Insurance claiming – What to expect throughout the process

Important Notice

On 9 August 2021 Westpac announced it had agreed with TAL Dai-ichi Life Australia Pty Limited (“TAL”) to sell Westpac Life Insurance Services Limited ("WLISL") and enter an exclusive 20-year strategic alliance for the provision of life insurance products to Westpac’s Australian customers. The sale of WLISL to TAL was completed on 1 August 2022. Following the sale, WLISL changed its name to TAL Life Insurance Services Limited. You can find out more by reading the FAQs.

Who is TAL?

TAL is one of Australia’s leading life insurance specialists. For more than 150 years, TAL has been protecting people. Together with our partners, today TAL protects over 5 million customers¹. In 2021, TAL paid $2.7 billion in claims to 39,628 customers.*

TAL is part of the Dai-ichi Life Group, one of the world’s largest insurance groups.

¹Based on customer covers in force across Group, Retail and Direct and there may be duplicate lives insured.

* Claims statistics based on total claims paid under TAL Life Limited insurance products between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022.

We understand that making a claim can be a daunting experience, that’s why your dedicated claims consultant will be there to support you.

To assist us with your claim there will be certain information that we’ll need from you. We only collect information that we need, and your claims consultant will explain exactly what we need and why as well as help you gather the supporting documents if you need a hand. We may seek your consent for us to access sensitive information, such as medical records.

The type of information that we will require from you will depend on the type of cover held under your policy.

Loss of income (Income Protection & Business Overheads)

To make a claim on your Income Protection Insurance, you’ll usually need to provide:

Initial claim forms (which we will send to you) that include sections for you and your doctors or medical specialists to complete. A medical assessment is a key part of assessing your claim, so we might request specific information from your medical team or ask you to have an assessment with an independent specialist.
Medical records relating to your claim, such as copies of medical reports, test results, specialist letters, and a Medicare History Report.
Documents that confirm your income prior to your disablement. This may include payslips, tax returns, Notices of Assessment, or financial statements from your business.
Proof of Identity, such as a certified copy of your driver’s licence, birth certificate or passport, and a copy of your Power of Attorney if you’re not well enough to complete the paperwork yourself.
Information about your professional duties, training, education and work history.

Permanent disability (Total and Permanent Disability)

To make a claim on your Total and Permanent Disability Insurance, you’ll usually need to provide:

Initial claim forms (which we will send to you) that include sections for you and your doctors or medical specialists to complete. A medical assessment is a key part of assessing your claim, so we might request specific information from your medical team or ask you to have an assessment with an independent specialist.
Medical records relating to your claim, such as copies of medical reports, test results, specialist letters, and a Medicare History Report.
Occupational information to understand your work history, including education, training and experience.
Documents that confirm your income before or during your claim. This may include payslips, tax returns, Notices of Assessment, or financial statements from your business.
Proof of Identity, such as a certified copy of your driver’s licence, birth certificate or passport, and a copy of your Power of Attorney if you’re not well enough to complete the paperwork yourself.
Information about your professional duties, training, education and work history.

Term Life Insurance (Terminal illness)

To make a terminal illness claim, you’ll usually need to provide:

Initial claim forms (which we will send to you) that include sections for you and your doctors or medical specialists to complete. A medical assessment is a key part of assessing your claim, so we might request specific information from your medical team or ask you to have an assessment with an independent specialist.
Medical records relating to your claim, such as copies of medical reports, test results, specialist letters, and a Medicare History Report.
Medical certification from two registered medical practitioners (not allied health workers).
Proof of Identity, such as a certified copy of your driver’s licence, birth certificate or passport, and a copy of your Power of Attorney if you’re not well enough to complete the paperwork yourself.

Term Life Insurance (Death benefit)

If a loved one has passed away, we’ll usually ask for:

A completed claim form, to help us understand the deceased's details and circumstances of their death.
Proof of their age and identity, such as a certified copy of their birth certificate, driver's licence or passport.
A certified copy of the Will, Probate or Letters of Administration to make sure the claim payments reach the correct beneficiary.
A certified copy of the death certificate.
A signed Medicare or Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) request form.
A medical report from their treating doctor or specialist.
A coroner’s report.
A Medicare History Report.

Forms required when submitting a claim

We will require written consent if we need to access your personal information, including sensitive health information. We request your consent via the below two forms.

Consent for
Accessing Health Information

This form is used to access any of your health information, we’ll inform you of our intent to seek health information prior to requesting it. We will explain what is required and why it’s needed to assess your claim.
We only ask for health information that is reasonably needed to assess your claim.

General Authority
and Privacy Consent

This form is used for all non-health related information requests, such as employers and other insurers. We will only use your consent to obtain information that we reasonably believe is relevant to your claim. We will inform you each time that we use your consent and explain why the information required is necessary.

If you require assistance providing these initial supporting documents and information to make a claim, our Initial Claim Support Service is readily available. This service helps you with the initial claims process, from completing the claim form to helping you provide us with the necessary requirements. This support service is provided either face-to-face in your home (or an agreed location), via telephone or video conference.
For more information or to arrange the Initial Claim Support Service, contact us on 1300 553 764 Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 6.30pm (Sydney time).

If you’re unable to complete and provide this information, or if you are completing the information on behalf of the insured person, you will need to provide a certified copy of a Power of Attorney or Enduring Guardian, to allow us to work with you in managing the claim on the customer’s behalf.

Assessing your claim

We’ll assess your claim and make a decision based on the information provided. Because everyone’s situation is different, the length of time it takes to assess your claim is dependent on a number of things, including:

The type and complexity of your claim;
The amount of information we must review as part of your claim; and
How quickly we’re provided with the information we need.

Customers can assist during the claim process by completing requests for information accurately and providing relevant information promptly. If you’re having any trouble providing information, please let your dedicated claims consultant know as soon as possible, so we can work with you to overcome delays and consider alternatives.

The Financial Services Council Life Insurance Code of Practice sets out the timeframes within which we must assess claims and the steps that we must take as an insurer to notify you if we are unable to assess the claim within those timeframes.

Your claims consultant will notify you as soon as possible of the outcome of your claim. If we can’t make a decision about your claim or are unable to accept it, we’ll explain why so you have the opportunity to provide additional information, make a complaint or appeal our decision.

If your cover is provided through your superannuation, your super fund may notify you of the outcome of your claim.

If your claim has been accepted, you will be notified as soon as possible and arrangements for payment will be made.

Feedback and complaints

To provide feedback and resolve any concerns contact our Customer Relations team on 1300 553 764 Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 6.30pm (Sydney time).

Read more details on how to make a complaint.

Understanding claims