TPD & Super Claims Lawyers Gold Coast

Here’s the truth about TPD and superannuation insurance claims in Australia:

You’re probably insured for hundreds of thousands of dollars – and have no idea.

Most working Australians have Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) insurance and Income Protection insurance bundled into their superannuation. It’s automatically deducted from your super balance. You’ve been paying premiums for years. But when you actually need to claim? That’s when you discover the system is built to make it as difficult as possible.

Super fund trustees and their insurers don’t make it easy. Confusing policy definitions. Mountains of medical evidence required. Endless delays. “Independent” medical examinations designed to find reasons to reject you. And if your claim is denied? Most people give up – exactly what the insurer is counting on.

Here’s what the traditional system looks like: serious injury or illness → can’t work → lodge TPD claim yourself → insurer requests more evidence → wait months → claim denied or lowballed → give up or Google “TPD lawyers” in desperation → start over with a lawyer who wasn’t there from the beginning.

You’ve probably heard the horror stories. Maybe you’re living one right now.

We built Lifestyle Injury Lawyers because that system abandons people at their most vulnerable – and we refuse to be part of it.

TPD and superannuation insurance claims are governed by federal legislation including the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 (Cth), the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth), and the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), along with the specific terms of your super fund’s group insurance policy.

Understanding your policy is everything.

TPD insurance pays a lump sum if you become totally and permanently disabled and are unlikely ever to work again. But the devil is in the definition – and insurers know most people don’t read the fine print until it’s too late.

“Own occupation” vs “any occupation”: Some policies (typically held before certain industry changes) define TPD as being unable to work in your own occupation – the job you were doing when you became disabled. Others use a stricter “any occupation” definition – meaning you must be unable to work in any job suited to your education, training, or experience. The difference can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Income Protection insurance: Many super funds also include Income Protection (IP) insurance, which pays a portion of your income (typically 75-85%) if you’re temporarily unable to work due to illness or injury. Benefit periods vary from 2 years to age 65.

Death and terminal illness benefits: Super policies often include death cover and terminal illness benefits, which may be claimable in addition to or instead of TPD.

Time limits vary by policy. Unlike statutory compensation schemes, TPD claim time limits are set by your specific policy – and insurers enforce them strictly. Some policies require claims within 12 months of ceasing work. Others have different triggers. Delays can be fatal to your claim.

Dispute resolution: If your claim is denied, you can dispute it through the super fund’s internal process, then escalate to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) – or commence court proceedings.