Insurance companies aim to settle claims as quickly as possible, but missing documents or information can hold up the process.

“Losing a loved one is emotionally overwhelming, don’t let it also be financially challenging, by submitting a funeral claim in the correct way. To enable a speedy funeral claims process, you will need to ensure you submit the correct information and all the required documentation to your insurer. Delays in the settlement of claims can be avoided with the right preparation,” says, Rose Khutlang, Old Mutual Provincial General Manager

The difference between funeral cover claims vs. life insurance claims:

Old Mutual strives to pay all valid funeral claims within 48 hours when provided with the required documentation. However, it is important to note that the turnaround time for funeral insurance claims is shorter than life insurance policy claims. Life insurance claims typically take longer to settle as the standard requirements differ from funeral claims.

Funeral claims process guidelines:

The first step in the claims process is reporting the death to the Department of Home Affairs, who will process the information (in many instances the Funeral Undertaker will do this on your behalf), register the death and then issue a death certificate.

Once you have registered the death and received the Death Certificate, then you can proceed to submit the necessary documentation to the insurer.

Documents you need when making a funeral claim:

• A copy of the original death certificate, as supplied by the Department of Home Affairs.
• Copies of the ID document or passport of the deceased.
• A copy of the ID document or passport of the beneficiary or beneficiaries (birth certificate if under the age of 18) – please check the insurance policy contract to confirm these Beneficiary details.
• Proof of banking details of the beneficiary or beneficiaries – a signed, dated and stamped bank statement from the bank that is not older than three months.
• A notification document is usually provided when registering a death (BI1663 form). It is not a compulsory document for all claims, but may be requested in some claims for additional assessment. To ensure the claim is assessed timeously, it is highly recommended that this document be submitted with the claim.
• There are instances when claimants may be asked to provide additional information. For example, if the death was not due to natural causes, but rather due to violence, suicide, an accident or an act of negligence. The service provider will request additional information to support the claim. For example, you may be asked for a doctor’s report or the notification of death as part of the claim.

Once the relevant documentation has been obtained, the next step is to fill in the Insurer’s claim forms and submit these together with the supporting documents.

Claims can be submitted easily and quickly via digital channels:

Old Mutual has introduced several new channels over the past year where customers can submit a claim digitally in just a few easy steps. New channels like Whatsapp and USSD have been added to help simplify and speed up the process for customers.

“The convenience of submitting a claim digitally is that you don’t need to submit death certificates and banking statements, as Old Mutual uses its direct links with the Department of Home Affairs and other financial institutions to verify the information, with your permission.”

Old Mutual has been providing financial services to South Africans for more than 180 years, supporting customers and honouring its commitments to them through good times and bad.