Looking at my policy today it appears that my insurance will pay out provided I only have 12 months to live. I certainly hope and expect to have longer than that but we all know that secondary cancer is very fickle. I recently changed jobs and lost all my accrued sick pay and am concerned that I might not be up to working through more aggressive chemotherapy, especially as I had a poor response to FEC (several courses of injections for low blood patelets) and on top of everything else am worried about finances. Has anyone else applied for this? My husband thinks I am being morbid, but I am just trying o ease the burden all round. Also thinking of taking my teacher’s pension early if possible.
Hi patricia,
if you do a search on terminal illness insurance and select the comments there are some helpful posts there. This one in particular may be useful to read.
breastcancercare.org.uk/bcc-forum/discussion/582/?Focus=3016#Comment_3016
but I suspect that without involvement of major organs you won’t be successful.
dawnhc
Hi Patricia
This is only my point of view, but I believe that if you qualify for a payout, you should apply for it, regardless of whether you believe you have a terminal prognosis or not. As you say, you hope (and so do I) that you live for many years, but if you can get the insurance company to release its funds, do so. It isn’t being morbid, it is being realistic as you can use the money for whatever you want - now and when you will benefit from it the most. I think I know what your husband means - he may well feel by applying for a terminal payout that you are tempting fate. However, what will be will be, whether you apply for your payout or not, it will not affect your chances in life one iota. If it were me, I would believe that getting a bit of money from an insurance company (who lets face it screw people left right and centre) to help make lives better would justify any misgivings your husband may hold.
Hi Patricia
We had critical illness cover on our policy and it paid out in full, so we can pay our mortgage off as soon as fixed rates are finished. Definitely go for it. I intend to live for as many years as poss (like 15!!!), and even though terminal, non of us know how long.
Agree completely with Cathy59 as well. So I say go for it too.
Love
Dawn
xx
Thank you all for your comments, I did actually do a search after I had posted this and read the comments. I accept Dawnhc’s point about major organs though, has anyone received payment from the insurance without major organ involvement?
Pat
Can’t do any harm to apply - but unless your company is really good I think it’s unlikely that they will pay out without involvement of major organs. Mine paid out on the basis of my original diagnosis which suggested 2 years as a prognosis (liver and lung secondaries) and I applied a year after diagnosis. They described me as borderline as I am responding well to treatment but decided to pay out anyway. A lot depends on how your doctor writes it up - obviously they will tell the truth but there are optimistic truths and cold hard truths.
Good luck Patricia
Barbara
Hi
I am a boney mets person dx with secondaries in August 2007 - orig BC dx in June 2000.
Although not the same thing, we had a bank loan with Lloyds TSB and only through laziness, didnt cancel the insurance policy that came with it. When we made the claim - they declined - due to a lot of things but majorly being that secondary dx was a pre-existing condition. My Hubby wouldnt accept this and carried on and on at them. We made the first claim in Sept 2007 - they paid out in May 2008!!! They did decline on several things but the DS1500 seemed to be the threshold!!! Our advice is to keep going at it.
I have worked full-time for the local authority for 23 years and have paid in to the pension for all of that time.
I was dx with boney mets 2 days after giving birth to our son. So until May this year, I was on Maternity Leave, followed by a month’s annual leave. I am now in to my 3rd month of sickness and was referred to Occupational Health a while ago. At first, the doctor there said that I was okay to resume normal duties but then changed his mind. He was writing to my Onc for a report with it in mind, to refer me for Ill Health Retirement. I had a meeting with Human Resources the other day and this seems to be the way forward and they have rushed a further appointment through with OHU. I cannot tell you the relief of this but we are not done and dusted yet. There are actually 4 levels of Ill Health Retirement - I just want for my Hubby and Son to be financially sound.
I really have gone waffling here and apologise for that but regarding your insurance policy, keep going at it.
We even had Financial Ombudsman in on it. The loan was taken out over the phone and we requested a copy of the recording - something that baffled them as it is rarely asked for.
Word of warning here - you are being recorded even when on hold!!!
My hubby had gone for a wee during the conversation and you could hear him!!! :-o
So watch what you are saying.
Good Luck and keep us posted on how you get on
Love Anne xx
Anne you raise an interesting point there which did cross my mind as well. If we claim DLA under Special Rules DS1500 that states we have a terminal illness and may not survive more than 6 months. Many of us will have been awarded under special rules. I wonder if this is the way to go with Terminal Illness Insurance. Presented with the fact of a DS1500 would they have a leg to stand on?
Dawn
Thank you Dawn, but excuse my ignorance could you explain about claiming DLA DS1500? I would like to be forarmed.
