Claims
Claims handles a bereavement payout from the moment a death is reported to the moment money leaves. Each claim passes through assessment, review and approval before payment, so a payout is a decision with a trail rather than a cheque someone wrote.
Where to find it
Go to BurialPro > Claims. Log one from New > Bereavement Claim.
What a claim records
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Claim No | — | The claim reference. |
| Member | Yes | Whose policy is being claimed on. |
| Deceased Name | Yes | Who died — the member or a dependent. |
| Date of Death | Yes | Required. It also starts the claim window. |
| Claimant | Yes | Who is being paid. A name is required. |
| Claimant ID / Claimant Phone | No | How they are identified and contacted. |
| Beneficiary Account | No | Where the payout goes. |
| Cover Amount | — | What the policy pays. |
| Assessment Notes | No | What was checked and found. |
The claim workflow
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Logged | The claim is recorded. |
| Assign Claims Officer | Someone takes ownership of it. |
| Operations Assessment | Cover, dependants and membership status are checked. |
| Finance Assessment | Contributions and arrears are checked. |
| QA Review | An independent check before approval. |
| Final Approval | The claim is approved for payment. |
| Finance — Release Payment | Money is paid out. |
The claim window runs from the date of death, not from when the family came in. A claim reported outside it needs a decision from the committee rather than a clerk, and recording the death date honestly is what makes that decision possible.
Partial payment
A claim can be paid in parts — Approved + part paid shows how much has gone out and Pay Remaining Balance settles the rest. Whether this is allowed is controlled by Allow Partial Payouts in Rules.
Lapsed policies
Where Block claims on lapsed policies is on, a claim against a lapsed membership is stopped. This is the setting that decides whether the society honours cover somebody stopped paying for.