Our Covid-19 Claims Statistics

Between 1 March and 1 December 2020, we paid out £42.8m of valid Life Insurance* claims within the UK where Covid-19 was an attributing factor. These claims helped to support over 1,000 families who have sadly lost loved ones. This represents 99% of all Life Insurance* claims relating to Covid-19 with only 11 claims declined due to misrepresentation of pre-existing underlying health conditions.

As well as our commitment to paying claims, we continually review our claims and underwriting process to ensure we’re providing our customers with the best service during this difficult time. Some of the enhancements we’ve made this year include:

• Long Covid Intervention Package – Available to all Income Protection Benefit customers who experience fatigue and associated symptoms following Covid-19. The package includes eight hours of therapy assessment and rehabilitation time.
• Underwriting limit increase - Improved IP non-medical limits allowing a quicker process to get the required cover.
• Accessible decisions - Point of Sale decision has increased to 80% for Income Protection Benefit (83% of submissions Life & Critical Illness) and access to underwriting decisions within OLPC.
• Fast amendment turnaround - In the past 6 months, we’ve turned around new applications and application amendments within 4 hours.
• Simplified claims journeys - We’ve created a bespoke claims system to simplify the claims journey. It will help shorten end to-end times for our customers who are making claims, and give us the ability to communicate regularly, keeping them up to date with the progress of their claim.
• Trained claims assessors – Our experienced claims assessors have completed a Samaritans training course which provides them with the skills to support vulnerable people.
• Highest standard claims process - We’ve signed up to The Protection Distributors Group’ Claims Charter, as part of our commitment to deliver the highest standards to our customers throughout their claims process.

Underwriting and Claims Director at Legal & General, David Banks said: “We believe these figures show that the Protection industry does deliver on its promise to pay claims and be there for our customers when they need us most. We have taken a measured approach to Covid-19 and have adapted our underwriting process during the pandemic, for example adding remote screening to help advisers put cases onrisk faster. Our underwriting, claims and services teams are all set up for home working to minimise disruption and in doing so, we’ve maintained our strong underwriting turnaround times from pre-Covid-19 levels to support as many customers as possible.”

For more information and how you can support us pay more claims, take a look at our Covid-19 claims infographic. 

View Our Covid Claims Infographic

*Life & Over 50’s Life Insurance