Insurance Claims: A File the Family Can Hand Over

Check the contract and its deadlines

Information checked as of 2 October 2026. The Insurance Authority’s consumer education material explains that a policy is a contract with the insurer. Rights, duties and claims arrangements should be checked against its terms and the insurer’s official information. Claims have submission deadlines and a late claim may be rejected. Check the relevant policy rather than assuming one deadline applies to every product.

Confirm the insurer’s document requirements

For death claims, the IA gives examples including a claim form, death certificate, identity and beneficiary information, and proof of relationship. Requirements may differ by insurer and cause of death. This example is not a complete checklist for every policy, and a complete file does not guarantee payment.

G70 view: create a process someone else can continue

We believe a policy register can record the policy number, insurer’s official contacts, insured person and people lawfully entitled to access the file. A separate claim log can record notification, requested documents, submission, acknowledgement and the next follow-up. This is a record-management approach, not a statutory checklist prescribed by the IA.

Restrict access to identity and health information. Before contacting an insurer for a relative, check the required authorisation. Keep forms, originals and correspondence separately, and ask which documents require originals and which may be copied.

Identify what a disagreement concerns

The IA’s education material distinguishes conduct complaints from claim disputes. The IA regulates insurers’ and licensed intermediaries’ conduct but does not adjudicate claim disputes. Ask the insurer for its reasons and verify the applicable complaint or dispute-resolution route.

G70 view: organise the questions around the policy provision cited, information still missing and the person responsible for the next step. This article does not assess any policy’s entitlement, claim outcome or litigation deadline.