What waiting periods do I have?

If you’re a new member, switching to a higher level of cover from Westfund or another insurer or re-joining after an extended period of time, waiting periods will apply.

When transferring from another fund or to a higher level of cover with Westfund, provided there's been no break in coverage, waiting periods apply to:

Any benefits under your new Westfund policy that weren’t included in your previous cover
Any benefits where waiting periods were not fully served under your previous cover
Any benefits provided under your previous cover where the benefit provided under your new Westfund policy is higher.

Read more about what moving to Westfund means in terms of waiting periods and benefits.

When transferring from another fund on the same or lower level of cover, provided there’s been no break in coverage when leaving your previous fund, you won't have to re-serve waiting periods for the same treatments and will be able to enjoy continuous cover.

Waiting periods also apply to our Health and Wellbeing Programs.

As always, we recommend checking your Policy Summary for detailed information about your cover, including waiting periods. You can view your Policy Summary on Members Online or on our app.

Common Questions

What are the waiting periods for Extras over

The following waiting periods apply to extras benefits:

Extras Waiting Periods
Emergency Ambulance Transport	1 Day
Non-emergency Ambulance Transport, General Dental, Optical (excluding Laser Eye Surgery), Other Therapies (excluding surgical treatment by a podiatrist), Prescriptions/Vaccinations/Injections, Prevention and Health Management (excluding antenatal classes)	2 Months
Major Dental, Orthodontic, Dental Top-Up, Antenatal Classes, Health Aids & Appliances (excluding Hearing Aids), Surgical Treatment by a Podiatrist, Outpatient Travel Benefit	12 Months
Hearing Aids, Laser Eye Surgery	36 Months

We recommend checking your Policy Summary for detailed information about your cover, including waiting periods.

What are the waiting periods for Hospital cover

The following waiting periods apply to Hospital benefits:

Hospital Waiting Periods
Accident-related	1 Day
Hospital psychiatric services, Rehabilitation and Palliative Care A member who has held a policy with Hospital cover for at least 2 months and upgrades to a policy which includes Hospital psychiatric services may elect to waive the 2 month Waiting Period that applies to psychiatric treatment upon upgrade. This waiver can only be accessed once in a member’s lifetime.	2 Months
Pregnancy and birth	12 Months
Treatment of a pre-existing condition	12 Months
All other services (not listed above)	2 Months
Accommodation Benefit, Inpatient Travel Benefit	12 Months

Waiting periods also apply to our Health and Wellbeing Programs.

We recommend checking your Policy Summary for detailed information about your cover, including waiting periods.

Why do I have waiting periods

Waiting periods protect members by ensuring that people can’t join the fund simply to make a large claim and then cancel their membership straight away after receiving the benefit, leading to much higher premiums for all members.

We’re not trying to stop you from claiming – some benefits have maximum waiting periods set by the government. Other waiting periods are decided by the insurer. Read more.