CLL, benefits and Life insurance.

[Tonnross]

CLL, I seem to be in the same position as many regards being able to claim benefits re grey areas regards rules. Its a total mine field in general. Also I had a Life insurance policy with Legal and General and after informing them of my condition being CLL, they duly told me that its not terminal unless its stated I have six months to go basically. Weasel faced rats comes to mind.

So for all in the same position as I am why dont we start a petition to get this crazy system changed. If any condition cant be cured then in basics surely it should be deemed as terminal. Please drop your ideas on this please.

regards tony

[Newdawn Administrator]

Hi Tony,

I'm sorry you're facing disappointment regarding life insurance payments but this is my take on it having been through this system myself. Insurance Companies are not interested in welfare type issues or concerns. They tie their policies up in very precise terms, provisions and conditions under which a claim is possible and it's important to read them and ask questions about interpretation. Obviously we don't do this when we take out these policies because we are usually hale and hearty at that point and 'it will never happen to me'. I'm afraid I can't go into any specific details because you haven't restricted your post to the community and I don't want my personal experience to be easily googled. However, I'm wondering what kind of policy you're claiming from. Is it a 'Critical Injury Policy?'. Those policies tend to pay out only in very specific medical circumstances and cancer per se doesn't give automatic qualification. Depends on the policy specifics. Thankfully, whilst CLL isn't curable, it isn't classed as a terminal condition unless a physician is willing to say our unique kind of CLL is so aggressive or advanced that there's little prospect of more than 6 months life remaining. I'm delighted to hear that isn't the case for you or many of us! There's many different types of policies and some provide for pay out if we are unable to continue with our employment as the result of the prescribed conditions. Again the devil is in the detail and it can be a hard fought battle. Fluctuating fatigue is the hardest thing to prove in any kind of claim as many members on here will attest to.

In terms of welfare benefits in the U.K., it's not the name of the condition but the presenting problems which lead to payment of things like DLA (now PIP) and the criteria is strict and prescriptive. Cancer carries no automatic right to anything except free prescriptions and eligibility for registration as disabled under the terms of the Equality Act. It's not what we have but how we function that gets the money in the end. To get the DLA pay out under the Terminal Rules presently, cessation of life really does have to be fairly imminent (within 6 months). CLL by definition is hard to quantify in terms of longevity and if we are lucky, it may never actually reduce our life span expectations.

I'm not saying I agree with how these things are interpreted because Insurance Companies can be brutal and unyielding but you can guarantee they've tied it up in the small print. Good luck and maybe have an expert take a look at the provisions of your specific policy in case there's room to challenge.

Best wishes,

Newdawn