Getting your claim settled gives everyone nightmarish days. One is often gripped with the fear whether the claim would be settled hassle-free or if they would have to make regular trips to the insurer's office. The nightmare is doubled if the agent, who so convincingly pledged his services at the time of sale, goes MIA (Missing in Action). The agent's services are not guaranteed at the time of claim and if you wish to have a hassle-free time getting your claim settled it is better you get yourself equipped with certain tips which would come in handy at the time of claim settlement.

Insurance is a long term contract which promises payment at a later date on the happening of the event insured against. At the time of claim, the insurer requires you to complete certain formalities in order to release your claim. So let us take a look at the handy tips which smoothen out your claim settlement process:

1) Valid nomination - in the event of death of the policyholder in a life insurance contract, the money is paid to the nominee. Thus, having a valid nominee not only transfers the authority to collect money but also helps the insurer to dispense its liability.

2) Pre- authorization form- this is required in your health plan's claim settlement. This form needs to be filled and submitted to the TPAs so that they arrange for cashless treatment in case of your hospitalization. Without this form, health claim settlement would be in serious jeopardy.

3) Loss of policy- keeping your policy bond safely for a long period is a big deal. Often at the time of claim the policy bond goes missing. In such a case, the insurer insists on an indemnity bond which needs to be filled and submitted before the company releases the claim.

4) Discharge form- all claims are released after a signed discharge form is submitted to the insurer. In life insurance, either the policy holder (in case of maturity claims) or the nominee (in case of death claims) is required to sign the discharge form and submit it with the insurer.

5) Networked providers- in case of health insurance or auto insurance, the insurer has a list of networked service providers who are contracted to provide you with cashless facility. You should know the list of service providers in the vicinity of your locality so that at the time of the emergency, you would have no trouble using your cover to pay for the expenses incurred.

6) Policy details- the most basic and perhaps the most important thing is to know your policy details especially the policy number to help the insurer to locate your claim in the database. This ensures speedy settlement as all the details are available at the click of a button if the policy number is available.
Claims, though a tough nut to crack, are essential to a policyholder. It is the time when your investments reap money which is desperately needed in emergent situations. So, knowing a few handy points can actually go a long way in smoothening the overall experience of your claim settlement process. After all, a little knowledge never harmed anyone.

Written By: Deepak Yohannan

The author is the CEO of MyInsuranceClub.com, an online insurance price & features comparison portal

For more articles by Deepak Yohannan, please visit MyInsuranceClub.com
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