Frequently asked questions
Critical Illness

To add critical illness cover to your life insurance policy, you must be a UK resident aged 17 to 67. The policy must end before your 70th birthday. You can apply for a policy that covers just you, or you plus another person. If two people are covered by the policy, it will only pay out once. This is because cover ends once a valid claim has been made and the full cash sum has been paid.

With IrishSavings critical illness cover you will be covered for 41 conditions that could affect your life and work – that's 17 more than the Association of British Insurers guidelines. Cancer, heart attack and stroke are a few of the illnesses covered. However, because of medical advances, not all types will have a severe impact on your lifestyle and not all will be covered by your policy. For example, a cancer needs to have spread or reached a specified severity to be covered under the policy.

You can choose between guaranteed or reviewable premiums. Guaranteed premiums stay the same throughout your policy unless you alter your policy, you'll always know what your monthly payment will be. Reviewable premiums are reviewed every 5 years during the term of your policy. After your review, your monthly payment could go up, down or remain the same.

Your life and critical illness policy can cover you for a duration of 2 to 40 years, up to the age of 70.

Yes, critical illness cover for your children is included at no extra cost. All your children, step-children and legally adopted children aged from 30 days to 18 years old are covered, this also includes children up to 21 if they're in full time education. Your policy also covers any children born or legally adopted during the term of the policy. The maximum individual claim is €25,000 or 50% of your chosen amount of cover, whichever is lower. A maximum of two claims can be paid under children's critical illness cover, after this the benefit will end. However, your policy will not be impacted by children's critical illness claims and would continue to provide cover. For more information, please refer to the Key Features Document.

No your policy will only pay out once, either on diagnosis of a specified critical illness or on death during the policy term. Your policy ends once a valid claim has been made and a cash sum paid out. However, if your claim is for ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast treated by surgery, low grade prostate cancer requiring treatment or a children's critical illness claim, the policy will continue as normal.

We understand that your protection needs may change during the term of your policy and you may need to change your level of cover. Our policies are flexible allowing you to change your cover in line with your new circumstances. Options include:

• Changing the duration of your policy
• Increasing or decreasing the amount of cover
• Changing between monthly or annual premiums
• Removing a person from a joint policy where cover is no longer required for that person
• Splitting a joint life policy in to two single life policies in the event of divorce, dissolution of a civil partnership, or taking out a mortgage in the name of one person on the policy

The guaranteed insurability option allows you to increase the amount of cover when specific life changes occur. No further medical evidence or health assessments are required. If you want to increase the amount of cover using one of the options above it’s likely that an additional medical assessment will have to take place, this can be done at any time during your policy. If your cover changes, your premium will change.

If you claim under the definitions above the policy will pay out a benefit of 25% of the amount of cover or €25,000, whichever is lower. This benefit is in addition to your main amount of cover so your cover will not end after this payment is made. Your cover and monthly premium will continue as normal.

Critical Illness Cover can be added to your policy at an additional cost, it pays out if you are diagnosed with one of 41 different conditions including some forms of cancer, heart attack and stroke. For more information please refer to the Key Features Document. Terminal illness cover is included at no extra charge on all Legal & General's life insurance policies with a duration of 2 years or more. You can claim under the terminal illness cover definition if in the opinion of your hospital consultant and Legal & General's Medical Officer, your life expectancy is 12 months or less.

Yes, A trust is a way of giving away something of value (the asset) for the benefit of others (the beneficiaries) but without giving them full access to and control over it. The trust specifies who may benefit from the asset. The trust will also specify who you want to look after and control the asset (the trustees). If you need any assistance in setting up a trust, please contact your financial or legal adviser.

As your weight during pregnancy is not a true reflection of your normal weight. When asked, please state what your weight was immediately before pregnancy.

These benefits are paid in addition to your main policy so your cover will not end after you receive your pay out. Your cover and monthly premium will continue as normal.

Have you used any tobacco products within the past 12 months?

It is important that you answer the question truthfully. Please answer ’Yes‘ even if you consider yourself to be a social smoker (e.g. only during evenings out or weekends). This includes cigarettes, pipes, cigars or other tobacco products such as nicotine patches.

What is your average weekly consumption of alcohol?

Answer this question based on your current level of alcohol consumption, even if this has changed recently. Later in the application you will be asked if your level of alcohol consumption has changed over the previous 5 years and whether you've been medically advised to reduce your level of alcohol consumption.

If you or your representatives need to make a claim, please write to Legal & General at:

Claims Department
National Insurance Company
City Park
The Droveway
Hove
East Sussex
BN3 7PY

When Legal & General are told about a claim, they will send you or your representative a claim form to complete and return.

To make a valid life or critical illness claim Legal & General will ask for supporting evidence. For Legal & General to pay out on a critical illness claim, the illness you have must be one of the illnesses covered by your plan and meet the definition of the illness. All diagnosis and medical opinions must be from a medical specialist:

• who holds an appointment as a consultant at a UK hospital; and

• whose specialism we reasonably consider is appropriate to the cause of the claim.

If a claim is made under Terminal Illness Cover, then you must be terminally ill as described below:

Legal & General will pay a claim for Terminal Illness Cover if you are diagnosed as being terminally ill, and in the opinion of your hospital consultant and Legal & General’s Medical Officer, the illness is expected to lead to death within 12 months.