DEFINITIONS
| Accidental Death |
Means a sudden and unexpected event resulting in your untimely death as confirmed by clinical examination. Please note that any event occurring before your Cover Start Date is specifically excluded. |
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| Beneficiary | Is the person(s) entitled to the proceeds of the death benefits of the Policy Owner. |
| Child | Means an unmarried dependent child, step-child, illegitimate child, legally adopted child or grandchild (whose parents are both deceased) of the Policy Owner. A dependent child that attained the age of 18 years shall no longer be covered under this policy, unless enrolled as a full time student at a registered tertiary institution until a maximum age of 21. We may request proof of dependency at claims stage. In respect of step-children we will require the relevant marriage certificate between the biological parent and the stepparent. |
| Extended Family | Includes additional spouses and children; siblings; parents; grandparents; aunts; uncles; cousins; nieces and nephews. All relationships of Extended Family members are defined in terms of biological relatives of the Policy Owner or Spouse. |
| Policy Owner | The person indicated as such on your Policy Schedule. This is the person who applied for the policy and who is also responsible for payment of the premium. |
| Spouse | Means the person married to the Policy Owner and named in your Policy Schedule. Cover is limited to one nominated spouse. Proof of such union will be requested at claims stage. |
| Cover Start Date | Means the day on which your premium is successfully deducted from your bank account and you are thereby covered under this policy. |
WHAT THIS POLICY COVERS
This policy pays out a tax-free cash lump sum to your beneficiary if you die, and to you (the Policy Owner) if someone else covered on the policy dies. The money may be used for funeral and related expenses.
WHO CAN BE COVERED?
Cover can be taken out for yourself, your family and parents subject to the following restrictions:
One legally recognized spouse may be covered;
Your biological, adopted and step-children under the age of 18 years old may be covered. All listed children are covered at no additional cost to you;
A maximum of six extended family members may be covered.
Cover for stillborn children (after the 28th week of pregnancy) and babies (younger than 12 months) is an additional, automatic benefit.
New born children are to be added to the policy within 3 months of birth for cover to be provided.
A maximum of one claim for a stillborn child will be paid over the policy term.
WHO QUALIFIES TO GET THIS POLICY?
To be eligible for cover under the policy, the following conditions must be met at the start date:
All persons covered under this policy must be South African citizens;
You (the Policy Owner) must be 18 years old and not older than 74 years of age in order to qualify for this policy;
Your spouse must be 18 years old and not older than 74 years of age in order to be covered under this policy;
Your biological and adopted children must be below the age of 18 years of age in order to be covered under this policy;
Extended family members must be between 18 and 64 years old in order to be added to this policy;
You must agree to the terms and conditions of this policy agreement.
WHEN DOES YOUR POLICY START?
Cover commences on the Cover Start Date subject to successful collection of the first premium.
COVER AMOUNTS
The following cover limits apply:
Your cover amount and the cover amount for your spouse and extended family members cannot exceed R50 000.
The cover amount for your children younger than 12 months old cannot exceed 12.5% of your cover amount subject to maximum of R6 250 as per applicable insurance legislation.
The cover amount for your children between 1 and 6 years old cannot exceed 25% of your cover amount subject to maximum of R10 000 as per applicable insurance legislation.
The cover amount for your children between 6 and 13 years old cannot exceed 50% of your cover amount subject to a maximum of R25 000 as per applicable insurance legislation.
The cover amount for your children between 14 and 18 years old cannot exceed R50 000.
The amount paid for a stillborn baby is 12.5% of the main member's cover amount up to a maximum of R6 250.
WHAT BENEFITS ARE DUE TO YOU?
Basic Cover:
On approval of a valid claim, the cash benefit as outlined in your policy schedule will be made available as a tax fee cash lump sum and paid into your nominated bank account, which we will request from you as part of the claims process.
Value Added Benefits:
If value added benefits have been activated, the following value added benefits will be made available on notification of a claim:
A R300 airtime benefit, in the form of a voucher, to a non-contract cell phone number of the beneficiary's choosing.
Dispatch of a Vodacom Bereavement Box to the appointed beneficiary within 48 hours of a valid claim. This includes:
Debit card preloaded with R500 to be used as the beneficiary sees fit.
Frequently Asked Questions sheet and pamphlets to assist with funeral arrangements.
Government forms to be completed for death certificate.
Access to a 24 hour Emergency Assistance Helpline where we will provide the beneficiary with counselling by trained medical professionals in relation to the death claimed for on the policy. This is a 24-hour emergency assistance helpline that:
Arranges the nearest local emergency assistance service as well as provides emergency transport to the nearest, most appropriate medical facility should this be required by a family member.
Offers referrals for psychiatric consultations
Child play therapy
10 trips per annum related to the policy within the metropolitan areas, to assist with trauma visits and/or funeral arrangements.
