A few months ago, I lodged an income protection claim through Aware Super. Unbeknownst to me, Aware Super outsource all of their claims to an external insurance company- this is where TAL comes in.After months of back and forth, extremely poor communication and mountains of paperwork, I have finally given up. Below is the email I wrote to my claims manager, whose job I believe is to delay claims as long as possible before finally denying them. The email speaks for itself.“This claim process has become too hard for me to continue, and it’s been really quite stressful for me to manage at a time when I desperately needed support. It is disappointing that, despite providing countless documents, payslips, medical records, letters and proof of my illness, the claim has been dragged out for months on end only for TAL to request more documents and information and proof of identity, even though I had already submitted my proof of identity through my super fund. Unfortunately, it seems the system is not set up to assist or support people such as myself, who came away from a period of workcover only to develop a chronic autoimmune condition that has seen me spend almost an entire year in debilitating pain with crippling fatigue, unable to perform the duties of my usual profession. I have made every effort to explain this to TAL, with no real understanding other than to be told about the specific wording in the ‘policy’, which completely disregards anyone who finds themselves in my unique position. The fact that it has been so black and white from the beginning makes it clear to me that this claim was never going to be approved, and I have had to jump through hoops every step of the way. I have been asked to provide one thing, only to then have another five things added to the endless list of requirements. I made this claim back in June 2025, it is now September 2025. It should not be this difficult for a customer who has consistently paid for income protection cover over many years, who genuinely needs financial support, to be able to access that support within a reasonable timeframe. I needed the help months ago and I’m still jumping through hoops to satisfy a line in a policy that was never set up to consider someone in my position. It is disappointing to say the least, and the stress of it all has only made my condition worse. I am sorry for the many other people out there who paid good money to protect their income, only to find themselves drowning in a sea of paperwork and red tape to the point that they simply had to give up. I will be sending this as a formal letter of complaint to both TAL and Aware Super, however I do not have high hopes that anything will change as a result of my experience. At a time when I have been at my most vulnerable and most disabled, I am left feeling that I am just a number, another person who couldn’t get their claim over the line because of a lack of understanding of the nuance of my situation. Please consider this email a formal withdrawal of my claim. I guess TAL won after all.”
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