Mortgage Protection Options Terms and
Conditions
Throughout the plan there are words and phrases
that have special meanings and are shown in italics.
A: Life Benefit
This section applies to you if Life Benefit is shown on
your Schedule.
A1: When we pay
We will pay this benefit if, within the cover period,
the life insured:
dies, or
is diagnosed with a
terminal illness more than one year before the expiry
date.
Whether the plan covers one or two lives, we
will only pay out for one claim under this benefit.
A2: How much we pay
Life Benefit is payable as a lump sum and the cover is either
level term or decreasing term. The
amount and type of Life Benefit is shown on your
schedule.
A3: When we will not pay a claim
We will not pay a claim under this benefit:
if the life
insured dies after the expiry date or is diagnosed as
terminally ill in the 12 months immediately before the expiry
date,
for terminal
illness if the life insured does not meet
our plan definition of terminal illness,
or
for terminal
illness if any medical evidence or other evidence is not
supplied when we ask for it.
Other sections that apply to Life Benefit: E,F,G,H. Also D
if Waiver Of Premium applies to your plan.
B: Critical Illness Benefit
This section applies to you if Critical Illness Benefit
is shown on your schedule.
B1: When we pay this benefit
We will pay this benefit if, within your cover
period for this benefit, the life insured is:
diagnosed with a total
permanent disability that meets our plan
definition and survives for at least 6 months, or
diagnosed with any of the
critical illnesses that meet our plan
definition and survives for at least 30 days. We only
cover the critical illnesses we define in this
plan document and no others.
Whether the plan covers one or two lives, we
will only pay out for one claim under this benefit
B2: How much we pay
Critical Illness Benefit is payable as a lump sum and the cover
is either level term or decreasing term.
The amount and type of Critical Illness Benefit is shown on
your schedule.
B3: When will we not pay a claim
We will not pay a claim under this benefit if:
the life insured
dies within 30 days of diagnosis of the critical illness or within
6 months of the diagnosis of total permanent
disability,
the cover period ceases
within 30 days of diagnosis of the critical illness or within 6
months of the diagnosis of total permanent disability,
the life insured
does not meet our plan definition either for
total permanent disability, or for one of the critical
illnesses on our list,
any medical or other
evidence is not supplied when we ask for it, or
the claim is a result of
any of the following excluded causes:
alcohol or drug abuse,
HIV/AIDS (except where specifically included under the critical
illnesses definition),
self-inflicted injury, or
war and civil commotion.
Other sections that apply to Critical Illness Benefit:
E,F,G,H. Also D if Waiver Of Premium applies to your
plan.
C: Combined Life and Critical Illness
Benefit
This section applies to you if Combined Life and
Critical Illness Benefit is shown on your
schedule.
C1: When we pay this benefit
We will pay this benefit if, within your cover
period for this benefit, the life insured:
dies, or
is diagnosed with a
terminal illness more than one year before the expiry
date, or
is diagnosed with a
total permanent disability that meets our
plan definition and survives for at least 6 months, or
is diagnosed with any of
the critical illnesses that meet our
plan definition and survives for at least 30 days.
We only cover the critical illnesses we
define in this plan document and no others.
Whether the plan covers one or two
lives, we will only pay out for one claim under this
benefit.
C2: How much we
pay
Combined Life and Critical Illness Benefit is
payable as a lump sum and the cover is either level
term or decreasing term. The amount and type of
Combined Life and Critical Illness Benefit is shown on your
schedule.
C3: When we will not pay a
claim
We will not pay a claim for this
benefit:
if the life
insured dies after the expiry date or is diagnosed as
terminally ill within the 12 months immediately before the
expiry date,
for terminal
illness if the life insured does not meet
our plan definition of terminal
illness,
for critical illness if
the life insured does not meet our plan
definition either for total permanent disability, or for
one of the critical illnesses on our list,
for critical illness if
the cover period ceases within 30 days of diagnosis of the critical
illness or within 6 months of the diagnosis of total permanent
disability,
if any medical or other
evidence is not supplied when we ask for it, or
for critical illness if it
is a result of any of the following excluded causes:
alcohol or drug abuse,
HIV/AIDS (except where specifically included under the
critical illnesses definition),
self-inflicted injury, or
war and civil commotion.
