Life insurance claims
Disputes about death benefits, terminal-illness cover, medical evidence, policy validity, exclusions, application answers or alleged non-disclosure.
Support for other insurance disputes
Other Insurance Claim Types We Can Review
If your rejected, delayed or underpaid claim does not fit one of our main property or vehicle categories, we may still be able to help. We review a wider range of personal and specialist insurance disputes, subject to an initial scope and suitability assessment.
Insurance Dispute Experts
Free Initial Review
Litigation Support
Specialist Barrister Access
A broader range of disputed cover
Insurance claim types beyond our main property and vehicle pages
Specialist policies often turn on detailed definitions, exclusions, medical or professional evidence and what was disclosed when the policy was arranged. We begin by identifying the precise reason the insurer has rejected, reduced, stopped or delayed the claim.
Critical illness claims
The insurer says the diagnosis, severity, procedure or medical findings do not satisfy the policy’s specific definition of a covered condition.
Income protection and personal accident
Claims are declined, delayed, underpaid or stopped following a review of incapacity, occupation, earnings, disability or an accident definition.
Travel insurance claims
Cancellation, curtailment, medical expenses, repatriation, baggage, delay, missed departure or pre-existing-condition disputes.
Pet insurance claims
Veterinary treatment is refused or restricted because of a pre-existing condition, waiting period, time limit, exclusion, excess or policy limit.
Private medical and dental insurance
Treatment is not authorised, funding stops, only part is paid or the insurer relies on chronic, pre-existing or experimental-treatment wording.
Legal expenses insurance
Cover is refused because of prospects of success, proportionality, notification, the date the dispute arose or another policy condition.
Gadget and mobile-phone insurance
Loss, theft or accidental-damage claims are rejected because of evidence, security, reporting, ownership, use or an exclusion.
Wedding, event and specialist cover
Cancellation, supplier failure, damage, non-attendance, extended warranty or another less common insured event is disputed or inadequately settled.
Different policies require different evidence
The correct review depends on the type of cover
A medical protection claim cannot be assessed in the same way as a travel, pet or legal-expenses claim. The policy’s purpose, definitions and evidence should determine the analysis rather than a generic complaint template.
Health and financial-protection claims
Life, critical illness, income protection, personal accident and medical policies commonly require careful comparison between precise definitions, application answers and medical or occupational evidence.
- Policy definitions, deferred periods and benefit calculations
- Medical records, consultant evidence and insurer assessments
- Occupation, incapacity and return-to-work evidence
- Disclosure questions and the insurer’s underwriting position
Travel, lifestyle and specialist claims
These disputes often concern whether the insured event occurred, the evidence required, notification or reporting duties, exclusions, limits, alternative recovery and the fair value of the loss.
- Booking, cancellation, travel and supplier evidence
- Veterinary histories and clinical records
- Legal opinions, prospects and proportionality assessments
- Ownership, purchase, loss and replacement evidence
Understanding why the insurer refused to pay
Common reasons specialist insurance claims are rejected
A rejection letter states the insurer’s position; it does not by itself establish that the position is correct. The reason needs to be compared with the wording, evidence and relevant legal and regulatory principles.
Policy definition not met
The diagnosis, incapacity, accident, cancellation event, loss or other circumstances are said not to satisfy the policy’s defined trigger.
Pre-existing condition
Medical, veterinary or other historic information is said to show that the claimed condition began before cover or within a waiting period.
Misrepresentation or non-disclosure
The insurer says an application, renewal or medical-screening answer was incomplete or inaccurate and that it would have offered different terms.
Exclusion or policy condition
A general or product-specific exclusion, reporting duty, security term, treatment restriction or notification requirement is relied upon.
Evidence considered insufficient
Medical, veterinary, booking, police, ownership, financial or professional evidence is said not to prove the insured event or claimed amount.
Time, value or benefit limit
The insurer applies a waiting period, treatment window, excess, sub-limit, maximum benefit, deduction or alternative-source restriction.
