It’s hard to ignore the heart-rending depiction of Queensland stonemason Garry Moratti in the media. Diagnosed with silicosis in 2017 and given four to five years to live, he has been denied a lump-sum benefit under his total and permanent disability (TPD) life insurance policy through Sunsuper.

It’s the latest in a stream of criticism aimed at the Australian not-for-profit super fund. Along with some other funds, it introduced a new TPD product offering six instalment payments accompanied by support with retraining and rehabilitation as an alternative to the traditional lump-sum payment. After the first year, recipients are required to prove their TPD status to be eligible for the next instalment.

TPD is not always permanent. If you dig a little deeper, the complexity around TPD becomes clear. In an in-depth study of members who’d already been paid a TPD claim, Sunsuper found that 36 per cent were working or actively seeking employment within three years.

‘This really highlights that total permanent disability may not always be permanent, and that many of our members who have made a TPD claim want to return to work,’ the fund said in a statement.

The changes to Sunsuper’s TPD product have also reduced premiums by around 30 per cent.

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