The straightforward and simple pet insurance guide to claiming for accidents.
When you are dealing with a pet emergency, you shouldn’t have to worry about how to claim from your pet insurance, let alone afford it. Pet medical insurance is a great way to help cover the costs of pet vet care and emergency care.
Read this: How Much Will Pet Insurance Really Save Me?
And better yet, Oneplan Pet Insurance lets you go to any vet of your choice. The process of claiming should be straightforward and simple, which is why we have put together this pawsome guide on claiming for pet emergencies.
How to Claim for a Pet Emergency with Oneplan
1. Phone us for pre-authorisation
The moment you find out your pet is sick or is involved in an accident, you need to phone us so that we can authorise the claim. You will need to act quickly and let us know as soon as possible that you wish to claim on your policy – do not delay this phone call! Give our helpline a ring and one of our pawsome team members will be able to assist you.
What you need to say
We will need to know the details of what has happened to your pet and what the likely costs of the situation will involve. If your pet needs immediate medical care for something she is already being treated for, then make sure you know what the condition is and what treatment or operations are required. Your vet will be able to give you an estimate of the expected costs.
Find out if you are covered for the claim
We will be able to tell you whether you are covered for the event you are claiming for. Remember that every pet plan is different, and some plans include more cover than others. This means that it is a good idea to know whether you are covered for this specific event to avoid any disappointment.
2. Fill in a claim form
Once you have chatted to us over the phone, we will send you a claim form or your vet will already have a Oneplan claim form. Your vet will then stamp this form and send it to us for authorisation.
You will have to pay the vet with your own money, and we will then reimburse you according to your claim and chosen plan. Remember – different pet plans have different cover options. So, the amount of cover you receive will depend on what pet plan you are on.
Discover: When to take your pet to the vet: 5 warning signs
3. You may need to pay a deposit
Before your vet can treat your pet, you will need to pay a deposit. However, this is not always the case. In most cases, whether you need to pay for a deposit will depend on the nature of your vet’s practice.
With Oneplan, we will pay up to R5 000 deposit on a pre-authorised hospital admission, meaning you will then need to cover the rest of the deposit if it is more than R5 000. If you are using a vet that is on our preferred vets network, then you will not be required to pay any deposit.
For Primary, Classic, and Super Plan Clients
For clients on our Primary, Classic, or Super Pet plans, you can claim for a vet visit and swipe your Oneplan Claim Card to help pay for the deposit. Here’s what we mean by this… If your waiting period is over for vet visits (30 days after your policy started), then to help pay for the remaining deposit required, you can claim for a vet visit.
We will then load the funds onto your Oneplan Claim Card which you can swipe at your vet’s office. Once we have approved your claim for the hospital visit, we will already know that your vet visit amount was for hospital admission, and we will classify it as emergency care. Meaning you will not lose out on any claim amounts for vet visits.
How much can I claim?
As mentioned, this will depend on your chosen plan and the level of cover it provides. This is why it’s so important that you pick a plan that suits your pet’s age, breed, health conditions and your personal financial situation. Vet visits, especially for emergency care, are a big reason why so many people decide to get pet insurance. Some claims can cost R40 000 or more for events such as car accidents or dog fights.
Pet insurance helps to cover the costs of the things you don’t see coming. And, if you have chosen one of our more comprehensive plans, then these also include cover for routine care and vet visits. And the best part is that, for routine care and day-to-day vet visits, we even pay you BEFORE you visit the vet.
Read next: Pet insurance that puts money in your pocket before you see the vet
If you have any questions, you can chat to one of our friendly team members who will be happy to assist.
Your Pet Insurance Family,
Oneplan