Other sections that apply to Combined Life and
Critical Illness Benefit: E,F,G,H. Also D if Waiver Of
Premium applies to your plan.
D: Waiver Of Premium
This section applies to you if Waiver
Of Premium is shown on your schedule.
D1: When we will waive
your premiums
We will waive your monthly
premiums during a period of incapacity provided that the
life insured becomes incapacitated for a
continuous period longer than 6 months.
Premiums will be waived from the premium due
date after the 6 month deferred period has ended.
You should provide written
notification of incapacity within 8 weeks of the
diagnosis. Otherwise, commencement of the benefit will be
delayed.
D2: When we stop waiving
your premiums
We will stop waiving monthly premiums
on the earliest of:
the date on which the
life insured ceases to be incapacitated,
the life
insured’s 65th birthday,
the expiry date
of your plan,
the life
insured’s death.
D3: When we will not waive
your monthly premiums
We will not waive your
monthly premium if:
the life insured
does not meet our plan definition of
incapacitated,
any medical or other
evidence is not supplied when we ask for it, or
the incapacity is
a result of any of the excluded causes.
D4: Linked claims
A linked claim happens if the life
insured suffers a re-occurrence of their incapacity
within 3 months of a waiver of premium claim having ended.
We will treat the further period of incapacity as
a linked claim and re-start the payments one month after
we have received written notification, provided that the
life insured:
is incapacitated
from the same cause as the original claim,
is still working in the
same occupation at the time the further period of
incapacity starts, and
supplies us with
any medical or other evidence we ask for.
Other sections that apply to Waiver Of Premium: E,F,G and H.
E: About claiming your benefits and notifying
us of changes
E1: How to make a claim
1. Request a claim form by contacting
us. See contact details on page 2.
2. Complete the claim form we send to
you and return to us.
3. Supply any medical or other evidence
we request from you.
In order to prevent any unnecessary delay in
payment of benefit, please notify us as soon as
you believe that you may wish to claim.
Please note that claims for waiver of premium
cannot be backdated before the date you notified
us.
E2: Evidence we require
before we can pay the benefit
Before we can pay any claim
we will require:
this Plan
Document and schedule together with any endorsements
issued in connection with the plan. However, we
will not request this for waiver of premium claims,
evidence of the life
insured’s age and sex.
In addition we will require the
following:
for death claims - evidence
of death (for example, original UK death certificate)
for critical illness and terminal
illness claims - satisfactory medical evidence to support
the claim. We will decide whether satisfactory evidence
has been received after consultation with our Chief or
Consulting Medical Officer. As a minimum we will require
confirmation of the diagnosis from our Chief or Consulting
Medical Officer or from a specialist consultant holding such an
appointment at a major hospital within Australia, Canada, the
European Union, New Zealand, Switzerland or the United States of
America. We may also require the life insured to
be examined by a medical examiner appointed by us or to
undergo medical tests at our expense.
for waiver of premium cover
claims - evidence:
of the date that the
incapacity started, (for example a letter from the
life insured’s employer or doctor), and
that the life
insured remains incapacitated (for example a
disability claim assessment form completed by the life
insured’s doctor)
While waiver of premium is being paid
we may ask from time to time for evidence that the
life insured remains incapacitated. This may
include a medical examination at our expense. You
will be responsible for the cost of producing any other evidence
which we request.
We reserve the right to stop paying a
claim, or not to pay it, if you do not provide any
evidence we ask for, or if at any time you
provide information which is inaccurate or incomplete.
E3: Who we pay the benefit
to
We will pay the benefit to the person
legally entitled to receive it. Payment will be made only after
we have received satisfactory evidence of legal
entitlement to the benefit.
Normally we will pay the benefit to
you. If payment is made to legal personal representatives,
we will need to be sent an original Grant of
Representation or Confirmation (which we will return)
before we can make payment.
