Long COVID can be devastating for those affected and can stop people from working during this time. We look at whether income protection policies will cover those suffering from long COVID.
It's believed that almost a million people are struggling with long COVID, where symptoms last more than 12 weeks.
There are various long COVID symptoms including fatigue, chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness as well as a high temperature, cough and sore throat according to the NHS.
In the four weeks to 6 June 2021, around 962,000 people reported long COVID symptoms (for more than four weeks) after the first suspected coronavirus infection, according to the Office for National Statistics.
We look at whether income protection policies are likely to cover you if you’re unfortunate enough to suffer from long COVID.
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How income protection policies work
Income protection policies will pay you a regular income if sickness or disability prevents you from working. Some may cover you for a set amount of time, until you return to work or until you retire.
The amount you’ll receive won’t be the same amount that you were earning when you were employed. Citizens Advice says you can expect to get about half to two-thirds of your earnings before tax from your normal job.
Unfortunately, you can’t claim income protection payments straight away as you usually have to wait at least four weeks after falling ill.
You can at least get Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), which is £96.35 per week if you’re too ill to work. This is paid by your employer for up to 28 weeks.
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Is long COVID covered by income protection policies?
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) says they are not aware of any COVID-related exclusion to income protection policies and it’s possible that someone could recover while receiving sick pay.
“Income protection provides a safety net when you need it most,” commented a spokesperson for ABI.
“The insurance industry paid out £6.2 billion in life insurance, income protection, and critical illness claims in 2020, the equivalent of £17 million a day.
“If you fall out of work and meet the policy definition of incapacity, claims will be covered in accordance with policy terms and conditions and subject to any initial waiting period.”
We contacted three major income protection providers to find out their stance regarding long COVID claims.
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Aviva
Aviva has confirmed its income protection policies provides cover for new and existing customers unable to work due to ‘long-term ill health’ following a COVID-19 diagnosis.
You will get paid the amount agreed upon when taking out the policy, but you’ll have to wait for your income protection policy to kick in, which is usually four to 26 weeks after getting ill (depending on your sick pay agreement with your employer).
Aviva also offers a Covid Rehabilitation Service to support those who have suffered complications from coronavirus by referring them to privately funded treatment including physiotherapy and exercises programmes.
LV=
LV= says its life insurance, critical illness and income protection claims caused by coronavirus have totalled over £12 million since the start of the pandemic.
The insurance company says someone simply needs to be unable to work due to illness or injury to make a claim as their income protection policies don’t focus on specific conditions.
LV= is currently paying and supporting a small number of longer claims from customers struggling with long COVID.
Its income protection policies will pay out until the person is able to work again, the end of their pay-out period or the end of the policy term.
Compare income protection policies at ActiveQuote
Vitality
While Vitality doesn’t offer specific long COVID cover, members can claim for illnesses covered by their policy, which may have been caused by coronavirus.
Again, it’s the person’s incapacity to work rather than the underlying cause that determines whether someone can make a claim under an income protection policy.
Similar to other policies, you won’t get paid from your policy for at least a few weeks or months, and you’ll get regular payments until you can work again.
The amount you’ll get paid will be based on your income and the impact that coronavirus has on your ability to work.
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