Complexity injecting lawyers into super insurance claims
Insurers and superannuation funds need to reduce the paperwork and simplify the claims process around insurance inside superannuation.
A panel of experts has told the Association of Superannuation Funds of Austalia (ASFA) conference on the Gold Coast that simplification of the processes represented a key to restoring the reputation of the industry in th eyes of consumers, especially in the face of recent adverse publicity around claims handling.
Specialist lawyer, John Berrill explained the increasing use of law firms in superannuation insurance claims by referring to the scale of paper work confronting members making claims and the lack of uniformity in those forms across both insurers and superannuation funds.
"When you receive a 20 page pile of documents relating to an insurance claim it represents a daunting prospect and people seek out those who they believe can help them with that.
Earlier, Superannuation Complaints Tribunal (SCT) chairperson, Helen Davis, pointed to the fact that 35 per cent of all matters dealt with by the Tribunal related to insurance claims.
She agreed with Berrill about the complexity of the paperwork and suggested it was within the scope of superannuation trustees to examine the member experience and address it.
"In terms of simplifying the process there is nothing today stopping trustees looking at the situation and asking ‘what is the consumer process'," Davis said.
"You don't have to wait on a whole of industry approach."
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