If the plan has been assigned
we will need to see the original Deed of Assignment before
we can make payment to the assignee.
If the plan is under trust
we will need to see the original Trust Deed (and any deeds
altering the Trust) before we can make payment to the
Trustee(s).
E4: Notifying us of
changes
Please remember to tell us of changes
to:
name
address
bank account details
ownership of the
plan (the plan being assigned or put under
trust)
the life
insured’s residence or living abroad.
F: About premium payments to your
plan
F1: When premiums are due
The first premium is due on the Start
date of your plan, as shown in your
Schedule, and monthly thereafter. We will collect
premiums by direct debit.
The last premium is due on the premium due
date immediately before the earlier of:
the expiry date of
your cover,
the life
insured’s death,
the date the plan
is cancelled.
F2: What happens if premiums are not
paid
If you do not make your
first payment, your plan will not start and the
life insured will not be covered.
If a subsequent premium remains unpaid for
more than 2 months from the date it is due, your
plan will be cancelled and your cover will
cease.
We will write to inform you
if your plan is cancelled.
F3: Restarting your
plan
If your plan is cancelled,
you may ask us to restart it at any time up to 12
months after the first unpaid premium was due, on terms that
we decide. These will include the repayment of all missed
premiums.
You may need to provide us
with evidence of occupation, state of health, smoking
habits and pastimes before we decide whether to restart
the Plan. We will write to inform you of
the evidence we require.
F4: Changes to your premium
payments
Your premium may increase or decrease
as a result of any changes to the cover provided by your
plan.
Your premium may increase or decrease
as a result of a premium review. We may undertake a review
in any of the following circumstances:
For waiver of premium cover –
the life insured living abroad.
For critical illness or combined life
and critical illness cover – if we need to
reassess the assumptions we have made in calculating
your current premium. We reserve the right to
change premiums by an amount we believe is reasonably
necessary if our actual or expected experience for these
benefits is different to the assumptions we have made.
These assumptions only include claims levels, our
expenses, inflation, taxes and the amounts we need to hold
as financial reserves.
We will write to inform you
at least 30 days before we increase or decrease
your premium.
G: About increasing and reducing
your cover
G1: Increasing your
cover
You may request any of the following
increases in cover at any time during the plan term:
increase an existing
benefit,
add a new benefit.
Increases are subject to upper age limits and
a minimum remaining term of 5 years.
We will normally require medical
and/or other evidence before we can consider your
request. However, there are special situations (see below) where
you can add or increase benefits without any medical
evidence being required.
We reserve the right to decline
your request or to apply special conditions, restrictions
or premiums.
We will recalculate your
premium to take into account the increase in cover and inform
you in writing.
G2: Optional increases in benefits
without medical evidence
You may ask us to increase or add
benefits to your plan on the occurrence of
certain special events such as childbirth or marriage.
Subject to the following conditions and limits, these increases can
be made without any further medical evidence being required. The
benefit increase or addition will take place from the premium due
date following your request.
We will recalculate your monthly premium, on
our standard terms, to take account of the change in
benefits. This calculation will also apply to any Waiver Of
Premium cover on your plan.
Which benefits may be increased or
added
You may request an increase in Life
Benefit, Critical Illness Benefit or Combined Life and Critical
Illness Benefit without medical evidence each time the life
insured:
marries or
re-marries,
gives birth, or becomes
the biological and legal father, to a child,
legally adopts a child,
or
purchases a property as a
principal private residence with a mortgage or other loan secured
on it. This does not include remortgages.
You may also request an increase in
Life Benefit, or (if you are covered only for Combined
Life and Critical Illness Benefit) for Life Benefit to be added,
each time the life insured:
- loses existing life cover through expiry of a
fixed term life assurance contract which was in force on the day
before the start date and has run its full course, or
- joins a new employer within 3 months of
leaving the old employer, and the new employer’s pension scheme has
a lower level of lump sum death-in-service benefits than those
provided by the previous employer’s pension scheme on date of
leaving.
