Insurance claim Q

[chestnut cob]

I'm just making a claim for my horse for vet's fees. I haven't claimed for years and never for this horse. The covering letter accompanying the forms says I have to provide a full medical history since I have owned this horse. I can't do this for a couple of reasons:

1. The vet practice I used for the vetting and to treat a sarcoid (which he had when I got him and was excluded, but insurers know about) are no longer in business. The partners went their separate ways a couple of years ago and the vet who attended him has long since moved on to another practise. I wouldn't know where to get those records from and since the business has been dissolved, I doubt I can get them.
2. Vaccination records... the horse I have now never usually needs the vet for anything besides vaccinations so I just use whoever is on the yard at the time and give them cash. In the main he has been vaccinated by the practice who carried out his treatment this week, but not always. One practise who did jabs were visiting another horse so got them to vaccinate while they were there. Another is an equine vet who is a livery on the yard; worked at a practise I've never been registered with. Again, paid cash because I had no need to register with that practise.

What am I supposed to do?! If insurance refuse to pay out because of the above then I can cover the treatment costs, that isn't really an issue, but the principle of having insurance is that I shouldn't need to when the horse has received all of the care he is supposed to. Surely insurers can't turn down a claim for lack of medical history when one practise is no longer in business so I can't get records from them?!

:/

 

[eggs]

Probably best to speak to your insurers to explain the problems. I would imagine that your original practice was sold but I don't know how you would find out who now owns it.

A fair few insurance companies require you to have your horse vaccinated but you will be able to prove that from the passport. Contact your current vets and ask them to provide you with a copy of the full clinical history.

When I changed vets some years ago I got hard copies of all the histories from the original vets p.

 

[teddypops]

The vet who is treating your horse now will send them a history. The vets you have used for vacs must have a record for doing them but possibly just a copy of the vaccination history in your passport will do. You are best to speak to the insurance company re the vet no longer being in business, however, records must by law be kept for 7 years so they must be somewhere!

 

[chestnut cob]

Probably best to speak to your insurers to explain the problems. I would imagine that your original practice was sold but I don't know how you would find out who now owns it.

A fair few insurance companies require you to have your horse vaccinated but you will be able to prove that from the passport. Contact your current vets and ask them to provide you with a copy of the full clinical history.

When I changed vets some years ago I got hard copies of all the histories from the original vets p.

there's no issue with the current vet, they will send their history. what I'm getting at is that because numerous vet practises have vaccinated him in theory he should have clinical history with several practises but doesn't. So I'm concerned that they're going to use that as a reason to decline the claim. For vaccinations I've just used whoever is on the yard when he's due, not always my actual vet that I'm registered with, therefore I can't get clinical history from them all.

 

[chestnut cob]

The vet who is treating your horse now will send them a history. The vets you have used for vacs must have a record for doing them but possibly just a copy of the vaccination history in your passport will do. You are best to speak to the insurance company re the vet no longer being in business, however, records must by law be kept for 7 years so they must be somewhere!

Yep, you're right but the letter with claims states "full clinical history since you owned the horse" which I simply can't provide. I'm not registered with at least one of the practises who've done vaccinations, because they were on the yard treating another horse and did mine while they were there.

 

[Tiddlypom]

I'm not registered with at least one of the practises who've done vaccinations, because they were on the yard treating another horse and did mine while they were there.

You'll have to fess up to the insurance brokers and see what they say. I'm quite surprised that a vet would jab a horse that wasn't on their books, but then I keep with just the one practice for everything.

Asking for a full clinical history is standard practice in the event of a claim. Hopefully you can convince them that there is nothing shady about you having used multiple practices.

 

[chestnut cob]

You'll have to fess up to the insurance brokers and see what they say. I'm quite surprised that a vet would jab a horse that wasn't on their books, but then I keep with just the one practice for everything.

Asking for a full clinical history is standard practice in the event of a claim. Hopefully you can convince them that there is nothing shady about you having used multiple practices.

I told the insurers already on the phone. The woman I spoke to said "yes, that's what everyone does, we do it with our horses too, you just use whoever is on the yard". she said write it all down on the claim form and they'll look at it.

I shouldn't have to convince them there's nothing shady going on though, because there isn't anything shady going on. Everyone I know and have ever known on every yard I've ever been on has always done the same thing. A livery is getting the vet out so if anyone needs something routine, they get it done at the same time to share the travel costs. I've always done that, and have in the past submitted vaccination history which has more than one practise listed (and claims were approved).

I'm more concerned with how on earth I'm supposed to get history from a practise who aren't in business any longer...

 

[WelshD]

Surely they aren't concerned with who did the vaccinations just that they've been done and the passport would prove that, no need for vets records on that one surely?

