Information on TPD claims for people with Multiple Sclerosis

Peter Little

Founder. Director. Accredited Specialist

Anyone who is managing a chronic illness or disease, such as Multiple Sclerosis, alongside work and family duties knows how challenging this can be. MS is a chronic and progressive illness of the nervous system which can have a debilitating impact on a person’s health. It affects different people in different ways – while some may only experience minor symptoms and can lead a relatively normal life, others may have multiple attacks and find it to be extremely debilitating. We’ve heard from clients with chronic illnesses such as MS that they didn’t bother taking out income protection insurance, or didn’t make a claim on their insurance, because they believed they were not eligible to claim on the basis of a chronic illness. This is not the case! Most people who are diagnosed with MS and have worked at some time during their life will be entitled to claim income protection and total and permanent disability (TPD) benefits. If you’ve got a super account, chances are you’ll have, at minimum, TPD insurance through your super fund. This blog provides some key things to consider if you or a family member cannot work because of MS.

How does MS affect people?

We’re not here to lecture people with MS on what it looks or feels like! Your experiences are yours alone. However, we know that there’s a lack of awareness and understanding of it in the broader community, including how it impacts people’s ability to work, care for themselves and their families, and engage in everyday life. For a start, some of us may not know that there are different types of MS:

· Relapsing Remitting MS

· Primary Progressive MS, and

· Secondary Progressive MS.

MS affects people differently depending on which type they have.

Some of the symptoms are well-known, like loss of mobility. However, people with MS experience a range of other symptoms, including:

· cognitive dysfunction

· whole-body pain

· heat sensitivity

· susceptibility to stress

· pain, and

· incontinence.

You can find more information on MS, including support services and literature, here.

MS is affecting my ability to work. What should I do?

We know that people with chronic illnesses and diseases work extremely hard to meet their work and family obligations, and are often unsure what to do or where to turn to when they reach a point where doing so becomes too hard. In addition to the obvious effect that MS may have on your relationships and your ability to do the things you love to do, an MS diagnosis can also impact your ability to work. Again, this will differ from person to person. You may have to take time off work on a temporary basis after an attack, reduce your work hours as your condition deteriorates, or you may have to permanently stop working.

In addition to keeping in close contact with your doctor, It’s important to seek advice if you are considering stopping work or reducing your hours because of your MS and how it is affecting you. Littles can help. We are insurance and TPD experts. Not only can we perform a free super check to see what insurance policies you can claim on, we also provide a free initial consultation where we can provide advice on the way forward based on your own personal circumstances. Get in touch today.

Don’t delay – seek advice now

If you have an illness or injury that prevents you from working, you might be worrying about how you are going to pay your bills and put food on the table. You could be entitled to receive a TPD lump sum, as well as other insurance benefits. Get in touch with Littles for a free super claims check. Know where you stand, and get peace of mind.

Free advice and no upfront fees

Not only do we offer a FREE claims check – we handle most insurance claims on a no win, no fee basis. Our Head of TPD and General Insurance, Rowan McDonald, is an insurance law expert. If you think you might have a claim, get in touch with Rowan and his team for high quality legal advice.