No death certificate needed for MH370 claims, says insurance body

KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 ― Families of passengers and crew on missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 do not need to show a death certificate when making insurance claims from local insurers, the General Insurance Association of Malaysia (PIAM) said today.

PIAM said its members have agreed to “simplify the procedure for processing” the personal accident insurance claims, also promising to give “special priority” to ensure family members of those on board MH370 receive quick payouts.

“Due to the nature of this incident, PIAM members have agreed that a death certificate will not be a requisite when submitting claims,” said PIAM in a statement.

PIAM represents all 29 general insurers and reinsurers in the country.

To claim for insurance compensation, families of those on board the MH370 only need to provide a completed claim form and other relevant documents, PIAM said.

The local general insurance industry will “speed up the claims payouts” for the families of those insured, PIAM said, adding that a recent survey showed some insurers settling such claims in just two working days of receiving required documents.

“All 15 insurers that have directly insured the passengers and crew members of MH370 have agreed to simplify the documentation and claims processes and claims will be paid out speedily,” PIAM chairman Chua Seck Guan said in the same statement.

He stressed that PIAM’s members are “well-positioned to provide services and quickly pay out claims to help the affected parties ride through these difficult times”.

Despite a multinational search that has stretched for more than months, no trace of the missing Boeing 777 plane has been found.

Under a 1999 international convention that governs airlines since coming into force in 2003, families of passengers are entitled to receive up to US$150,000 (RM490,000), but it is case-specific.

On May 1, MAS said it is in the process of initiating an advance compensation payment procedure for families of all those on board MH370 and that it will not jeopardise their right to claim compensation in accordance with the law at a later stage.