Vodacom Legal Advice Line
As an additional benefit, any Vodacom Funeral Policy Owner who joins the VIA loyalty and benefits program as a Member will have 24-hour Legal Assistance via the Vodacom Legal Advice Line.
The Vodacom Legal Advice Line is a comprehensive legal assistance service available to the Member. Qualified lawyers and legal consultants as well as academics provide the service telephonically.
To use this benefit simply call 082 178 00
In the event of a trauma, such as rape and accident, this benefit offers trauma, assault and HIV protection, as well as emergency medical services.
Repatriation of the deceased within the borders of South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Mozambique. This benefit is only available to the Policy Owner, as well as the Policy Owner's Spouse, 5 children and 2 External Family members who must be covered under this policy. The service assists the bereaved family and next-of-kin with the facilitation of the burial. It comprises of the following: a.
Locating of the deceased
Overnight accommodation for the next-of-kin in order to identify the body (up to R1500)
Repatriation of mortal remains to a place of burial, at no extra cost (only in SA)
Referral to a pathologist if an autopsy is required
Referral to a reputable undertaker
Assistance with funeral arrangements
Advice on how to apply for death certificate and border-crossing documentation
Interpretation of legal documentation such as the funeral policy
Referral to counselling services for support and advice
Please note that the value added benefits are non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash.
WHAT DO YOU PAY?
The total premium, as stated in this policy agreement, includes all the premiums for all the persons covered under this policy. You need to ensure that there is money in your chosen bank account on the monthly payment date.
If a premium is not received when due, a grace period of 15 days will be applied. We will attempt to collect your premium within this 15 day grace period. If we are unsuccessful in collecting your premium and it remains unpaid on day 16 then your policy will no longer be valid and any benefit or cover shall no longer be provided. Premiums may be changed anytime if Vodacom feels that these are no longer sufficient.
Vodacom will let you know in writing 30 (thirty) days in advance of any changes to your premium and you will be afforded an opportunity to select alternatives to mitigate the impact of the change in premiums.
THESE ARE IMPORTANT POINTS FOR YOU TO REMEMBER:
WAITING PERIODS
Persons covered under this policy have a three-month waiting period for death as a result of natural causes. No such waiting period applies if your death is an Accidental Death. The waiting period for each person covered starts from their cover start date and recommences for any part of cover that is increased on the date that the increase in cover commences.
This waiting period applies to all benefits under this policy.
We reserve the right to waive the waiting period at our discretion.
EXCLUSIONS
We will not pay any benefit if death arises directly or indirectly from any of the items listed below:
Suicide within 12 months of cover commencement, reinstatement or cover increase;
Excessive consumption of alcohol, intentional inhalation of fumes, intentional and negligent consumption of poisons, drugs, narcotics or medication (unless prescribed by an independent medical practitioner and used as described);
Participation in hazardous sports or pursuits which increase the risk of death for the life assured. These activities include, but are not limited to, rock climbing, scuba diving, paragliding, hang-gliding, fighting (except for self-defence) and speed contests.
Willful and material breaking of any law by the life assured;
Participation in war and/or acts of war, whether declared or not;
Participation in civil commotion, insurrection, riot, usurpation of power, terrorism or acts of terrorism;
Radioactivity and nuclear explosions;
Fraud, misrepresentation and failure to disclose information.
CESSIONS
This cover may not be ceded or transferred to a third party as security for a debt or for any other reason.
CLAIMS
In order to register a claim, you will be required to call Vodacom Life on our 24/7 emergency support number, in order to report and notify us of a death claim. A validation process will be initiated and a check will be conducted against the following criteria:
An active policy needs to be place at the time of loss;
Activation of value added benefits;
All premiums need to have been paid in full;
Confirmation needs to be provided that the insured event (death) has occurred, and
The deceased is covered on the policy.
The claimant must have the following information available when they contact us:
The Insured Life's policy number and/or ID number.
The date and cause of the claim event.
We will advise what documents we need in order to process the claim. Generally we require the following documentation:
a fully completed claim form;
a certified copy of the South African death certificate;
a BI1663 form;
the deceased's ID as well as the beneficiary's ID;,
a certified copy of a marriage certificate if claiming for a spouse;
an unabridged birth certificate if claiming for a child;
proof of bank account; and
a police report and/or post-mortem if death is an Accidental Death.
All information provided is at the claimant's own cost. We reserve the right to request any additional information or documentation required to validate the claim.
It's important that we are informed about the event that leads to the claim within 180 days of it happening. The claim may be declined if we are not informed in time. We will usually pay out a valid claim within 48 hours of verifying all required claim documents as deemed necessary by the insurer. Should you or your beneficiaries wish to dispute a claim decision, they have to do so within 180 days of receiving a formal communication about the outcome of the claim. You and your beneficiaries must submit the reasons for the dispute in writing for it to be re-assessed. If they would like to institute legal proceedings, it must be done within 180 days of receiving a formal communication of the claim outcome.
