If you want to ensure the risk related to your domestic help, you require maid insurance. Singapore maid insurance offers broad domestic coverage for household help. The insurance provides full coverage of the expense incurred by the employer in the hospitalisation of his maid. Additionally, the insurance covers any costs related to body injuries, damage caused by hour domestic helper to a third person or third party’s property.
MOM has made it mandatory to take a maid insurance policy for all workers that the employer hires in Singapore. The ministry of Manpower states that you should at least ensure an amount of 60,000 dollars as basic coverage and 15,000 dollars as medical coverage. It is compulsory for those employers who employ a foreign maid in Singapore. The insurance policy offered by many insurance companies is usually combined with security bond amounting to 5,000 dollars.
Finding the best insurance policy
There are a variety of options available in the market, and it can be not very clear to choose between them. Some people take the policy to fulfil the criteria of MOM, so they don’t mind a low-cost approach. But some people want full coverage policy that secures every possible uncertainty no matter the cost. So it essential to go through every detail and analysis to find the best one for you.
When intending to hire a foreign maid, it is best to take policythat provides full support. The future is uncertain in case of foreign domestic help. People who live in a high-rise and luxurious buildings it is essential to secure the safety of the household items. They need to insure themselves against theft.
There are some insurance policy that does not include the compensation of outpatient treatment. So you should always know if the insurance company if insuring the outpatient part and if yes then how much. Lastly, when you are going to sign the policy document, please read it carefully. Read every corner of the form to have a clear understanding of which expense is covered and which is not.
Main points to look in the document
Singapore maid insurance not only provides support against legal expenses incurred by the employer. A top-grade insurance policy should cover the administrative and medical cost as well. We have mentioned some key features that your maid insurance must cover:
- The company should provide coverage for dental and medical expense.
- Daycare and regular clinic visit should come within surgical expense coverage.
- Protection against losses from personal liability, theft, and fraud.
Some insurance company to compete in the market race offer additional benefits. They access the competitive edge to differentiate themselves from others. Some add on that are provided with maid insurance coverage include:
- Theft
- Wage compensation
- Third-party liability
- Repatriation expense
The primary purpose of providing these add on is to compensate for the losses or financial expense incurred by the employer. Another type of financial losses that you might incur is when diagnosed with critical illness. So, to avoid or cover the loss, you can look for critical illness insurance Singapore.
How to make a claim
When claiming maid insurance company, it is a bit different than the other insurance company. There are a few things that you should keep in mind when opting for the claim:
- Claim period: Make sure that you claim for the amount in the first thirty days of the occurrence of the incident. This period is applicable for all insurance company.
- Valid Documents: When claiming the amount, you have to provide the necessary proof. So make sure the documents you are providing is 100 per cent accurate. Some of the prove you can present are physician’s report, medical claim, and police report for thievery.
Security bond requirement for foreign maid
It is also compulsory to buy the bond for your domestic helper unless she is a Malaysian. The security bond acts as a pledge that you make with your government. These bonds get forfeited if any employment law is breached.
For example, every individual is required to provide repatriation expense to the helper’s house once her contract is over. Before she gets in Singapore, a bond of 5,000 dollars is to be paid to the department of the work permit of MOM.
Thus if the employer does not pay the repatriated amount to the home country of the domestic helper, the bond gets forfeited.
If you have a domestic helper from Filipino, you have to deposit an amount of 2,000 dollars or 7,000 dollars. This deposit has to be done in the Embassy of the Philippines. Suppose you have employed the domestic helper from an agency you have to buy a bond of 2,000 dollars. But if you have hired the helper by yourself, you will require a bond of 7,000 dollars.
The maid agency combines the maid insurancepolicy with the security bond in a single package. It saves the employer from all the hassle of purchasing it separately.
When to buy the bond
You have to maintain the timing of buying the bond, especially when you are buying it yourself. The insurer usually covers the amount of security bond, which is 5000 dollars to be paid to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). The employer must make sure that MOM receives the bond details from the insurer before the foreign maid arrives. This processing should have a gap of three working days.
If you do so, the bond becomes valid on the exact day the foreign domestic helper arrives. Or else the employer has to send her back home and bear the travelling expense.
Conclusion
Here you have learned general rules and regulation of every bond and the additional benefits you can get. Do not sign up for any policy before reading the condition, management, and requirement carefully. The procedure of claiming the amount may vary for many insurance companies. So make sure you understand the system clearly. Do not rush the process. This knowledge will help you at the time of claiming amount. Save all the necessary documents for future reference. It is always useful at the time of proving the authenticity of the insurance policy you made.