Maximum limits for increases or
additions without medical evidence
The maximum increase or addition you
may request each time one of these events occurs is the lesser
of:
£50,000 as a lump sum
benefit,
50% of the current
benefit.
Conditions applying to increases or
additions without medical evidence
We will not allow increases or
additions to benefits without medical evidence:
if the existing benefit(s)
have not been provided on standard terms,
whilst premiums are being
waived,
if the life
insured is over age 54,
within 5 years of the
plan expiry date,
if the life
insured is living abroad, or
if the request is made
more than 3 months after the event has occurred.
We will require evidence that the
event has occurred.
You are limited to a total allowance
for increases in benefit on this plan and any other
plans you hold with Forester Life.
The total allowance is £100,000 for lump sum
benefits.
We may apply a minimum premium to
increases or additions.
G4: Reducing your
cover
You may request a reduction in, or
removal of, any of the benefits on your plan at
any time. We will recalculate the premium to take account
of the reduction in cover and inform you in writing.
We may apply a minimum premium to
your plan.
H: General terms and
conditions
The plan does not acquire a surrender
value under any circumstances. At expiry the plan ceases
with no value.
No term or condition in this document can be
modified or waived (unless this document expressly provides that it
can be) except by an endorsement issued by us from
our registered office and signed by one of our
authorised officials.
This document and the Schedule
contain all the Terms and Conditions of the plan.
We will not be liable for any condition, claim, statement,
warranty or representation, whether express or implied, and whether
collateral to this agreement or not, which differs from these Terms
and Conditions.
We will satisfy ourselves that any
person to whom we delegate any of our functions
or responsibilities under these Terms and Conditions is competent
to carry out those functions and responsibilities.
Any requests made in connection with these Terms and Conditions
must be made in writing and delivered to us at
our registered office at Foresters House, Cromwell Avenue,
Bromley BR2 9BF. We will use certain procedures and forms
when any change to your Plan or any payment is to
be made. We will only make changes or payments when all
normal procedures have been complied with.
Requests will become effective on the later of
the effective date stated in the request and the day after receipt
at our Registered Office. We will not allow
you to withdraw or vary any request you have made
or any notice you have given in accordance with these
Conditions on or after the date we have put it into
effect. If the effective day for any calculation or action under
any of the Conditions contained in this document is not a working
day the effective day will instead be the next working day.
We reserve the right to adjust
your benefits if the life insured’s date of
birth, sex, occupation or smoking status is incorrectly
stated to us at any time.
We are authorised and regulated by
the Financial Services Authority.
We will update our
literature from time to time.
We will always communicate with
you using the English language.
Disputes
We take the concerns of our
Planholders very seriously. If at anytime you have any
comments or wish to make a complaint, please write to the Customer
Relations Officer at Forester Life, Foresters House, Cromwell
Avenue, Bromley, Kent, BR2 9BF. In the unlikely event that
your complaint cannot be resolved to your
satisfaction, you can write to the Financial Ombudsman
Service (FOS), South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London, E14 9SR
(telephone 0845 080 1800). The existence of the FOS or this
complaints procedure does not prejudice your right to take
legal action.
Data protection
We record personal information on
computer and use it to assess applications and to administer
policies. The information may be used for fraud prevention or money
laundering prevention.
We may share your
information with organisations who are our business
partners. We, or they, may contact you by mail,
telephone, SMS, fax or e-mail to let you know about any
goods, services or promotions, which may be of interest to
you.
If you do not wish to receive such
information please write to our Data Protection Officer,
Forester Life, Foresters House, Cromwell Avenue, Bromley BR2
9BF.
You have a right to ask for a copy of
your information (for which we may make a small
charge) and to correct any inaccuracies. When you give
us personal information about another person we
will assume that they have appointed you to act for them
and have consented to the processing of their personal data,
including sensitive personal data.
Definitions
Throughout the plan documentation
there are words and phrases that have special meanings and are
shown in italics. Those meanings are given here.