That other vet wouldn't be the first one to cease trading so they should have a plan in place for dealing with claims where the history cannot be produced

 

[chestnut cob]

Surely they aren't concerned with who did the vaccinations just that they've been done and the passport would prove that, no need for vets records on that one surely?

That other vet wouldn't be the first one to cease trading so they should have a plan in place for dealing with claims where the history cannot be produced

Presumably what they're trying to find out is whether the horse has had any treatment by any other vet for this condition. They certainly didn't seem to hae any clue what to do about a vet who was no longer in business. They just kept saying "but they have to keep records for 7 years"... fine, but where on earth do I get them from when that practice has been wound up now?!

 

[little_critter]

Maybe try asking the RCVS, surely there must be a procedure for what happens to records when a practice closes. They may be able to point you in the right direction.

 

[wingedhorse]

Presumably what they're trying to find out is whether the horse has had any treatment by any other vet for this condition. They certainly didn't seem to hae any clue what to do about a vet who was no longer in business. They just kept saying "but they have to keep records for 7 years"... fine, but where on earth do I get them from when that practice has been wound up now?!

I’d send the claim in, and state a covering letter saying what you have set out above.

That he has no vet history apart from vaccinations and sarcoids (which insurance company already know about).

That X vet practise, no longer in existence since 20xx treated sarcoids.

That you have been with Y practise since year 20xx to current date, and enclose a print out of his vet history.

I’d photocopy vaccination section of passport.

I’d list all the practises names and addresses that you used (you should be able to get details from vaccination page) and state these were practises weren’t registered with but used for vaccinations only.

I would say, you hope this is sufficient, but if more information is needed, please phone you on [your phone number] and talk you through what else is needed.

The insurance company will then assess this and decide if sufficient or not. Fingers crossed they will decide is sufficient. The person on the phone is unlikely to be as trained as the claims assessor who makes the decision, so I'd not rely on the phone person's view.

I would personally both send a paper copy of all the claim documentation, AND scan it all and email it to the claims email of the insurance company. Number of times papers seem to go missing.

 

[amage]

You hold the vaccination record in the form of her passport which should have been filled out and signed every time she was vaccinated so you shouldn't actually need the Vet for this bit.

In terms of clinical history just because the practice is gone the notes should be somewhere. Make contact with one of the vets who was in the practice. Whether you pay cash or not the vet who happens to be in the yard still has to keep records so you can also make contact with them for their history of your horse. There is hardly that many different practices and the name and possible phone number should be on the stamp that wash would have done in the passport when they recorded the vaccination. If you don't have a passport/vaccinations were not recorded then you and the relevant vets have bigger issues to worry about than your insurance claim

 

[Elbie]

I don't think it's common practice to ask for a full history at the time of a claim. It would only normally be if there was a specific reason (i.e. asking for previous dental records if a dental claim, horse has had similar injury previously, near to start of cover and horse gets diagnosed with DJD).

They can't reject a claim because you don't have the previous history. I would just explain it to them on the claim form

 

[Buddy'sMum]

I don't think it's common practice to ask for a full history at the time of a claim.

It is. I've just been asked for a full medical history for my youngster (sarcoid claim).

 

[Elbie]

It is. I've just been asked for a full medical history for my youngster (sarcoid claim).

Meant to say across the board. Not all companies ask for this.

A sarcoid claim I could understand as they can be present for a while so they might want to check records

 

[chestnut cob]

If you don't have a passport/vaccinations were not recorded then you and the relevant vets have bigger issues to worry about than your insurance claim

Of course I have a passport. If the vets themselves haven't kept a record then that's up to them. The passport contains his full vaccination history.

He had not been vaccinated when I bought him so I started them with vet I was using at the time, who were the ones who treated his sarcoid (insurers are aware of the sarcoid as it's excluded from policy). That practice did two vacc's and I then moved a long way out of their area so they wouldn't come out to me again. That practice are no longer trading and haven't been for at least 2 years.

Most vacc's were done by the vet who treated him yesterday, who are my usual vet. One was done by the local vet in the village who happened to be at the yard seeing another horse so they did the vaccination (and filled in the passport with stamp, batch no etc). Another vaccination was done by a livery on the yard who is an equine vet, but I'm not registered at her practice. the most recent vacc was done by the vet who treated him yesterday and who is involved in the claim.

 

[Puzzled]

I had a similar issue recently where the practice I used had closed. I informed insurance company and sent photocopies of passport and flu and tet pages (which had been done by several different practices) took about a week to sort but they paid out as they had to clear it with underwriters. They said its standard policy though a claim I made with another horse never asked for anything from myself and just dealt directly with the vets.