Among the accident covers, the bone fracture is the most visible and accidental death the gravest – yet the biggest stake is permanent impairment. This is the cover that works when, after an accident, life does not return to its old track and the family income is lastingly rearranged.
- The cover pays for permanent – that is, final – impairment of health caused by an accident.
- The benefit is proportional: the table in the conditions assigns a degree to the impairment, and that share of the insured sum is due.
- For total disability, typically the full insured sum is due – in some contracts with an increased multiplier.
What does permanent impairment mean?
An impairment is permanent when the consequence of the accident – the loss of a body part or function, or a lasting deterioration in how it works – is final according to medical assessment. An important distinction: this is not the same as the state disability categories; the insurer establishes the degree under its own conditions, through its own medical-expert process. It is also a typical rule that the degree can only be finally established once the condition has stabilised, within the timeframe set in the conditions.
The principle of proportional payment: the table logic
An annex to the conditions lists body parts, sense organs and functions, and assigns a percentage degree to each. The benefit is proportional accordingly: the share of the insured sum matching the established degree is paid out. At the level of principle: losing a finger joint is naturally a smaller degree than losing a hand or one's eyesight – the exact proportions are set in each insurer's table, and they are an important point when comparing offers.
Total and partial disability
Total disability typically means the gravest conditions, the ones that upend independent living as well – in that case the full insured sum is due, in some contracts with progressive, increased payment. Every other case is partial: the share according to the table. Two common limits are worth noting: many conditions only pay above a minimum degree of impairment (an entry threshold), and deadlines apply to the reporting and to establishing the degree – both “typically”, always according to the specific contract.
Misconceptions that can cost a lot
The first misconception: “if I had an accident, the full sum is due.” No – the benefit is proportional; a small impairment brings a small share. The second: “the state disability decision is valid at the insurer too.” Also no – the insurer decides on the basis of its own table and medical assessment, and the two can differ. For the documents needed – medical records, final reports – our document list article gives an overview by event type; the claim route here, too, is the insurer's own channel.
The real centre of gravity of the package
The value of the accident pillar comes not from the frequent small payout but from this element: the bone fracture benefit carries the communication, the permanent impairment sum carries the real protection. When sizing a package, this is the sum we look at first, together with the accidental death cover – with particular weight for physical roles. The Packages page gives a picture of the typical tiers and proportions.
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