Frequently Asked Questions
Should you wish to arrange for one of our customer service representatives to call you back, please submit your details below and you will be called by the end of the next working day .
- How long must I wait before I know the outcome? >
- How long do I have to be off work before payments are considered? >
- What is an excess period? >
- Where are the payments sent? >
- What is the maximum period I can claim for? >
- What happens if my circumstances change? >
- What am I covered for? >
- From what day will my claim be considered? >
- From what day will my claim be considered? >
- How frequently will my claim be paid? >
- What happens if I return to work for a short temporary period? >
- What is a home visit? >
- What is Back to Work Assistance? >
How long must I wait before I know the outcome? We realise that your claim is linked to financial commitments you may have, so we aim to handle corre- spondence within 1 working day of receipt (new claims within 3 working days) and inform you in writing whether your claim has been accepted or declined. Should we require further information from third parties we will inform you of our actions. If we do not get a response we will chase the relevant parties after 14 or 21 days followed up after a further 10 days and again after another 10 days. We will keep you fully informed at each and every stage.
How long do I have to be off work before payments are considered? All policies have varying 'waiting' periods before consideration for payment commences. For example: you are likely to have to be registered as unemployed or certified unfit for work for a complete 30 day period before payment can be made (check your policy for details on waiting period). Once you have been unemployed or certified unfit for work for the 30 day period, payment can be made to cover this.
What is an excess period? An 'excess' period is a period at the start of a claim that the policy will not provide payment for. For example: If your excess period is 60 days, consideration of payment will not commence until after the first 60 days of a valid claim has passed and no payment will be made for those first 60 days. Excess periods are not in all policies and are a less common feature of Accident and Sickness covers, so please check your policy to see what, if any, excess period applies to you.
Where are the payments sent? Depending on your policy, payments are either issued directly to you or direct to your finance company. You will be informed after each payment the amount, the period this represents and where the payment is being sent. If we have paid your finance provider and your have kept up your repayments, you will need to contact your finance company to request a refund of any payments you may have duplicated. Alternatively you may wish to leave any money paid by us in the account in order to reduce your outstanding balance (and/or in the case of credit cards, interest charged).
What is the maximum period I can claim for? Most policies of this nature pay the claim for a maximum number of months for any one period of claim. The most common period is for 12 months. If your claim is on a credit card it may pay 12 months or until an amount equal to the outstanding balance or credit limit at the time the claim commences has been paid. The maximum payment period only applies if your claim continues for this length of time. If you are no longer unfit for work before this time, this will obviously signify the end of your claim.
What happens if my circumstances change? It is important that you keep us up to date with your changes in circumstances throughout the period of a claim. Examples of the types of information we would like to be informed of are: changes of address, going away on holiday and returns to employment.
What am I covered for? All customers will have received a copy of the insurance policy at the very start of the cover. We handle claims under a number of policies with varying levels of cover and with various terms and conditions. Within this helpsheet we detail the main aspects of cover common to this type of policy. Please check your own policy document or call our Customer Services team if you wish to enquire on your own particular cover details and to establish whether these policy details apply to you.
From what day will my claim be considered? The majority of unemployment claims are considered from the day you register with the Job Centre excluding any period where you have received payment in lieu of notice from your employer.
After the first payment, what happens for the following months? If you are still unemployed, you will need to make a continuing claim. Continuing payments are claimed by providing us with a form that can be obtained from the Job Centre when you sign for your benefits. The form is called an 'ABI1' form. We ask that you send this to us monthly and if possible, provide brief details of your efforts to find new employment. If we have any additional requirements of you during a continuing claim, one of our representatives will notify you.
How frequently will my claim be paid? Some policies pay for monthly periods and others for daily periods. The monthly paid policy will require you to be off for the full period for a payment to be paid. For example: It may pay 1 month payment for your first 30 days of unemployment and then a further monthly payment for each complete 30 day period thereafter.
Daily paid policies take your monthly commitment and calculate a daily benefit by dividing this by 30 days. In this case you receive benefit to cover the number of days you are unemployed. Don't worry, the payment is not made on a daily basis. If evidence of unemployment covers 24 days, we can pay an amount equal to 24 daily benefits.
What happens if I return to work for a short temporary period? We obviously want to help you however we can to get yourself back into work. If you have the chance of a temporary position you may feel that this has the benefit of leading to a full time job. If your temporary job lasts less than 6 months we can continue your claim from the date you re-register with the Job Centre, after the temporary employment ends, as a continuation of the first part of your claim. Do call our Customer Service team if you wish to discuss returns of a temporary nature in more detail. It is important that you keep us informed of your circumstances.
What is a home visit? We like to keep up to date with each of our customer's progress. We have representatives who work in your area visiting customers in their homes and providing us with updates. Obviously, it is not practical for all of our customers to receive a home visit. If our representative calls at an inconvenient time they can of course arrange a mutually convenient time for a revisit.
What is Back to Work Assistance? Back to Work Assistance is a service designed to help you find new employment. If you are claiming unemployment with us, we may refer your claim for this free service.