TPD insurance claims

Who can make a TPD claim?

You may be eligible to make a TPD claim for compensation if you've suffered an injury or illness that permanently prevents you from working in your normal job or any other work for which you are suited by education, training or experience.

The injury or illness doesn't have to be work related. There are many injuries that can be reasons for your TPD claim:

• heart attack
• cancer 
• injuries sustained at home
• sports injuries
• car accident injuries
• chronic illnesses 

Our TPD lawyers have also helped our clients with successful claims for psychological illnesses such as:

• anxiety
• depression
• PTSD 
• bipolar disorder
• schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders

You may be eligible to make a TPD insurance claim if:

1. You have TPD insurance cover (either through your super fund or another channel). Most super funds automatically include TPD insurance.
2. You can show you’re unable to do your normal job or any other work related to your education, training or experience.

Always be wary of tricky exclusion and eligibility clauses in the total and permanent disability insurance policy's small print that can be used to deny your claim. Our team of specialist superannuation lawyers will help you understand the policy fine print and work with you to ensure you get every dollar and benefit that you’re entitled to.

Terminal Illness

If you have been diagnosed with a terminal illness, you may be able to claim against the death benefit insurance policy. Find out more about death benefits.
 

What are the time limits for making a TPD claim?

It’s best to submit a total and permanent disability claim as soon as you can, but you may be able to claim a long time after your injury or illness has occurred. However, when it comes to challenging the super fund's or insurer's decision regarding your TPD claim, there are strict time limits. It's therefore important to get legal advice from an experienced TPD lawyer as soon as possible, even before you submit your claim, so you know where you stand. 

TPD compensation and benefits

TPD benefit amounts vary depending on the policy terms negotiated by your super fund or employer. Benefits are usually paid as a lump sum and can be worth tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. The total permanent disability insurance payout amounts can decrease or lapse as you age so it's important to check the level of cover at the time you stopped working (even if that cover has since ended).  

Multiple TPD insurance claims

You can often have multiple TPD claims if you have multiple insurances in place when you stop working due to disability.  However, some policies won’t pay if you've already received or been entitled to claim another TPD benefit. Our lawyers are experts at overcoming these provisions but it's important to get advice before making any total and permanent disability insurance claims.

In addition to the TPD lump sum benefit through your superannuation, you may also be able to make additional claims through income protection, or other forms of insurance.

You may even have access to additional benefits through:

• your employer
• an enterprise agreement
• your employment contract
• your loans such as a mortgage, car loan or credit card
• your insurance purchased through a financial institution or advisor.

Read more about the different insurance benefits you could access when you are unable to work due to illness or injury.

TPD claim processing time

Your super fund has to make a decision on your TPD claim within 6-12 months of receiving all the required claim documentation, depending on the complexity of your claim. Our TPD lawyers are experts at getting insurance claims paid early.