Focusing on the actual dispute
What we may need for an initial claim review
You do not need to have every possible document before contacting us. The starting point is the material that shows the cover purchased, what happened and why the insurer has rejected, reduced, stopped or delayed the claim.
Policy and application documents
The schedule, wording, endorsements, certificates, application or proposal answers, renewal material and any relevant screening information.
Claim decision and correspondence
The rejection, reduction or termination letter, complaints correspondence, calculations, reports and the insurer’s complete stated reasoning.
Product-specific supporting evidence
Medical or veterinary records, consultant reports, travel documents, legal opinions, police references, photographs, invoices or ownership evidence.
Loss, value and chronology
Benefit statements, earnings, costs, valuations and a clear timeline of the insured event, notification, investigation, decisions and resulting loss.
Not sure whether your claim fits?
Start with the insurer’s decision, not the label on the policy
Insurance products use different names and can combine several forms of cover. A packaged account, employer scheme, credit card, home policy or specialist contract may contain benefits that are not obvious from its everyday label.
Our free initial review is designed to establish what policy applies, the insurer’s reason, the evidence needed and whether the dispute falls within our service. If it does not, we will not suggest otherwise simply to progress an enquiry.
A proportionate route forward
From free initial review to formal challenge
Insurers are expected to handle claims promptly and fairly, provide reasonable guidance and progress information and not unreasonably reject them. The correct route still depends on the product, policyholder, evidence, value and deadlines.
Identify the cover and issue
We examine the policy, application, claim decision and core evidence to establish the actual contractual and evidential dispute.
Present the challenge
The next step may involve focused questions, further evidence, structured correspondence, calculation, negotiation or a formal insurer complaint.
Escalate where appropriate
Depending on eligibility and the case, options may include the Financial Ombudsman Service, litigation support and advice or representation from a suitably qualified specialist barrister.
Other insurance claim types
Frequently asked questions
Practical answers about our wider insurance-dispute review.
Can you review an insurance claim type that is not listed?
Potentially. The free initial review allows us to identify the policy, dispute and evidence and confirm whether the matter falls within our service. We will not say that we can assist until that scope assessment is complete.
Why might a life insurance claim be rejected?
Reasons can include alleged misrepresentation or non-disclosure, an exclusion, policy lapse, a dispute about death or terminal-illness cover, or questions about the medical and application evidence. Each reason requires separate review.
Can a rejected critical illness claim be challenged?
It may be possible where there is a genuine dispute about the policy definition, diagnosis, severity, medical evidence or disclosure. The policy’s exact wording should be compared carefully with the clinical evidence and insurer’s reasoning.
What if my income-protection payments were refused or stopped?
The insurer may rely on an incapacity definition, occupation, medical review, earnings calculation, rehabilitation requirement or other term. The original decision and any later review should be examined against the evidence and policy.
Can you review a rejected travel insurance claim?
We may be able to review disputes involving cancellation, curtailment, emergency medical costs, repatriation, delay, baggage, missed departure, exclusions or a pre-existing or changed medical condition, subject to our initial scope check.
What if pet insurance says the condition was pre-existing?
The policy, veterinary history, timing of signs or symptoms, waiting period and relationship between the earlier and claimed conditions should be examined. The existence of any earlier note does not answer every coverage question.
Can private medical insurance refuse further treatment costs?
It may rely on chronic-condition wording, treatment limits, medical necessity, an exclusion or the policy’s definition of eligible treatment. Whether that is correct depends on the wording, clinical evidence and claims history.
Why do legal-expenses insurers reject claims?
Common issues include reasonable prospects of success, proportionality, the date the dispute began, late notification, choice of lawyer and whether the underlying dispute falls within an insured section of the policy.
Do you review gadget, wedding and special-event claims?
These may be considered through the initial scope assessment. Useful material can include the policy, purchase or booking evidence, reports, supplier correspondence, proof of loss and the insurer’s complete rejection or settlement reasoning.
Is the initial review of another insurance claim type free?
Yes. The initial review is free. We will consider the information provided and explain whether the claim falls within our service and what the next stage could involve. There is no obligation to proceed.