Pre-existing conditions
Many people suffer from pre-existing medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes or asthma. Often these conditions and their symptoms are unpredictable, which makes them particularly hard to anticipate, plan and budget for.
All absence types pose a threat to a school’s staffing budget, but none more so than those caused by a pre-existing condition. If a member of staff has suffered from a particular illness or condition in the past, the likelihood of it reoccurring in the future is far greater than to a member of staff with a clean bill of health.
The nature of a pre-existing conditions means that symptoms can flare up quickly and frequently, which increases the risk of a staff absence. For example, a member of staff who suffers from back pain could find themselves unable to attend work as a result of standing for long periods in the classroom or sleeping in an awkward position during the night.
Pre-existing conditions also have the potential to develop quickly; from being a small health issue which requires a short period of absence, to a more serious issue which requires a sustained amount of time off work.
Most staff absence insurance policies will contain what is commonly known as ‘pre-existing illness exclusion’. Any claims made as a result of a condition found to have existed before the policy start date will likely be invalid and subsequently declined.
Our solution - Pre-existing conditions cover
We allow you to add cover for pre-existing conditions to your staff absence insurance policy. Selecting to cover pre-existing conditions means you can still claim when a member of staff is absent if such a condition reoccurs throughout the duration of your policy.
We consider a pre-existing condition an absence whereby a member of staff has suffered from a related problem, resulting in more than five days’ absence in the 12 months prior to the start of your policy. It is important that all medical conditions are declared before your policy is purchased. If you don’t tell us about a pre-existing medical condition and you need to make a claim then cover will not be provided for that medical condition. To avoid this, please make sure that all conditions are disclosed before taking out your policy.