It is your responsibility to make sure that we always have up-to-date contact information for you and your beneficiaries. If we become aware that there are payouts due to be made under this policy agreement, we will always first try to contact your beneficiaries at the last contact details provided to us. If we are not able to make contact, we have to take reasonable steps to find the beneficiaries. In order to do this, we may have to appoint external tracing agents and this agreement permits us to give the tracing agents access to personal information. Please also note that a tracing and management fee may be deducted from the payout amount. We will pay interest, if applicable.
If any claim under this policy involves fraud, misrepresentation or false information, the policy agreement may be cancelled. In this case, no payouts will be made and no premiums will be refunded.
COMPLAINTS
Vodacom provides a complaint resolution process which aims to address any dissatisfaction you may have with your policy. You can contact our Complaints Department on 082 178 00 or [email protected].
Should you be dissatisfied with the outcome, you have the right to contact the Ombudsman for Long-Term Insurance by writing to: Ombudsman for Long Term Insurance, Private Bag X45, Claremont, 7735 or email [email protected].
For complaints about our services, you can contact the FAIS Ombudsman by writing to: PO Box 74571, Lynwood Ridge,
0040 or email [email protected].
COMPLIANCE
The Compliance Department can be contacted by calling our Customer Care Centre on 082 178 00.
CANCELLATION AND COOLING OFF PERIOD
If you decide to cancel the policy agreement within the cooling-off period of 30 days after receiving this policy agreement, we will refund any premiums already made under this policy agreement. The cooling-off period only applies if a claim has not been submitted or if no cover amounts have been paid out to you or your beneficiary.
You can cancel this policy agreement at any time by sending us a cancellation request in writing on the following contact details:
Email: [email protected]
Fax: 086 415 3186
Address: PO Box 3306, Cramerview, Bryanston, 2060.
The agreement will come to an end on the last day of the calendar month for which you have already made your payment and no cover will be provided after that date. In such an event no premiums will be refunded to you.
CONTINUATION OPTION
This policy will automatically come to an end in the event of your death. In the event of your death, your spouse can take out a new policy with us. If your spouse takes out a new policy within three months after your death, we will carry the waiting periods and exclusions for each person covered under this policy over to your spouse's new policy.
Furthermore, since children are only covered up to the age of 18, there is an option for a child to purchase their own policy at standard rates, with no additional waiting period. Cover for children will end on the birthday month of the child's 18th birthday.
FORCE MAJEURE
Force Majeure refers to circumstances beyond our reasonable control, such as an act of God, acts of the State or Government, exceptional weather conditions, total national electricity failures, war or war-like activities or serious delays in public transport that may prevent us from carrying out our obligations under this agreement. In the event of a force majeure this agreement will be suspended until we can deliver on our obligations. We will, if possible, notify you of the suspension and the estimated duration of the suspension. We will not be liable for any damages caused as a result of the suspension.
CONFIDENTIALITY AND SHARING OF INFORMATION
By taking out this policy, you hereby authorize Vodacom Life to obtain personal information from you, and when required, from an independent third party, which may be needed to assess the risks to which the policy agreement relates or for the purposes of entering into or performing in terms of a policy agreement, and or to assess claims in respect of contracts to which this policy agreement relates. Please refer to our privacy notice for a description of how we process your personal information.
As agreed, personal information will be stored, processed and used only by our partners. This may include the exchange of information regarding the payment history of the person who is responsible payment of the premiums.
Please note that for risk management purposes we may exchange claim information with other insurers. Where you provided personal information of a third party, for example, your beneficiaries, you confirm that you have provided the information with due permission.
You have the option to opt out of this loyalty benefit at any time by emailing [email protected].
Cover on your Vodacom Funeral Insurance Policy is only subject to the insurance premium being paid and is not dependent on meeting the requirements as set out in the terms and conditions of this loyalty benefit.
The Vodacom Legal Advice Line is provided by Vodacom Insurance Company (RF) Limited and administered by LIPCO Business (Pty) Ltd, an authorised financial services provider
For any queries or should you wish to lodge a complaint regarding the loyalty program please contact us on 082 178 00.
E - FURTHER BENEFITS
VIA wishes to show its appreciation to its Members by adding more loyalty benefits to this program from time to time. Vodacom may also amend the type of benefits available under this program and will provide its Members with reasonable prior written notice in event of any such change.
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This Privacy notice applies to the use of, purchase or other interaction with Vodacom funeral cover. Unless context dictates otherwise, the Vodacom Privacy Statement on https://www.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/terms/privacy-policy shall also apply to all interactions with Vodacom Funeral Cover, regarding any collection, use or other processing of personal information. |
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