Claiming on an insurance policy
How do I make a claim on an insurance policy?
Being diagnosed with a disability, critical or terminal illness can be life changing and overwhelming not just for you but also your family and loved ones. Your mind may be overloaded with worries about work, relationships, the future, money and you may be struggling with the impact of a loss of independence.
There could be many impacts to your life and you could even be wondering how you can remain in your home, or you might need to make adaptations to your living arrangements to make it suitable for you. Our guide below will let you know the options available to you and how we can help at this stressful and worrying time.
What are my options regarding making a new insurance claim?
The following options are available to you regarding making a brand new claim on your insurance policy
Let Appeal Avenue help
During this stressful time, with many things on your mind, it can help to allow someone else to lighten the load. Appeal Avenue can manage the claim for you
Submit your own claim
You may find that you would like to submit the claim yourself. Our handy guide below explains the process, we are here to help if you feel this is too much.
How does Appeal Avenue help me make a new insurance claim?
We can handle the entire claims process for you in exchange for a fee. If you would like our support with making a new insurance claim, make an appointment with us today and we will chat through what has happened and what your options are – take a look at the fees section of our website for an idea of the costs involved.
How can I submit my own claim what are the steps involved?
If you would like to make your own insurance claim, you can do this through your insurance company, rather than using a claims management company like Appeal Avenue. If the below process seems a bit daunting and you would like us to assist then please contact us to discuss how we can help.
New insurance claims guide if you would like to make your own claim
1. Make a claim as soon as possible.
Most insurers specify that you must make a claim within certain timeframes after you suffer from an accident or illness that prevents you from being able to work, even if you have a long waiting or deferred period. So, it’s important to contact your insurer and get the ball rolling with a claim as soon as possible.
2. Contact your insurance company.
To make it easier to make a claim, insurers often allow you to start your claim by email, over the phone, by post or even online.
3. Provide some basic information.
When you first contact your insurer, be prepared to provide some basic information about your accident or illness. Such as the accident or illness you are suffering from and when you were first absent from work (if applicable)
4. Complete a claim form.
After your initial contact, the insurer will usually send you a claim form to complete and return. Depending on the claim type, the form will ask for more information about things such as your diagnosis, prognosis or accident and when you first started experiencing symptoms of your illness, or when your accident happened.
They may also want to know about any tests and investigations you’ve had and the names and addresses of your GP and hospital specialists. For income protection claims further details may include your employment details, including the job you do and your main duties at work and may also want to see a copy of your fit note.
Other supporting paperwork may also be required in the instance of life insurance such as medical records, death certificate and sometimes the coroners report for the person who has died.
5. Wait
This can be the most frustrating part of the process- the time between submitting your insurance claim and hearing back from the insurer can take a number of weeks.
In this time, the insurer will be writing out to your doctors and getting more information about your illness as well as reviewing information about the work you do in the case of income protection. They might also be looking into the answers you gave to the health and lifestyle questions you were asked when you initially took out your insurance policy.
6. Decision made by the insurer.
When the insurer has all of the information back from your doctors and they’ve reviewed it against your policy terms and conditions, they will make a decision on whether or not to pay your claim.
If the insurer declines your claim, they should tell you why they have declined it.