Category Archives: Claims

HOW TO APPLY FOR SPOUSAL MAINTENANCE

Maintenance is the obligation to provide another person, for example a minor, with housing, food, clothing, education and medical care, or with the means that are necessary for providing the person with these essentials. This legal duty to maintain is called ‘the duty to maintain’ or ‘the duty to support’.

The duty to maintain is based on blood relationship, adoption, or the fact that the parties are married to each other.

An application for maintenance can be made against a defendant (person who must pay maintenance) at any Maintenance Court (“court”) in the district where the complainant (person who applies for maintenance) or the child, on whose behalf maintenance is claimed, resides or works.

The parents, guardians and/or caregivers of a child can apply for maintenance on behalf of such a child.

What should a person take to court when applying for maintenance?

  • Identity document of the complainant.
  • Complainant’s contact details, such as telephone numbers and home and work addresses.
  • If maintenance for a child is claimed, the birth certificate of that child.
  • If maintenance for the spouse is claimed, the marriage certificate or divorce order where maintenance order was granted.
  • A full list of expenses and any proof of same, such as receipts.
  • The complainant’s payslip and proof of any other income.
  • As much detail as possible regarding the defendant, such as telephone numbers, home and work addresses, list of known income and expenses, and so on.

What happens after the application has been made?

  • The maintenance officer will inform the defendant of the application and will hold an informal enquiry with the complainant and defendant being present.
  • The defendant must take any proof of his/her income and expenses to the informal enquiry.
  • The purpose of the informal enquiry is to assist the complainant and the defendant in reaching a settlement.
  • If a settlement is reached, an agreement will be entered into between the complainant and the defendant, which will be made an order of court.
  • If a settlement cannot be reached, the maintenance officer will place the matter before court for a formal enquiry to be held.
  • The court will consider the facts and evidence of the claim and decide, by way of a maintenance order, whether maintenance should be payable and the amount of such maintenance.
  • The complainant and the defendant must both be present at the informal and formal enquiry, and will be allowed to have legal representation.
  • If the defendant fails to appear at the formal enquiry in court, an order may be given in his/her absence.
  • It will not be necessary for the complainant and/or defendant to appear in court if they consent in writing to the maintenance order being granted.

This article is a general information sheet and should not be used or relied on as legal or other professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your legal adviser for specific and detailed advice. Errors and omissions excepted (E&OE)

References:

Justice.co.za

Legalwise.co.za

YOUR DUTY TO DISCLOSE EVEN IF YOU DO NOT CLAIM FROM YOUR INSURER

A4BInsurance to most people is a grudge purchase. We buy insurance and pay our monthly premiums and then forget about it until we want to claim. We are sold policies where, if we do not claim, we get a later benefit. Ever wonder about losses that you suffer and do not claim for and what effect it has on your policy?

In the recent unreported judgment in Sherwin Jerrier v Outsurance Insurance Company Limited the Pietermaritzburg High Court was faced with such a question. Mr Jerrier claimed for damages to his car caused by an accident that he was involved in on 8 January 2010.

The insured (Mr Jerrier) took out a policy in December 2008. He did not report a loss that he suffered in April 2009, after inception of his policy, to his insurer. The damage to his vehicle amounted to over R200 000 and the incident attracted further third party liability.

The specific policy as most, if not all policies do, provided that “you need to inform us immediately of any changes to your circumstances that may influence whether we give you cover, the conditions of cover or premium we charge. This includes incidents for which you do not want to claim but which may result in a claim in the future.”

As with most of our household policies, these are monthly policies, and we continuously need to make disclosure to the insurer of things such as losses or damage, moving to a new house, et cetera. The court in this instance found that the reasonable man would have concluded that the previous losses would, from a claims history perspective and also from a moral risk perspective, be indicative of a change in his circumstances. The Court found that the insurer was correct in not accepting liability for the loss suffered in January 2010.

In short, even if you do not claim, let your insurer rather know of a loss or a potential claim. Anything that may be deemed to influence the risk or would indicate a change in circumstances, such as moving to a new property, needs to be disclosed to the insurer. It is not unreasonable to expect this of the insured.

This article is a general information sheet and should not be used or relied upon as professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your financial adviser for specific and detailed advice. Errors and omissions excepted (E&OE)

STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO EASY UIF CLAIMS

A1BAlice recently lost her job. She is feeling very despondent since she has no income to provide for her family and cover her monthly expenses. She recalls that while she was employed she made monthly Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) contributions. However, Alice has no idea how to claim from the UIF and whether she qualifies as a claimant.