“Activities of daily living” means the six
following tasks:
washing or bathing so as
to maintain personal hygiene;
putting on and taking off
all necessary items of clothing;
moving from one room to
another or getting in or out of bed or a chair;
getting food or drink into
the body once it has been prepared and made available;
getting on and off the
toilet and maintaining personal hygiene following use of it;
controlling bowel or
bladder function.
“Critical illnesses” means
having been diagnosed with one of the medical conditions or having
undergone one of the surgical procedures listed below:
Alzheimer’s disease before age
60 –resulting in permanent symptoms
A definite diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease
before age 60 by a Consultant Neurologist, Psychiatrist or
Geriatrician. There must be permanent clinical loss of the
ability to do all of the following:
remember;
reason; and
perceive, understand,
express and give effect to ideas.
For the above definition, the following are
not covered:
Other types of
dementia.
Aorta graft surgery
– for disease
The undergoing of surgery for disease to the
aorta with excision and surgical replacement of a portion of the
diseased aorta with a graft. The term aorta includes the thoracic
and abdominal aorta but not its branches.
For the above definition, the following are
not covered:
Any other surgical
procedure, for example the insertion of stents or endovascular
repair,
Surgery following
traumatic injury to the aorta.
Benign brain tumour –
resulting in permanent symptoms
A non-malignant tumour or cyst in the brain,
cranial nerves or meninges within the skull, resulting in
permanent neurological deficit with persisting
clinical symptoms. For the above definition, the following are
not covered:
Tumours in the pituitary
gland,
Angiomas.
Blindness –
permanent and irreversible
Permanent and irreversible
loss of sight to the extent that even when tested with the use of
visual aids, vision is measured at 3/60 or worse in the better eye
using a Snellen eye chart.
Cancer – excluding
less advanced cases
Any malignant tumour positively diagnosed with
histological confirmation and characterised by the uncontrolled
growth of malignant cells and invasion of tissue. The term
malignant tumour includes leukaemia, lymphoma and sarcoma. For the
above definition, the following are not covered:
All cancers which are
histologically classified as any of the following:
pre-malignant;
non-invasive;
cancer in situ;
having either borderline malignancy; or
having low malignant potential.
All tumours of the
prostate unless histologically classified as having a Gleason score
greater than 6 or having progressed to at least clinical TNM
classification T2N0M0.
Chronic lymphocytic
leukaemia unless histologically classified as having progressed to
at least Binet Stage A.
Any skin cancer other than
malignant melanoma that has been histologically classified as
having caused invasion beyond the epidermis (outer layer of
skin).
Coma – resulting in
permanent symptoms
A state of unconsciousness with no reaction to
external stimuli or internal needs which:
requires the use of life
support systems for a continuous period of at least 96 hours,
and
results in
permanent neurological deficit with persisting
clinical symptoms.
For the above definition, the following is not
covered:
Coma secondary to alcohol
or drug abuse.
Coronary artery by-pass
grafts – with surgery to divide the
breastbone
The undergoing of surgery requiring median
sternotomy (surgery to divide the breastbone) on the advice of a
Consultant Cardiologist to correct narrowing or blockage of one or
more coronary arteries with by-pass grafts.
Deafness – permanent and
irreversible
Permanent and irreversible
loss of hearing to the extent that the loss is greater than 95
decibels across all frequencies in the better ear using a pure tone
audiogram.
Heart attack – of
specified severity
Death of heart muscle, due to inadequate blood
supply, that has resulted in all of the following evidence of acute
myocardial infarction:
Typical clinical symptoms
(for example, characteristic chest pain),
New characteristic
electrocardiographic changes,
The characteristic rise of
cardiac enzymes or Troponins recorded at the following levels or
higher;
Troponin T > 1.0 ng/ml
AccuTnI > 0.5 ng/ml or equivalent threshold with
other Troponin I methods.
The evidence must show a definite acute
myocardial infarction.
For the above definition, the following are
not covered:
Other acute coronary
syndromes including but not limited to angina.
Heart valve replacement or
repair – with surgery to divide the
breastbone
The undergoing of surgery requiring median
sternotomy (surgery to divide the breastbone) on the advice of a
Consultant Cardiologist to replace or repair one or more heart
valves.
