After a risk becomes a reality, you make a formal request to your insurance company to cover the costs of a covered loss.
Take whatever precautions you need to find safety or reduce further risk to yourself and your property.
Take photos or videos of the damage to your home or vehicle with your phone. It’s critical evidence and proof to your insurer.
For your home, create a list of all damaged or lost items. Make sure to be thorough and complete when you’re making a contents insurance claim. Don’t be opportunistic and list items you don’t own, that’s insurance fraud, and your claim could be thrown out.
Take notes of all the drivers involved, their cars, insurance policy information and driver license number.
Unless you must fix something immediately to mitigate further damage, it’s best to leave things to the professionals – be it a mechanic, a contractor, or the insurance adjuster.
Your broker will help walk you through how this claim will impact your policy renewal and provide assistance on next steps.
Call your insurance broker to discuss the claim. If it is an emergency and outside of the brokerages working hours, call the insurance companies 24 hours claims line. It’s essential to know your policy and understand your coverage. Still, your provider can walk you through your policy coverages if you’re unsure. Knowing your policy is critical because it helps you understand your coverage and what you’re paying for. Insurance for flood coverage started outranking fire as the number one claim. Still, most home insurance policies only cover a burst pipe, not a sewer back up or a rising lake.
If the claim is more than the deductible (the part you pay to your insurer before they release any money), it’s likely worth it to make a claim, but your insurance broker is there to help you.
Typically, young drivers pay more for car insurance. At age 25, they start to see a reduction if they’ve been claims-free. So, if you start at zero, and drive claims free for 6 years, you’re at a 6. If you’re get in an at-fault accident, though, you drop back down to zero, premiums will increase, and you will have to earn back your cheaper car insurance. Purchasing an accident forgiveness endorsement will help protect your driving record and will not impact your rates because of your first at fault accident.
After 3-10 years of no insurance claims, you may qualify for a “claims-free discount,” which could be about 25% off your premium. However, if you put in a claim regardless of the amount, you go back down to no years claims free and will lose any discounts you have accumulated over the years. So, the premium doesn’t necessarily go up because you made a claim, it goes up because you lose your discounts. Our role is to explain the insurance claims process, what to expect throughout and to be therefor the client.
A basic auto insurance claim (such as a fender bender) Can typically be resolved and repaired within a week but this all depends of the coverages purchased, the complexity of the claims, the parties involved and if there is any litigation.
By law, car insurance includes statutory accident benefits (SABS), which pays for rehab services and replacement income, among other things, but there is a cap to this, Make sure you read your policy and if these amounts are not sufficient, talk to your broker about increasing them. The claims process closes once a claim is settled, signed by all parties, and the monies are exchanged.
After the incident of a life, disability or critical illness claim becomes a reality, you make a formal request to Canada Life to send you claim forms and adjudicate the claim. A claim may be due to an insured’s death, a covered critical illness being diagnosed or, a disability preventing the insured from working. You or your Estate would make a claim which would be assessed and if applicable the insurance proceeds would be appropriately paid to your Financial Institution. Before you call Canada Life requesting to make a claim there are essential things to consider.
1. Call Canada Life 1-800-380-4572.
Canada Life send you claim forms and will help walk you through how to submit your claim and provide assistance on next steps.
2. Prepare to speak with Canada Life.
They’ll want to know the type of claim you wish to submit and the details of that claim such as the date of the loss, disability and/or diagnosis.
Call Canada Life 1-800-380-4572 and request the applicable claim forms. It’s essential to know your policy and understand your coverage. Still, Canada Life can walk you through your policy coverages if you’re unsure. Knowing your policy is essential because it helps you understand your coverage and what you’re paying for.
Once a claim including all the required supporting documentation is received by Canada Life, it will be adjudicated by a Case Manager within 3-5 business days. Depending on the type of claim, the complexity of the claim and the policy provisions, it may be necessary for the Case Manager to request additional information from you, your employer and/or physicians. Additional documentation received will be reviewed within the 3-5 business days until the claims decision has been made. Once the adjudication is complete, you or your Estate will be advised of the decision inwriting and if applicable, the payment will be sent to your Financial Institution.