  1. WHO CAN CLAIM FROM THE UIF?

All workers who contributed to the UIF can claim if they have been fired, if their contract has come to an end, or if their employer is bankrupt. Domestic workers who have more than one employer can claim if they lose their job with one of their employers or if an employer dies.

  1. WHO CANNOT CLAIM?
  • Persons who resigned or quit their jobs
  • Persons who are suspended from claiming due to fraud
  • Persons who do not report at set dates and times
  • Persons who refuse training and advice that may be given by UIF staff
  • Persons who receive benefits from the Compensation Fund or from an Unemployment Fund established under the Labour Relations Act
  1. WHEN CAN I CLAIM FROM THE UIF?

You can start claiming from the last day of employment until your UIF benefits are used up or you started working again. Your current contract must have expired before registering for UIF. Furthermore, you must claim within six months after your last day of employment.

  1. HOW DO I REGISTER FOR UIF BENEFITS?

Unemployed workers must apply for UIF benefits in person at their nearest labour centre. 

Step 1: Documentation

This step is of utmost importance if you want to claim your UIF successfully for the first time. It is important to have all the necessary documentation in order to avoid repeated trips to the labour centre. The required forms are available as PDF downloads at ezuif.co.za/uif-forms.

You need:

  • Your 13-digit bar-coded ID or passport
  • UI-2.8 for banking details (Note that this needs to be signed by your bank and be accompanied by a stamped bank statement to confirm your bank account details.)
  • Form UI-19 to show employment history. This form is to be filled in by your previous employer. (Note that the Labour Department will check your last four years of work history to calculate your UIF benefit amount. Make sure you have all necessary declarations from previous employers dating back four years. If an employer has failed to issue you with a declaration, he must also fill out a UI-19 form.)
  • A workseeker form
  • Last two pay slips

Step 2: Go to the nearest labour centre

Once you have all the documents, go to the nearest labour centre. You can find the address and telephone number of your nearest centre at http://www.labour.gov.za/contacts/contacts. Note that the average waiting period at the labour centre can be anything from two to six hours, so make sure you have enough time. There is a slight chance that the staff at the labour centre may ask unemployed workers to go for training or advice – this is within their rights and you will have to take their advice.

  1. HOW WILL I BE PAID?

Once you have registered for UIF benefits the staff at the labour centre will issue you with a UIF checklist. On this checklist you will find the address of the venue where you must sign for payment, as well as the date and time for your attendance.

Step 1: Go to the signing venue

You must appear at the designated venue on the date and time stipulated in order to sign for your first UIF payment. It is important to be on time. Take the UIF checklist and your ID document with you.

Step 2: Sign the unemployment register and receive UI-6A forms

If you have successfully registered for UIF, your name will be read out from a list. You will be required to sign a register to mark your attendance and confirm that you are still unemployed. Collect all the UI-6A forms (one for each future signing). Keep all these documents in a safe place as you will need them every time you are due for a UIF payment. This whole process can take up to three hours. Your first payment will be paid into your bank account within two to four days after you have signed the register.

Step 3: Note your next signing date

Make sure you are aware of your future signing dates – they are printed on your UI-6A forms. Signing dates will be approximately four weeks apart. You will have to hand in the relevant UI-6A form every time you attend, so make sure you have it with you. Note that your application may be delayed and not yet processed by the date of your first signing. It is recommended that you call the relevant labour centre the day before going to the signing venue to ensure that your application has been processed. If your application has not yet been processed you do not need to go to the signing. Ask for the date of the next signing.

  1. HOW MUCH WILL I BE PAID?

The amount that you will be paid will depend on the amount of your monthly salary when you were employed.

Workers who earned less than R12 478 per month will receive approximately 36-56% of their average monthly salary for the previous four years; the higher the salary, the lower the percentage.

Workers who earned more than R12 478 per month will receive a fixed monthly benefit of approximately R4250-R4550.

How long you will be eligible to receive UIF payments depends on the length of time that you have contributed to the fund. You are eligible to receive one day’s worth of benefits for every six days that you had worked and contributed to the UIF over the previous four years. The maximum number of days you can claim for is 238. 

Note: You can calculate your UIF monthly payments by using the EZUIF calculator provided at: http://ezuif.co.za/2012-uif-benefits-calculator/

This article is a general information sheet and should not be used or relied on as legal or other professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your legal adviser for specific and detailed advice. Errors and omissions excepted (E&OE).