TAL has paid $4.7 billion in benefits to 57,000 customers and their families in the year to March 31, 2026 with living insurance* claims continuing to grow, now accounting for 75% of all claims paid.
TAL says that mental health conditions remained the leading cause of claims for the fifth consecutive year (22%), followed by cancer (17%) and injuries and fractures (14%). Together, these three conditions accounted for more than half of all claims paid.
Chief Claims Officer, Georgina Croft, said TAL’s ongoing investment in technology, process improvements and partnerships, while keeping human support at the centre of the claims experience, had made a difference to its customers.
“Alongside our partners, we’re helping more people through increasingly complex claims – as many manage multiple conditions and uncertain recovery journeys.”
She says the company is focused on creating a better experience for customers.
“This means investing in technology that makes it faster and easier to lodge a claim, connecting people with recovery support earlier, and giving our team AI tools that enable them to be fully present with customers and deliver a compassionate high-quality experience.”
The company says it’s investing in partnerships with health experts and research institutions to help customers feel more connected and supported throughout their claim and recovery.
“Through collaborations like the Pathways project with the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre, the University of Sydney and Workcom, TAL is co-designing new tools to get customers the right support at the right time.”
New AI tools, shaped by TAL’s claims consultants, mean they are spending less time on administration and more time supporting customers.
…a chat-based knowledge assistant has answered over 37,000 claims-related queries for consultants…
TAL says a chat-based knowledge assistant has answered over 37,000 claims-related queries for consultants, saving seven minutes per question, while an automated call summarisation tool has processed over 120,000 calls.
It says that building on the success of the scalable digital platform, TAL Connect, the insurer continues to streamline documentation and assessment, automate claim lodgement, and improve digital self-service capabilities that give customers real-time visibility of their claim.
“Digital integration between TAL, its super fund partners and their administrators has significantly reduced the time it takes to lodge a claim. For example, TAL is receiving digital IP claims from AustralianSuper members around 80% faster than on paper.”
It notes too that more customers are taking advantage of 24/7 digital lodgement options, with many choosing to start their claim outside traditional business hours.
*Living insurance includes Income Protection, Total and Permanent Disability, Critical Illness and Trauma Insurance.
