or Territory or Local – employed for five years or more. • Legal professional, such as a Legal practitioner, Patent attorney, Trade marks attorney • Teacher (full-time) at a school or tertiary education institution • Minister of religion, or marriage celebrant. If you are unable to locate any of the above certifiers, others may be accepted. We recommend you contact us on 13 11 84 to confirm who else we will accept as a certifier. What does a certified identity document look like? This is what a certified proof of identity document should look like: Copy of the document that identifies you, (i.e. your passport or driver’s license – front and back) Write or stamp “certified true copy” of original document Have the authorised person sign the document Authorised person’s stamp and registration number (if applicable) Name, qualification, phone number and address of authorised person, and Date of authorisation 00000000 0 0000 13 Sunsuper income protection insurance claims 13 11 84 sunsuper.com.au PROOF OF IDENTITY REQUIREMENTS What if you live overseas? • Judge of a Court or magistrate in an overseas jurisdiction If your claim is submitted from outside Australia, we still require • international Justice of the Peace (JP) certified identification documents before we can pay out • registrar or deputy registrar of a Court your benefit. The list of acceptable documents is still the same; however, we can only accept certified identification documents that are signed by an: • Australian consular officer • commissioner of oaths. The person who is authorised to certify documents must sight the original and the copy to make sure both documents are identical, and then ‘certify’ all copied pages as true copies by writing or stamping ‘certified true copy’ followed by their • Australian diplomatic officer signature, printed name, qualification (e.g. police officer) • police officer of an overseas force Examples of what is acceptable include: and date. We also require evidence of the certifier’s status. • notary public Qualification Certification Required Police officer Details of their police badge number Judge or magistrate Certificate of their appointment to their position Justice of the Peace Justice of the Peace stamp or number 14 Sunsuper income protection insurance claims 13 11 84 sunsuper.com.au make your dreams more than dreams Contacting us is easy: 13 11 84 (+61 7 3121 0700 when overseas) GPO Box 2924 Brisbane QLD 4001 sunsuper.com.au twitter.com/sunsuper facebook.com/sunsuper linkedin.com/company/sunsuper Sunsuper Pty Ltd Sunsuper Superannuation Fund ABN 88 010 720 840 ABN 98 503 137 921 AFSL No. 228975 SPIN SSR 0100 AU MySuper Authorisation 98 503 137 921 996 Unique Super Identifier (USI) 98 503 137 921 001 Sunsuper is a member of The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia Limited (ASFA). Copyright ©2016 Sunsuper Pty Ltd 1860 (07/16) The Sunsuper insurance claims guide is prepared and issued by Sunsuper Pty Ltd, the issuer and Trustee of the Sunsuper Superannuation Fund (referred to as ‘the Fund’ or ‘Sunsuper’):