HIV infection –
caught in the UK from a blood transfusion, a physical assault or at
work in an eligible occupation. Infection by Human Immunodeficiency
Virus resulting from:
a blood transfusion given
as part of medical treatment;
a physical assault; or
an incident occurring
during the course of performing normal duties of employment after
the start of the policy and satisfying all of the following:
The incident must have been reported to appropriate
authorities and have been investigated in accordance with the
established procedures.
Where HIV infection is caught through a physical
assault or as a result of an incident occurring during the course
of performing normal duties of employment, the incident must be
supported by a negative HIV antibody test taken within 5 days of
the incident. There must be a further HIV test within 12 months
confirming the presence of HIV or antibodies to the virus. The
incident causing infection must have occurred in the UK.
The eligible occupations for HIV caught at work
are:
the emergency services – police, fire,
ambulance
the medical profession – including administrators,
cleaners, dentists, doctors, nurses and porters
the armed forces
For the above definition, the following is not
covered:
HIV infection resulting
from any other means, including sexual activity or drug abuse.
Kidney failure –
requiring dialysis
Chronic and end stage failure of both kidneys
to function, as a result of which regular dialysis is
necessary.
Loss of speech –
permanent and irreversible
Total permanent and
irreversible loss of the ability to speak as a result of
physical injury or disease.
Loss of hands or feet –
permanent physical severance
Permanent physical severance of any
combination of 2 or more hands or feet at or above the wrist or
ankle joints.
Major organ transplant
The undergoing as a recipient of a transplant
of bone marrow or of a complete heart, kidney, liver, lung, or
pancreas, or inclusion on an official UK waiting list for such a
procedure.
For the above definition, the following is not
covered:
Transplant of any other
organs, parts of organs, tissues or cells.
Motor Neurone disease
resulting in permanent symptoms
A definite diagnosis of motor neurone disease
by a Consultant Neurologist. There must be permanent
clinical impairment of motor function.
Multiple Sclerosis –
with persisting symptoms
A definite diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis by
a Consultant Neurologist. There must be current clinical impairment
of motor or sensory function, which must have persisted for a
continuous period of at least 6 months.
Paralysis of limbs –
total and irreversible
Total and irreversible loss of muscle
function to the whole of any 2 limbs.
Parkinson’s disease before age
60 – resulting in permanent symptoms
A definite diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease
before age 60 by a Consultant Neurologist. There must be
permanent clinical impairment of motor function with
associated tremor, rigidity of movement and postural
instability.
For the above definition, the following is not
covered:
Parkinson’s disease
secondary to drug abuse.
Stroke – resulting in
permanent symptoms
Death of brain tissue due to inadequate blood
supply or haemorrhage within the skull resulting in
permanent neurological deficit with persisting
clinical symptoms.
For the above definition, the following are
not covered:
Transient ischaemic
attack,
Traumatic injury to brain
tissue or blood vessels.
Third degree burns –
covering 20% of the body’s surface area
Burns that involve damage or destruction of
the skin to its full depth through to the underlying tissue and
covering at least 20% of the body’s surface area.
Traumatic head injury
– resulting in permanent symptoms
Death of brain tissue due
to traumatic injury resulting in permanent
neurological deficit with persisting clinical
symptoms.
“Decreasing term” means cover reducing yearly
throughout the cover period as shown in your
schedule.
“Deferred Period” means the period of
Incapacity before any benefit becomes payable.
“Excluded Causes” means the
following:
Alcohol or drug abuse
Inappropriate use of alcohol or drugs,
including but not limited to the following:
consuming too much
alcohol,
taking an overdose of
drugs, whether lawfully prescribed or otherwise,
taking Controlled Drugs
(as defined by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971) otherwise than in
accordance with a lawful prescription.
Criminal acts
Taking part in a criminal act.
Flying on a non-commercial
basis
Taking part in any flying activity, other than
in a commercially licensed aircraft.
