The Supplementary Support Fund is a workplace insurance fund which provides benefits in the event of death, or a serious illness or disability.
With this Fund, a lump sum benefit is payable on death or if you suffer a terminal illness, or you could receive an on-going benefit if you suffer a long-term illness or disablement.
A lump sum benefit is payable on your death while in service.
The benefit is three times your gross annual stipend or salary. From this benefit the insurer can advance $15,000 upfront (a funeral benefit) to be used for funeral expenses and other immediate costs of the estate while the insurance claim is being processed.
A lump sum benefit is payable if the insurer accepts that you are suffering a terminal illness.
A terminal illness is when, in the opinion of a registered medical practitioner and the insurer, you are not expected to live more than 12 months. The benefit is three times your gross annual stipend or salary.
An on-going income benefit is payable when you suffer an illness or disablement making you unable to work for at least 90 consecutive days.
The benefit is 50% of your gross annual stipend or salary (paid monthly). This payment is exempt from income tax.
There are some restrictions and you can learn more about those below.
The death benefit coverage ceases at age 70.
To be eligible for the death benefit, you must work at least 15 hours per week.
The insurer may request a Declaration of Health before providing the insurance cover if:
The terminal illness coverage ceases at age 70.
To be eligible for the benefit, you must work at least 15 hours per week.
The insurer may request a Declaration of Health before providing the insurance cover if:
The income protection benefit coverage ceases at age 65.
To be eligible for the income protection benefit you must be in paid work for at least 15 hours per week. The income protection benefit may be reduced if you receive income from other sources (e.g. ACC, WINZ, a pension).
The insurer may request a Declaration of health before providing insurance cover if:
To be eligible to join you must be:
You must be invited to join by your Associated Body. You must also complete and return the Invitation to join form, which notifies us whether you have chosen to participate in the Fund or not.
Check out our FAQs or contact our team for help with any specific queries.
If you join within two months of first being invited to join, you will be automatically covered up to the Automatic Acceptance Limit. Currently the Automatic Acceptance Limits are $750,000 for the death cover and $120,000 for the income protection cover.
If you join outside of two months of first being invited to join, you will have to provide health evidence to the Insurer.
If your income level means that the amount of cover would exceed an Automatic Acceptance Limit, you will need to provide health evidence to the Insurer to be covered for the excess amount. You can chose not to provide health evidence and your cover will be limited to the Automatic Acceptance Limit.
The insurance premium is a cost that you and your Associated Body contribute towards.
You are required to pay a minimum contribution of $20 per month ($9.23 per fortnight). You must pay this regardless of the amount or type of cover you have. Your contribution will be deducted from your stipend or salary by your Associated Body and forwarded to us.
If you leave the service or employment of your Associated Body then cover stops. However, If you are under 60, you may, within 60 days of leaving service, apply to the Insurer for continuation of the death cover under a personal policy. If you are under 65, you may, within 60 days of leaving service, apply to the Insurer for continuation of the income protection cover under a personal policy. The premiums for the personal policies are paid by you.
If you intend to make an income protection claim due to a long term illness or disability, we recommend the claim process be started when you have been continuously off work for 60 days. Do not wait until the 90 days are up. Your Associated Body will initiate the claim.
To start the claim process, the following will need to be provided to the Insurer:
Once a claim has been lodged the Insurer will assign a dedicated Case Manager to guide you through the rest of the process.
If the claim is accepted, the conditions of payment will include the completion of periodic declarations by you, regular examinations from your doctor and any other examinations the Insurer may require.
If you fail to follow any recommended treatment prescribed by the Insurer, the benefit may stop.
