We can submit claims on behalf of our clients to all major insurance companies providing cover in Ireland. This service is provided free of charge.

Types of claims

1. A standard insurance claim

This is the most common type of claim whereby you pay your bill to us in full and then claim back payment from your insurance company.

2. A direct insurance claim

This involves your insurance company paying us directly. At present, direct claims are only offered in exceptional circumstances, with the approval of management, where pre-authorisation has been provided by your insurance company.

3. Pre-Authorisation

This can be arranged in advance of a surgery or treatment where the bill is expected to go over €500. A detailed clinical history and estimate of treatments are submitted to your insurance company and they will confirm or deny cover for said treatment in advance. You will need to pay any policy excesses or deductions on the day of treatment.

4. Claims for treatment at an emergency clinic

Please complete the insurance claim request form and include a full itemised receipt from the emergency clinic.

Please note if we have referred you to a specialist hospital you will need to contact them directly to arrange your insurance claim.

How to Get Started

For Agria Petinsure Policyholders:

• Please complete a paper claim form which can be found at www.agria.ie/how-to-claim
• Ensure the form is signed and all details are correct before dropping it into reception

For those companies that use an online portal (e.g. Allianz, Petinsurance.ie, An Post, Blue):

• Please fill out our insurance claim request form.
• Return the completed form by emailing it to insurance@cottagevet.ie or by dropping it into reception.
• This insurance claim request form can also be picked up in reception.

For companies not listed above please email the details to insurance@cottagevet.ie and we will provide further information.

Whether you are using a company claim form or our request form please read carefully and fill out as much info as possible. Any fields left blank may result in a delayed submission.

Submission timelines

Our aim is to submit your insurance claim as soon as possible. This can only be achieved where all the necessary information has been provided to us.
The timeline for submission will depend on the type of claim

• Ongoing claims: 2-3 weeks
• New claims: 2-4 weeks
• Yearly claims: 3-4 weeks

Please be aware that these timelines are approximate. In some circumstances, claim submissions may be delayed, especially where there are multiple or complex conditions.

Following Submission

Your insurance company may direct further queries to us after submission. Our aim is to reply to these queries as quickly as possible also. Most queries can be dealt with by the staff member dedicated to submitting the claim but on occasion they need to be referred to the treating vet which will likely delay the response.

Insurance excesses and limits

Your insurance policy will have…

• An excess, which is the amount you need to pay towards each condition claimed for.
• A cover limit, which is the total amount your insurance will pay out each policy year
• A percentage deduction or co-payment.

For example, for a policy with a €100 excess per condition and a €4000 cover limit per year, you will pay the first €100 when claiming per condition per policy year and your insurance will reimburse you up to €4000 per policy year.

Some policies also have a percentage deduction or co-payment which often applies to policies once your pet goes over a certain year of age. For example, if you have a bill of €500 and a policy with a €100 + 20% excess, you would pay the first €100 when claiming per condition per policy year then 20% of the rest of the bill i.e. €180 (€100 plus 20% of €400)

Your excess and cover limit will be detailed on your insurance policy documents. If you have any questions about deductions please direct them towards your policy provider as we do not have access to these details.

Other

Insurance does not cover routine or preventative healthcare e.g. vaccinations, anti-parasite treatments, food or prescription food or neutering.

Dental cover: historically treatment for dental disease was not covered by insurance companies, however more companies are now offering cover for dental disease treatment, please make sure your policy has cover for dental treatment specifically before submitting a request to us.