Insurance 101: Claims

What is a claim?
An insurance claim is a formal request from a policyholder (aka you) to their insurance company (us!) asking for a payment after a covered incident, such as a hospital stay, a natural disaster, a vehicular accident or theft.

Payout from your insurance provider is intended for expenses related to the covered incident and payment usually only goes to the person on the policy (aka a designated beneficiary).

What types of claims are there?
There are several types of claims, including car insurance, property insurance, and health insurance claims. (We’ll dig deeper on the specifics of each kind in later posts in our series.)

What information do I need to file a claim?
You’ll need a few things, including names of people involved in the incident, the date of the incident, your insurance policy number, and finally, an incident, accident and/or medical report. Depending on your situation, you may also want or be asked to submit photos of the incident, such as in situations where your car or property has been damaged, as well as medical receipts and/or repair estimates. Don't forget to notify NCIA as soon as possible in the event of a claim.

How is a claim paid?
If your claim is approved, you’ll get payment from the insurance company through NCIA. The amount you get will depend on your insurance policy and the incident. Payment can either be made by direct deposit or check, but it can also be sent to a provider like a hospital, auto shop, or contractor.

How do I actually file a claim?
Start by checking your insurance policy to see if your incident’s even covered and if there’s a time limit on when you can file it. Then contact NCIA to file the claim and our staff will review it and either deny or approve it, or request more information from you.

Ready to file a claim, now that you know what it is? Contact us now and stay tuned as we continue to demystify the world of insurance for you.