Purchasing or renewing your automobile insurance policy seems like a straightforward process. You may want to proceed with the basic plan and the minimum possible premium for the foreseeable tenure. However, there is more to this process than meets the eye.
When you decide to purchase or renew your automobile insurance policy, chances are, you will be presented with a variety of optional benefits that extend your coverage in case of any accidents and resultant injuries. And even though, from a myopic perspective, the basic policy may seem sufficient, asking anyone who has ever been injured in an accident will reveal a different picture.
Once you get over the aspect of having to pay more, you realize that the standard coverage simply does not do enough.
However, that being said, it is important to understand what each optional benefit can do for you. After all, not everything is applicable or beneficial for everyone. In this article, we shall list down the accident benefits Ontario insurance providers have to offer. If you want the lowdown on the best auto insurance offers available in Windsor, check out this site.
Continue reading to learn more about accident benefits Ontario.
Medical and rehabilitation/attendant care benefits
This is the focal category of auto insurance benefit that you can avail yourself of in case of an unfortunate injury resulting from an auto accident. Various post-trauma treatments such as exercise rehabilitation, massage therapy, counseling by psychologists, and physiotherapy can be funded with the medical and rehabilitation benefit.
Accident benefits in Ontario take care of the cost of a personal support assistant or any recommended professional service provider that may have to care for you after the accident. The standard benefit inclusions are listed below:
- With the standard policy, you receive coverage up to $3,500 under the medical and rehabilitation benefit for minor injuries for a maximum period of five years.
- For injuries that are deemed non-catastrophic, you can claim up to $65,000 for both medical and rehabilitation and attendant care benefits for a maximum period of five years.
- In case of catastrophic injuries, your claim amount can be as high as $1,000,000 for medical and rehabilitation as well as attendant care benefits. This is available for life.
Optional accident benefits Ontario
There are a total of three optional benefit schemes you can avail of for this:
- For non-catastrophic injury
- Increase coverage value up to $,130,000 for five years
- Increase coverage value up to $1,000,000 for life
- For catastrophic injury
- Increase coverage value up to $2,000,000 for life
For those that have recently been involved in an unfortunate catastrophic injury, the standard policy simply does not provide enough. Extending your medical and rehabilitation benefits is recommended for everyone to their affordable limits.
Dependent care benefit
This is also an optional benefit that is not part of your standard suite of auto insurance benefits. This is only applicable if you have dependents you must care for. Since your accident may influence your ability to care for your dependents, this policy takes care of any additional dependent care expenses like babysitters or hired child-care.
You can avail yourself up to $75 weekly for your primary dependant and up to $25 weekly for subsequent additional dependants. The maximum amount can go up to $150 per week for life. Unlike the caregiver benefit, this policy can be bundled with an income replacement benefit. If you are employed and have children or other dependants, this policy can be useful for you.
Death and funeral benefits
In the tragic event of the policyholder’s death during an auto accident, the grimly named death and funeral benefits cover providing financial assistance to their spouse and other dependants.
The spouse can claim a one-time payment of $25,000 and each dependant can claim a one-time payment of $10,000. Additionally, it also provides $6,000 for expenses related to the funeral. The benefits can be extended to:
- Up to $50,000 for the spouse
- Up to $20,000 for the dependants
- Up to $8,000 for funeral expenses
If you are the sole or even the primary breadwinner, you can think of availing this to support your spouse and dependents in case of an untimely demise.
Housekeeping and home maintenance
Usually, this is bundled with catastrophic injury coverage providing up to $100 weekly for life. This is intended for the payment of home maintenance assistance or professional housekeeping.
You have the option to make it available for non-catastrophic as well as minor injuries for $100 per week for up to two years. This is only applicable if you are the primary responsible person looking after your home and do not pay for professional housekeeping assistance.
Caregiver benefit
If you are the primary caregiver for your dependants or your children, you can only avail of this under the standard package for catastrophic injuries. Your first dependant will receive $250 weekly and subsequently will each receive $50 weekly for a maximum duration of two years.
You can extend the same benefits for non-catastrophic as well as minor injuries.
This is recommended for you if you have children or other unemployed dependants.
Income replacement benefit
This critical benefit acts as a replacement for your salary in case you are unable to work after your accident. This offers you either a flat $400 weekly payment or 70% of your gross salary, whichever is lower. As long as you continue to meet the eligibility criteria, you can avail of this until you are 65.
The weekly pay-out can be increased to:
- Up to $600 weekly
- Up to $800 weekly
- Up to $1,000 weekly
If you do not have a long-term disability policy and make more than $400 per week, you can go for the optional benefits.
Indexation benefit
This is another optional benefit that readjusts your other benefits to match the Canadian Consumer Price Index (CPI). This means that whatever your weekly benefit may be, it will be dynamically adjusted to match the inflation.
This is, however, strictly optional, and you should only go for this if you think you can profit from high inflation and some extra cash lying around to pay for it. This is not required for most people, and there are several other and more critical optional benefits that you can look through.
Conclusion
Several optional benefits are available as a top-up for your standard Ontario auto insurance policy. While some are critical, some only provide fringe benefits for exceptional use cases.
As with everything else, having first-hand information about the policies and their options will enable you to make an informed choice giving you the best possible coverage for your auto insurance over the coming years.
