Income Protection cover
For most of us, work is how we cover the cost of living—and it’s easy to take your steady income for granted. But what if you become sick or injured? If you take out lifePLUS Protect Income Protection insurance, we’ve got you covered. It’s one less thing to worry about.
Getting injured or seriously ill is the last thing you want, especially when there are bills to pay. With CSC, you can guard against the worst by taking out Income Protection cover through lifePLUS Protect choice.
Income Protection insurance is available to eligible ADF Super customers who are at least 16 and under 65.
Key insurance points
Applying for cover
- You can apply for Income Protection cover through lifePLUS Protect choice. If you do, you’ll go through the full insurance application process and you’ll need to meet the eligibility conditions of the policy.
- While the insurer is assessing your application, you’ll get interim accident cover for the type of insurance you’re applying for, for up to 90 days from the date the insurer received your application. See Insurance and your ADF Super for details.
Eligibility for Income Protection
As a former ADF member, you’re eligible to apply for Income Protection through lifePLUS Protect choice the day after you leave the ADF, as long as you meet these conditions:
- You are at least 16 but under 65 years old.
- You served in the ADF for more than 12 months in a row before leaving
- You are working at least 15 hours a week
- You are an Australian resident who has a valid Visa that allows you to live and work in Australia.
Waiting periods
- You can apply for a 30, 60 or 90-day waiting period.
- If you make an Income Protection claim, lifePLUS Protect choice allows you to try to return to work during your waiting period (for between five to ten days, depending on the length of the waiting period you chose when you applied), without this restarting your waiting period. Instead, we simply extend the waiting period by the number of days you returned to work during the waiting period. Note that if you return to work longer than the days outlined in your policy, your waiting period will restart.
Key benefits points
Your income protection benefit is based on your salary
- Your income protection benefit is based on the income you declared when you applied for Income Protection through lifePLUS Protect choice.
- You'll need to make sure our record of your current, annual salary is up to date. Let us know of any changes using the lifePLUS Protect Application and variation form.
Your income protection benefit—how it works
If you make a successful claim under lifePLUS Protect choice, you’ll get:
- an income protection benefit for up to two years
- a monthly payment of either 75 per cent of your monthly income or the maximum monthly benefit, whichever is less
- a payment that’s calculated at 10 per cent of your pre-claim income, which we’ll pay into your ADF Super account as a concessional (pre-tax) contribution to keep your super account healthy while you’re not working.
Partial benefits
You might be able to receive a partial disability benefit if you were totally disabled for 10 out of 14 consecutive days within your waiting period or if you meet the definition of ‘Partial Disability’ after the waiting period.
More information
When does my cover start?
Your Income Protection cover starts from the date that the insurer accepts your application. It’s worth noting that the insurer may apply special conditions to your cover—including exclusions or premium loadings—depending on their assessment of your risk profile.
When does my cover stop?
Your Income Protection cover stops on the date of whichever of the following events happens first:
- You stop being an ADF Super customer
- You stop being an eligible member
- You stop working for an eligible employer and you don’t meet the conditions of the insurance policy
- You start working for the ADF again, as a member of the Permanent Forces or as a continuous, full-time reservist
- You turn 65
- You die
- You cancel your cover
- Your unpaid insurance premiums are 60 days overdue and there is not enough in your super account to cover the cost of the insurance premium and fee deductions
- You’re not an Australian resident and you permanently leave Australia, or you become ineligible to work in Australia
- We terminate the policy with the insurer (if this happens we’ll give you 30 days’ notice ahead of doing this).
Can I cancel my lifePLUS Protect cover?
You can choose to opt out of any lifePLUS Protect cover you hold. Just remember, if you do decide you want to be covered again later on, you’ll have to reapply and undergo a full insurance application process. See the Insurance and your ADF Super booklet for more detail.
To talk to us before cancelling your lifePLUS Protect Income Protection cover, call 1300 725 171. We're here to help.
Or, if you’re ready to cancel your cover, download the Cancellation Request Form and email it to us.