If you have suffered injury from a transport accident this can be a very difficult time, and you may be...
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Health Employees Superannuation Trust Australia (HESTA) was established in 1987 and is now one of Australia’s largest superannuation funds.
As the name suggests, HESTA is an industry superannuation fund in Australia for people working in the health and social services sectors.
With more than 950,000 members, 80% of whom are women, HESTA provides services to more than 90,000 employers. Nearly $68 billion worth of assets are being managed by the fund.
HESTA is one of the few superannuation funds in Australia that offers default income protection (IP) insurance to its members. IP is a temporary replacement of your pre-injury or illness wage if you find yourself temporarily unable to work and are under the regular care and guidance of your treating doctor.
HESTA offers standard IP cover to age 67 with a benefit payment period of up to five years.
HESTA also offers default death (or life) cover until age 75, well beyond the age most other Australian funds offer death cover.
That said, unfortunately HESTA does not provide default TPD insurance to its members, instead offering opt-in TPD cover until age 70. Sadly, most of the HESTA members we speak to find out they are underinsured when it is too late, after they have stopped work due to ill-health.
Given Australian superannuation funds with a MySuper default product offering are obliged to provide default TPD cover to their MySuper members, we are uncertain how HESTA has failed to provide this critical insurance by default to date.
We have reached out to HESTA and will update this blog when we hear more.
Know your rights.
If you are yet to make an insurance claim with HESTA, or are simply unsure if you have insurance with HESTA, you are entitled to legal representation and Littles can help you.
If you have already lodged a claim and it has been rejected by a superannuation fund or insurer, you may be entitled to have the decision reviewed through an internal resolution procedure.
If your complaint has been upheld, you may be able to litigate in a court or lodge a complaint with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA).
There are strict time limits to challenge an insurer’s decision, so it’s important you seek legal advice as soon as possible.
Put simply, Littles are experts in superannuation and insurance law matters.
Our insurance team has helped thousands of consumers claim their entitlements, and our Head of TPD and General Insurance has extensive industry knowledge and insight on how to maximise your prospects of success.
We also speak your language, at sixteen languages and counting. Forget paying for a translator or for a lawyer who doesn’t understand you and your cultural background.
All our superannuation and insurance law matters are conducted on a no win, no fee basis, and we don’t charge you upfront for any disbursements necessary to prosecute your claim.
If you would like superannuation and insurance law advice, reach out to Littles today by using our free Claim Checker.
Littles’ Head of TPD and General Insurance, Rowan McDonald, is an expert in insurance and superannuation law. Rowan is an experienced litigator and has prosecuted thousands of successful insurance claims for consumers.
Having worked in the insurance industry for over fifteen years, Rowan has an extensive industry contact list and regularly presents to disability support groups, financial industry professionals and multicultural organisations.
Rowan has also advised some of Australia’s top insurers, giving him unrivalled insight into the claim process from all perspectives. Rowan takes a pragmatic and common-sense approach to the advice he provides his clients.
For your free, personal consultation get in touch with Rowan today.
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