Applying for a death payment

Your entitlements

It is money that’s payable after a Cbus Super member passes away. It may include:

• The member’s super - an estimate of their balance is included in the letter we send after your call to make a claim
• An insurance payout - if the member had insurance cover with Cbus Super when they died

Rules around who can receive a payment

We know this is a difficult time for you, and we want to provide clear information without overwhelming you.

There are specific laws about who can receive a death payment. In most cases, the money is distributed to:

• The member’s dependants; and/or
• The member’s legal personal representative

People who fall into the above categories can apply for the death payment. The member might have also specified their preferences through a binding or non-binding beneficiary nomination.

More information about who may be a dependent or a binding or non-binding nomination can be found in the applying for a death payment handbook. 

To make sure the payment goes to the right people, we consider the member’s wishes and the information provided by applicants. As part of our responsibility, we will identify and contact potential beneficiaries. This process may take a little longer, but the money must go to the right person or people.

If you have any questions, please contact us, and we will assist you.

With the challenges you are facing, we are committed to providing you with support and a straightforward process.

To begin, call Cbus Super on 1300 722 152 to determine if you can make a claim.  

After we’ve gathered your relevant information, it will be passed to the claims team: 

• Its role is to contact you and guide you through the claims process
• The claims team will also ask about potential beneficiaries and provide any assistance you need with your claim.

Before your phone call with Cbus Super, it would be helpful if you could prepare the following:

• Information about the deceased member’s dependents and family relationships, including their contact details. 

This will help speed up us identifying potential beneficiaries. If you decide to use a lawyer, you will need to complete a Third-Party Authority form allowing them to act on your behalf, which we can provide.

Provide relevant claim information

You will receive a letter with claim requirements and forms via post or email. If the forms are emailed, please print them out.

We will aim to have your claim assessed as quickly as possible. To help that happen, we need you to provide all the necessary information.

Below are some steps to get your paperwork organised:

• Complete and sign the application form, which is included with the letter
• Provide a certified copy of the member’s death certificate
• You'll find the list of other certified documents we need in the letter we send you 

Double-check everything and then send it

Dealing with paperwork can be tiring, but it's necessary to get your claim assessed. We recommend submitting all the required information at once to save you time.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Collect all the documents mentioned in our letter, including certified copies of documents supporting your claim
  
• Fill out and sign the claim form in front of a witness

When you have everything ready, please scan and email or post your completed forms to our claims team.

Email: claims@cbussuper.com.au

Postal Address: Cbus Insurance, Locked Bag 5056, Parramatta NSW 2124

The insurer now assesses your claim

When all the requested documents are received, if there is a death insurance payment, we will pass your claim to the insurer.

If there is no death insurance payment, we will move to step 9.

• The insurer will then carefully assess the circumstances surrounding the member’s death and might request additional information
• In some cases, the insurer might request that you review the information provided to assess the claim
• You can also supply any additional evidence as support
  

We aim to make sure that all the relevant information related to the member’s death is carefully considered so we can make the right decision.

If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch with them on 1300 722 152.

We will review the insurer’s decision and let you know

Using the information you provided, the insurer will assess the death insurance claim according to the insurance policy. The insurer will inform Cbus Super of its decision to accept or decline the claim.

After the insurer makes its decision, Cbus Super reviews the claim to make sure the decision is a fair and reasonable outcome. This review is aligned with the required definitions and conditions set out in our insurance policies, trust deed and super laws.

• If the insurer accepts the insurance claim and we agree with the decision, the insurance payment will be deposited into the member’s super account. We then follows step 8 to determine who to pay the death payment to.
• If the insurer declines the claim, we will then review the claim decision. In the event we disagrees with the insurer’s decision, we might ask them to reconsider the claim or ask for further evidence.
• If we agree with the insurer’s decision to decline the claim, we will write to you by post or email explaining next steps.

Any concerns or disagreements with the outcome, you can request a review.

Please contact Cbus Super if you have any questions or want to discuss your claim.

Review the decision on who is paid 

If the insurer approves the insurance claim, and we agree, the insurance payment will be deposited into the member’s super account. If there is no death insurance component, Cbus Super will pay out the member’s super balance.

And if your claim is straightforward, we will be able to let you know the outcome of the claim after the insurer assesses it. Otherwise, we will write (post or email) to all potential beneficiaries about who will receive the payment.

Payment to beneficiaries 

Once we have carefully reviewed all the information, we will decide who to pay the death payment to. We will send all claimants a letter (post or email) with our decision, including who we propose will be paid and in what proportion.

When you have received our letter, you and all claimants will have 28 days to inform us if:

• You are satisfied with the decision or
• You object to the decision and would like it reviewed

If no objections are received within 28 days of the notification, we will process the claim and make the payment. If we get any objections, we will inform you, and we might ask for more information to help with the review.

Please note that we will only change our decision if we have valid reasons, and we will inform all applicants if that does happen. Generally, we can only make the payment once all issues are resolved.

If you are unhappy with our decision concerning the payment process, you can lodge a complaint with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA).

Your claim payment will be paid to you

If Cbus Super confirms a payment to be made to you, we will let you know the next steps in a letter (post or email).

You will need to:

• Complete a form instructing us on how you would like the payment paid to you
  
• Provide your identification documents, so we know we are paying the right person
• Provide your tax file number

You will have the option to have the payment paid:

• Into your bank account
  
• By cheque
• Into the bank account of the legal representative

Depending on who the payment is paid to, additional forms might need to be completed, such as a trust deed for a child.