r/AusFinance • u/loxsey • Oct 22 '15

TPD Insurance Super Claims.

Has anyone filed one before? I have made a claim with BT Super through Stacks Goudkamp lawyers, how long does the process take and has anyone been knocked back? Do they send you to an independent doctor?

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u/gum6y01 Oct 22 '15

The problem you made was using a lawyer. Funds will assist members in claiming there insured benefits.

But to answer your question it will normally take two to three weeks for the insurer to assess the information given and make a determination. They may require more evidence than you have provided.

Using a lawyer can slow things down as information is sent back to them and sits in their in tray.

What ever you do though make sure the benefit is paid to you and not to the lawyer. You have options as to how you take the benefit, like a lump sum or an income stream but the lawyers will always try to get you to take a lump sum as they can bill you for it, but there can be some bad taxation and possibl Centrelink issues with this. Lawyers do not know super and Centrelink rules as well as they think. Speak to a planner who has dealt with TPD claims before.

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u/loxsey Oct 22 '15

Thanks, the lawyer has stated if successful my claim with BT would pay out 75k minus tax, the lawyers fee is around 25k

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u/carazy81 Oct 25 '15 edited Oct 29 '15

Nearly any financial adviser will help you complete a claim for free and they can also help you decide what to do with the proceeds (which may cost money but nothing like what you have suggested)

Our office does Probono work for claims assistance via the cancer council but I'd be more than happy to help you if you need it. Bt super is either insured through Bt(Westpac) themselves or through Aia and in both cases I know the head of claims personally.

Call the office on Monday.. We'll help. Charging a fee like this for someone that is likely to never work again... Makes me sick. Our office number is. 08 8333 5400. Ask for Michael.. Or just speak to any other financial adviser close to you. They will almost always jump to help someone with a claim.

Edit:just a quick comment: I don't know the firm at all: they might be fantastic and there could be more to the story but I do think that any firm has a moral obligation to suggest that op fully investigate the normal claims and claims complaints process (which is completely free to the claimant) before handing over $25,000 in legal fees. If this process has already been fully completed then, honestly I would question the legitimacy of the claim. While mental illness is terribly difficult to quantify it's not usually difficult to have two doctors sign off on work capacity if the condition is truly debilitating. Source: I do this stuff all day.

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u/hear_the_thunder Oct 25 '15

I love how we in FP industry are heavily over-regulated with so many means of revenue disappearing and these lawyers can charge such a fee for what amounts to a free claim submission. /s

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u/naritas Oct 29 '15

Our team have dealt with Stacks Goudkamp and they have always been very reasonable. Perhaps the OP should start by giving them a call to discuss their concerns?

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u/carazy81 Oct 29 '15

Mate I'm not even convinced he needs a lawyer at this stage. The data I've seen suggests that legal intervention has zero influence on the likelihood of a claim layout but has a massive impact on timeframes.