"My insurance claim was declined"
A declined claim is a decision under one policy's rules at one point in time. It is not always the end of the road, and it does not decide what any other cover you hold might do.
The pathways that exist after a decline
- Ask for the reasons in writing. Insurers are required to give them. The reasons tell you what the decision turned on, and that is where any review starts.
- Internal review. Every insurer has a complaints and review process for its own decisions.
- The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). It can review many insurance decisions at no cost to you. Time limits apply to AFCA complaints, and AFCA can tell you what they are for your situation: afca.org.au.
- Legal advice. A lawyer who works in this area can read the decision against the policy wording. Declined claims are a specialist area, and it is one the firms on our panel work in.
The question worth asking alongside the review
A decline under one policy does not close the others. If the declined claim was through one super fund, cover through another fund, or a retail policy, is judged under its own rules.
- When a claim stops moving: what the regulators' own data shows
- How to find out what other cover you hold
If you want to talk it through
Enquiries open soon. When they do, the contact page is where to reach us: we'll explain which doors exist for your situation and, if you want, introduce you to a firm on our panel. You never pay us. Panel firms do.
We try twice, then we stop. There is no third call and no marketing list.