I am the executor of will for my late husband's deceased estate and as such have put in a claim for my husband's superannuation. It should be noted that my husband passed suddenly while were we overseas on holiday (which made a very difficult situation even more so).
In early September 2016, I made contact with his super fund NESS Super. I received the relevant forms and a cover letter requesting that I provide the completed claim form, a certified copy of his death certificate, certified copy of proof of identity (for the deceased), a certified copy of the marriage certificate and a certified copy of the full birth certificate for any children of the deceased. This information was provided in full on the 6th of October.
On the 11th of October, I received a request to supply the fund with a certified copy of his will. This was duly supplied to the fund on the 19th of October. Then I received yet another request on the 21st of November for yet more documentation this included providing the fund with a copy of Travel Documents including the itinerary and a certified copy of each page of his passport and documentation confirming the cause of death.
This lack of transparency and being constantly asked to provide more information is both very upsetting and obstructive. I am struggling to get over the passing of my husband and am struggling financially however being able to access the superannuation would ease my financial burden immensely.
My questions are:
- Why did the fund not provide me with a complete list of all the relevant documentation they would require in order to process my claim when the sent the original claims forms (they were fully informed of the circumstances of my claim)?
- Why do they require an itinerary and copy of the passport. I feel it has absolutely no bearing on my claim. I rang the fund and enquired why this information was necessary and was told they'd get back to me in 2-3 days This is not acceptable. (Please note on advise from DFAT the passport was surrendered in early October)?
- Is it common practice for Super funds to drag out paying claims?
I appreciate any feedback on my questions above.
Thanks
In early September 2016, I made contact with his super fund NESS Super. I received the relevant forms and a cover letter requesting that I provide the completed claim form, a certified copy of his death certificate, certified copy of proof of identity (for the deceased), a certified copy of the marriage certificate and a certified copy of the full birth certificate for any children of the deceased. This information was provided in full on the 6th of October.
On the 11th of October, I received a request to supply the fund with a certified copy of his will. This was duly supplied to the fund on the 19th of October. Then I received yet another request on the 21st of November for yet more documentation this included providing the fund with a copy of Travel Documents including the itinerary and a certified copy of each page of his passport and documentation confirming the cause of death.
This lack of transparency and being constantly asked to provide more information is both very upsetting and obstructive. I am struggling to get over the passing of my husband and am struggling financially however being able to access the superannuation would ease my financial burden immensely.
My questions are:
- Why did the fund not provide me with a complete list of all the relevant documentation they would require in order to process my claim when the sent the original claims forms (they were fully informed of the circumstances of my claim)?
- Why do they require an itinerary and copy of the passport. I feel it has absolutely no bearing on my claim. I rang the fund and enquired why this information was necessary and was told they'd get back to me in 2-3 days This is not acceptable. (Please note on advise from DFAT the passport was surrendered in early October)?
- Is it common practice for Super funds to drag out paying claims?
I appreciate any feedback on my questions above.
Thanks