Hazardous sports and
pastimes
Taking part in (or practicing for) boxing,
caving, climbing, horseracing, jet skiing, martial arts,
mountaineering, off-piste skiing, pot holing, power-boat racing,
under-water diving, yacht racing or any race, trial or timed motor
sport.
HIV/AIDS (except where
specifically included under the critical illnesses
definition)
Infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus
(HIV) or conditions due to any Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
(AIDS).
Living abroad
Living outside of Australia, Canada, the
European Union, New Zealand, Switzerland or the United States of
America for more than 13 consecutive weeks in any 12 months.
Self-inflicted injury
Intentional self-inflicted injury.
Unreasonable failure to follow medical
advice
Unreasonable failure to seek or follow medical
advice.
War and civil commotion
War, invasion, hostilities (whether war is
declared or not), civil war, rebellion, revolution or taking part
in a riot or civil commotion.
“Expiry Date” – the date that
cover on your plan ceases.
“Irreversible” means cannot
be reasonably improved upon by medical treatment and/or surgical
procedures used by the National Health Service in the UK at the
time of claim.
“Incapacitated”/”Incapacity”
means any illness or injury arising before age 65 as a result of
which the life insured is total unable either:
to follow their own
occupation and is not following any other
occupation, or
(if the life
insured is not in an occupation at the onset or
occurrence of that illness or injury), to perform any three of
the activities of daily living without the assistance of
another person or the use of special devices or equipment.
“Level term” means cover
remaining constant throughout the cover period as shown in
your schedule.
“Life insured” means the
person(s) covered for benefits under this plan, as shown
in the schedule, and for whom benefit is being claimed
and/or changes to cover applied.
“Living abroad” means living
outside of Australia, Canada, the European Union, New Zealand,
Switzerland and the United States of America, for more than 13
consecutive weeks in any 12 month period.
“Marriage”/ “Marries” means a
legally recognised marriage including civil
partnerships.
“Occupation” means the
life insured’s trade, profession or type of work
undertaken for profit or pay. It is not a specific job with any
particular employer and is independent of location.
“Permanent” / “Permanently”
means expected to last throughout the life of the life
insured, irrespective of when the cover ends or the life
insured retires.
“Permanent neurological deficit with
persisting clinical symptoms” means symptoms of
dysfunction in the nervous system that are present on clinical
examination and expected to last throughout the life of the
life insured.
Symptoms that are covered include numbness,
hyperaesthesia (increased sensitivity), paralysis, localised
weakness, dysarthria (difficulty with speech), aphasia (inability
to speak), dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing), visual impairment,
difficulty in walking, lack of coordination, tremor, seizures,
lethargy, dementia, delirium and coma.
The following are not covered:
An abnormality seen on
brain or other scans without definite related clinical
symptoms,
Neurological signs
occurring without symptomatic abnormality, e.g. brisk reflexes
without other symptoms,
Symptoms of psychological
or psychiatric origin.
“Plan” means the Forester
Life Mortgage Protection Options Plan that you
have applied for and which is evidenced by this document.
“Schedule” means the personal
information relating to your plan, including any
endorsements which are issued from time to time.
“Start Date” means the date
that cover starts on your plan.
“Terminal Illness” means any
disease process, which, in the opinion of a specialist consultant
holding such an appointment at a major hospital in Australia,
Canada, the European Union, New Zealand, Switzerland or the United
States of America, and with the agreement of our Chief or
Consulting Medical Officer, is likely to lead to death within 12
months.
“Total permanent disability”
means any illness or injury before age 65 which
permanently prevents the life insured from
performing any three of the six activities of daily living
without the assistance of another person or the use of special
devices or equipment.
“We” and
“Us” mean Forester Life Limited.
“Our” has a corresponding meaning.
“You” means the Planholder
and, where the context requires, the Planholder’s assigns or legal
personal representatives. If there is more than one Planholder
“you” means both Planholders and, where the context requires, the
surviving Planholder and the assignee(s) or legal personal
representative(s) of the last surviving Planholder.
“Your” has a corresponding
meaning.
Unless the context otherwise requires, words
in the singular include the plural and vice versa.