Group Personal Accident & Sickness: evolving to better support customer needs

At QBE, we recognise that recovering from illness or injury can involve both practical and financial considerations. Our Group Personal Accident and Sickness policy includes cover designed to help support weekly benefit payments for illness or injury claims and assistance during recovery for claims covered by the policy. Selected benefits, including rehabilitation-related costs, child-minding assistance and certain additional expenses, are subject to the policy terms, conditions, limits and exclusions.

What you’ll learn:

• How Group Personal Accident & Sickness cover is evolving to better reflect the practical and financial impacts of injury or illness
• What new and enhanced benefits are available, including rehabilitation support, childcare assistance and cover for additional recovery-related expenses, if eligible
• How the Bill Payer Benefit works and the role it can play in helping customers manage ongoing household expenses during periods of disablement, up to a maximum
• How claims involving mental health conditions are managed having regard to applicable legislative and Code requirements, policy terms and each customer's circumstances
• How QBE is continuing to develop its Accident & Sickness offering to help businesses support workforce resilience and meet changing customer needs.

The role of insurance continues to evolve alongside changing customer needs.

Group Personal Accident and Sickness cover is designed to provide benefits for certain illness or injury claims, subject to the policy terms, conditions, limits and exclusions. While financial benefits remain an important part of the cover, a claim can also involve practical considerations during recovery.

In practice, illness or injury may affect a person's ability to work, manage daily responsibilities and maintain everyday routines. This broader context has informed the ongoing review of cover design and claims management approaches across the market.

Reflecting practical recovery needs

Weekly benefits remain a core component of Group Personal Accident and Sickness cover, helping to support eligible benefit payments where an insured person is unable to work due to illness or injury covered by the policy.

However, financial support alone may not address every consideration associated with recovery. Customers may also experience practical challenges, such as managing household responsibilities or maintaining routines during periods of disruption, depending on each individual claim circumstance.

Recent updates to the policy wording recognise these broader considerations, with cover designed to help support with weekly benefit payments for illness or injury claims and assistance during recovery for claims covered by the policy.

Supporting recovery through available benefits

Rehabilitation benefits may provide cover for certain treatment-related costs, including medical expenses and transport where eligible under the policy.

In addition, some extensions recognise practical barriers that may arise during recovery. For example, selected covers may include support for services such as child-minding while attending rehabilitation.

These features are intended to complement existing benefits and provide additional flexibility, where available, for claims covered by the policy.

Additional benefits that may address day-to-day impacts

The updated wording brings together a range of benefits that may assist with practical and financial considerations during periods of disablement, subject to policy coverage. These may include:

• Home assistance and childcare support
• Financial counselling services in relation to benefit payments
• Cover for certain incidental or additional expenses
• Bill Payer Benefit, where applicable

If eligible under the policy, the Bill Payer Benefit is designed to reimburse up to a maximum total shown on the policy schedule for all bills during the period of disablement, recognising that ongoing financial commitments may continue while a person is unable to work.

Claims involving mental health conditions

Claims involving mental health conditions can include a range of factors, and outcomes are often influenced by individual circumstances, treatment plans and support networks.

Claims involving mental health conditions are managed having regard to applicable legislative and Code requirements, policy terms and each customer's circumstances. Where relevant and appropriate, claims management may involve engagement with treating practitioners, external providers and structured support programs.

This engagement may assist with understanding the claim, available treatment and potential recovery or return-to-work pathways, subject to each customer's individual circumstances and the policy terms.

Ongoing development of cover

QBE's Group Personal Accident and Sickness offering continues to be reviewed in response to customer needs, industry developments and insights from claims experience.

This includes:

• Reviewing policy design to help ensure it remains relevant to customer circumstances
• Considering how available benefits may support practical aspects of recovery
• Applying claims expertise to manage claims in line with policy terms, applicable legislative and Code requirements, and relevant standards

Find out more

Group Personal Accident and Sickness insurance can play a role in supporting businesses and their employees in the event of illness or injury covered by the policy.

For more information visit our Group Personal Accident & Sickness Insurance page or contact your QBE representative.

To find out more about how QBE can help businesses manage workforce resilience through Accident & Health Insurance, talk to your QBE representative today.