Vhi Life and Mortgage claims
Call to make a claim
You can call to discuss your claim. You will deal with the same person from start to finish with Zurich.
Zurich underwrite and manage Vhi Life Term Insurance and Vhi Mortgage Protection.
Claims for the passing of a loved one
We know that this can be a stressful and upsetting time in your life so we want to make the claims process as easy as possible. Here are some details you will need to provide for a claim:
Name
Name and date of birth of the person who has passed away.
Policy no.
Vhi Life policy number and the date of death.
Relationship
The relationship of the person making the claim, to the person who has died.
You will need to provide the original Death Certificate. Where the deceased was the only owner of the policy, the proceeds will be paid to the deceased's estate. In such cases Zurich will require Grant of Probate. If this is required Zurich will explain this to you when you call.
Zurich will provide a FREEPOST envelope to send the certificate, which will then be promptly returned to you. You can mark it 'Private and Confidential' and send it to: Claims Department, Zurich Life, Frascati Road, Blackrock, Co. Dublin.
- For Death claims the payment will be issued within 24 hours of receipt of all documentation and your claim being verified.
- For Mortgage Protection claims and where your policy has been assigned to a lender, the entire policy proceeds will be paid to the lender. If there is a balance remaining after your loan has been cleared your bank or building society will pay this to the surviving policy owner or to your estate.
- Where a death claim occurs shortly after a policy commences Zurich may request a report from the deceased's doctors to determine when the condition that caused death commenced, to ensure full medical details were disclosed at the start of the contract.For Terminal Illness and Waiver of Premium claims Zurich will request reports from the Life Insured's doctors to establish if the claim is valid.
- They will not normally require a Birth Certificate but where the date of birth registered on the death certificate does not match the date of birth on the application form they may request a copy of the deceased's birth certificate to verify the correct age.
- Where you are using your Vhi Life Mortgage Protection policy as security for a mortgage, your bank or building society may request that you assign the policy to them. In such instances the lender will notify Zurich that they have an interest in the policy. This is called an Assignment. In the event of a Death or Terminal Illness claim Zurich Life will contact the lender and ask for the Deed of Assignment to prove that the lender has a claim over your policy.
Terminal illness claims
Dealing with a terminal illness is a difficult time for you and your family. Zurich will ensure that your claim doesn't add to that stress.
In most instances the only documentation Zurich will require from you is a claim form outlining your medical condition and the names of your attending doctors. You will receive this in the post. Here's how your Life insurance policy works:
Your details
You just need to provide details like name, date of birth and policy no.
Assessment
Zurich will request reports from your doctors to establish if the claim is valid.
Payment
Payment will be issued within 24 hours of receipt of all documentation, and your claim being verified.
Other requirements
For terminal illness claims, Zurich will request reports from the Life insured's doctors to establish if the claim is valid.
Where you are using your Vhi Life Mortgage Protection Policy as security for a mortgage, your bank or building society may request that you assign the policy to them. In such instances the lender will notify Zurich that they have an interest in the policy. This is called an Assignment. In the event of a Death or Terminal Illness claim Zurich Life will contact the lender and ask for the Deed of Assignment to prove that the lender has a claim over your policy.
Unable to work - Waiver of Premium claims
Where you are ill and unable to work, Zurich want to ensure that you are in a position to maintain your valuable policy. Zurich will make the claims process as easy and simple as possible.
In most instances the only documentation Zurich will require from you is a claim form outlining your medical condition and the names of your attending doctors. Zurich will post this to you for completion. We will also need:
Your details
Name, date of birth and policy no. of the Life insured person.
Assessment
Zurich will request reports from the Life insured's doctors to establish if the claim is valid.
Payment
Once Zurich verify your claim, they will waive any premiums due after the waiting period and will arrange a refund of any overpaid premiums.
Why would a claim not be paid?
Although this doesn't happen very often, there are cases where Zurich is unable to pay a claim. This list explains those circumstances:
Zurich won't pay the claim or may refuse to pay the full claim if the person covered hasn't revealed something about their health or lifestyle that would have changed the decision on whether or not to accept their application at outset, or to accept it with a higher premium. This could occur if there are some details in the person’s medical history that were omitted during the application process.
Your cover will stop and the policy will be cancelled if you stop paying your monthly payments or if you write to Vhi or Zurich to cancel your policy. Any claim occurring after this happens will not be considered.
Zurich won't pay if the policy has expired. For example, if you took out a policy with a 20 year term, you wouldn't be able to claim if death occurred after the end of this term when cover had expired under the policy. For Terminal Illness claims a diagnosis that the Life Insured is terminally ill and has less than 12 months to live must be made at least one year before the policy expires.