Thanks
Pat
oh patricia you need to go for this. DLA is disability living allowance and DS1500 fastracks it for those of us with secondaries. The onc or gp signing it is saying that you have a terminal disease and may not survive 6 months but as the Dept of Work & Pensions (DWP) acknowledge many claiming under special rules live much longer than that so they review every 3 years now. I found the Social Welfare person at my hospital particularly helpful in filling in the forums which are much shorter when claiming through DS1500 Special rules. The higher rate care part is £67 p.w. You cannot claim if you are over 65. It is tax free and not means tested. If you have mobility problems they will pay out a mobility allowance as well. Some GPs are a bit funny about it but dont give up at the first hurdle. BCNs and macmillan nurses are very helpful with this claim as well. There is some info on the website here as well. Perhaps the mod will put the link up.
Dawn
Thanks Dawn
Reposted from an earlier thread:
I have given here some, hopefully, useful information on the Allowance along with the website link to further information from the Department for Work and Pensions.
Disability Living Allowance - sometimes referred to as DLA - is a tax-free benefit for children and adults who need help with personal care or have walking difficulties because they are physically or mentally disabled.
The information in this section is a guide only. The office dealing with your claim can answer any questions you may have about claiming and receiving Disability Living Allowance.
Who can get Disability Living Allowance?
You may get Disability Living Allowance if:
• you have a physical or mental disability, or both
• your disability is severe enough for you to need help caring for yourself or you have walking difficulties, or both
• you are under 65 when you claim
Special rules - if you are terminally ill
If you have a progressive disease and you are not expected to live for more than another six months there are special rules for claiming to make sure you get your benefit more quickly and easily.
Medical examinations
You will not usually need a medical examination when you claim for Disability Living Allowance. If you are asked to have one you can find out more from the link below.
How much do you get?
Disability Living Allowance has two parts called ‘components’:
• a care component - if you need help looking after yourself or supervision to keep you safe
• a mobility component - if you can’t walk or need help getting around
Some people will be entitled to receive just one component; others may get both.
The care component and mobility component are paid at different rates depending on how your disability affects you.
How it’s paid
Disability Living Allowance is normally paid directly into any account of your choice which accepts Direct Payment of benefits. This might be a bank, building society or other account provider.
You may be able to get someone else to collect your Disability Living Allowance if you wish. For help with this please contact your bank, building society or other account provider.
If you would like more information about how you can be paid by other means please contact the office dealing with your claim - details are in the ‘Rates and how to claim’ section.
Effect on other benefits and entitlements
If you start to get Disability Living Allowance it might increase the amount of other benefits or credits you’re entitled to, such as Income Support, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit, Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit.
Disability Living Allowance is normally ignored as income for working out these income-related benefits and credits.
The DWP website is dwp.gov.uk/lifeevent/discare/ and this contains further information and advice on the subject of this and other benefits.
I do hope you find this information useful.
Kind regards
Lucy
Hi Dawn, Patricia and All
My claim was declined under the Critical Illness section under the pre-existing exclusion. (I felt very stupid over this as I have said before that I was totally ignorant to secondaries - as far as I was aware, the cancer had been taken away so it wasnt a pre-existing condition in my eyes)
The wording on my letter is:
"… you confirmed that your Specialist had concluded that your bone cancer could not 100% be linked to your previous breast cancer, as you had gone 7 years clear since first diagnosis.
Further investigation also confirmed that you have been given a full range of benefits by the Benefit Agency as your condition is regrettably classed as terminal.
Conclusion - after reviewing your claim file, I can conclude that your claim was correctly assessed. However based upon the new information you provided I have overturned the decision made…"
The new information was the DS1500 and DLA - also that Onc Reg had said that they couldnt be 100% certain (but I think this bit is too flimsy to pay out on - I did a thread at the time, about bone biopsy).
Patricia - register on the internet for DLA as claims are payable from a Monday - even if the relevant paperwork doesnt follow immediately, the monies will be backdated to when you got your case number.
Please keep us posted
Anne xx
PS Have just remembered that when I put the claim in, I ticked the box that said I would like to see a copy of the report by my medical staff. Lloyds TSB were very crafty and wrote to them, asking for a copy of my medical records! This meant that no report was written and I didnt get to see what they had made their decision on! I suppose that I could have always written asking for a copy under Freedom of Information Act
Thanks very much Anne. Do you know if you can apply on-line? I have tried the links kindly supplied by the moderator but can’t see an on-line application form.
Patricial just telephone the DWP and ask for the pack for DLA. Your GP, ONC has the DS1500 forms they are not given to the applicants. Your claim will be dated from the day of the phone call. The site below has info and telephone no. and online details.
I suggest that you check with your onc that he is happy to state that your life expectancy is 12 months or less (or whatever your particular insurance requires) and then get your Macmillan nurse to help fill in the form for you. Mine was wonderful. She said I qualified under the special rules, did everything for me, and if came through within a couple of weeks. I now also have a free bus pass (with free travel for my carer), disabled blue badge for the car, and my husband also gets carers allowance.
Once I knew my onc was happy to say that my life expectancy was officially less than 6 months, applying for the Terminal Illness Insurance was easy, and Norwich Union were very good about it. Diagnosis was in February, but I’m still here and intending to be so for a good while!
Love, Lynn