Finding yourself needing to make a claim is stressful at the best of times, let alone when this happens on a bank holiday or over the festive period and the insurance company’s office is closed. Try not to let this cause additional worry, instead follow our step-by-step guide to make sure you have met all the requirements for your claim to be assessed as quickly as possible when the office re-opens.
How to make a Vet Fee claim on your Horse insurance policy:
- First and foremost, your horse’s welfare must be the priority. Appropriate diagnostics and treatments must be discussed between you and your vet, and a suitable plan put in place to get your horse back to full health again. It’s important to note that at KBIS, whether the office is open or closed, claims are not pre-authorised therefore the treatment needs to be carried out as required, and then the relevant information and claim forms sent across for assessment afterwards.
- The next step still needs to be to notify your insurer of a potential claim. When the office is closed, you can do this by calling KBIS on 0345 230 2323 and leaving a voicemail including your name, your horse’s name, your policy number and contact telephone number or you can email claims@kbis.co.uk including the same details.
- Completing a claim form should be your next step. For leisure and competition horse policies, you can complete an online vet fee claim form or you can download a PDF version to print and fill in by hand. Page 4 of the claim form is to be completed by your vet so getting a copy of this to them will speed up the process (you will be emailed a copy of this page if you complete the form online).
- Once completed, send this plus an up-to-date copy of your horse’s veterinary history to claims@kbis.co.uk or you can post it to: KBIS British Equestrian Insurance, Cullimore House, Peasemore, Newbury, Berkshire, RG20 7JN
Also, make sure you check your most recent certificate of insurance to see if there are any other outstanding documents on the policy. These will need to be received before a claim can be assessed so it is best to send them in at the same time to speed up the process.
If you have any questions when gathering the information to send in or when filling in your claim form, check our festive office opening hours and give us a call on 0345 230 2323 when we are next open, we’ll be more than happy to help.
How to make a Mortality claim on your Horse insurance policy:
Thinking you may need to make a mortality claim at any point in the year is deeply upsetting. Sometimes there is a decision to be made and sometimes that decision is made for you, but either way, it is an incredibly difficult time. If the office is not open for a member of our team to talk you through the process, follow these steps to make submitting a claim as simple as possible:
When there is a decision to be made:
- To meet the terms of the policy for a mortality claim, the BEVA guidelines must be met which essentially means there must be no other option for the horse than to be put to sleep. If your horse’s condition can be treated or stabilised with medication, it will not meet the grounds to be considered a valid claim. This is standard in insurance so your vet should be aware of this and be able to discuss the options available based on your horse’s condition specifically.
- Where possible, we ask that you contact KBIS prior to euthanasia. Our festive office opening times will show when we are next open to see whether this can be done for your horse’s individual circumstances. Discuss this with your vet to make sure the welfare of your horse will not suffer consequently. A pre-euthanasia form will be sent to be completed by your vet if they decide your horse’s condition can be controlled whilst Underwriters review the claim.
- Once the pre-euthanasia form has been completed by your vets, they should send this in to KBIS along with an up to date copy of your horse’s veterinary history.
- The pre-euthanasia form and medical history will be sent to Underwriters to assess if the non-emergency euthanasia terms have been met. Underwriters’ veterinary advisor may wish to contact your veterinary surgeon directly to discuss the case. As soon as a decision has been made we will contact you as a matter of priority.
When the decision is made for you:
- Where it is not possible to notify KBIS in advance, a post-mortem confirming the identity of your horse and the cause of death is required, along with an accompanying vet report, in order to submit a mortality claim.
- As soon as you feel able, notify KBIS of your loss. If the office is closed, you can still call 0345 23 2323 and leave a message. Do your best to include your name, your horses name, policy number and contact number. Alternatively, you can email claims@kbis.co.uk if this is easier for you.
- The next step is to obtain and complete a claim form. You can complete our leisure and competition horse mortality claim form online or download a copy to print and complete.
- Send the completed claim form into KBIS along with an up to date copy of your horse’s veterinary history, plus any other outstanding documents noted on your certificate of insurance, and your claim will be assessed as soon as possible
All other types of claims:
Details on how to make any other type of claim are available via the claims section on our website.
We hope this helps to reassure you at a time that can be tricky. For more advice when it comes to making any type of claim, email our claims team at claims@kbis.co.uk and they will come back to you as soon as possible. We hope you and your horses have a safe and stress-free festive period.