Building trust from the ground up: how we helped James secure a $156,000 TPD claim
How patience and a culturally safe approach helped Berrill & Watson secure James a life-changing $156,000 TPD payout.
Read MoreWe've helped hundreds of Australian workers win their TPD and/or income protection claims. These success stories have been life-changing for our clients. We can't write about all of them but, from time to time, we select stories and cases that demonstrate some of the challenges faced when trying to access your TPD or income protection insurance. This page details some of those stories.
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14 September 2026 -
$122,000 TPD claim win for client with PTSD, depression and a stolen tax file number
31 August 2026 PTSD, depression and a fraudulent employment record on the ATO's books - see how our team untangled it all to win two TPD claims worth $122,000.
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Told he had no prospects… We helped David secure two TPD claims and one income protection claim
03 August 2026 In this big win, we explain how our client was initially discouraged (by another law firm) from pursuing disability insurance benefits, including TPD and income protection through his super, only for our team to later secure multiple approved claims after a careful reassessment.
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From $0 to almost $800,000… overturning an unfair superannuation death benefit decision
06 July 2026 This case study explains how an unfair superannuation death benefit decision was successfully overturned through the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA).
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$325,000 in TPD benefits and interest paid to Ralph after 6 years of advocacy
08 June 2026 This blog explains how even difficult TPD claims that have been declined multiple times can sometimes still result in a successful outcome with the right legal advice and advocacy.
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How we uncovered five superannuation accounts with insurance cover worth over $880,000 for a client with MS
25 May 2026 Kate was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2012 and hadn't worked since 2013 - but had no idea five of her superannuation accounts carried insurance cover she could still claim. Here's how Berrill & Watson recovered over $880,000 in TPD and income protection benefits on her behalf.
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TPD win after insurer’s flawed assessment of future work prospects due to mental illness
11 May 2026 This blog explains how an insurer wrongly assessed our client’s future work capacity, why the medical evidence did not support a return to employment, and how a detailed IDR complaint ultimately led to the TPD claim being accepted.
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TPD win after insurer denies claim due to non-disclosure allegation
13 April 2026 In this success story, we explain how insurers cherry-pick medical evidence to assess disclosure obligations. Our legal strategy relied a lot on clarifying the medical evidence, which helped our client overturn a denied TPD and income protection claim.
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$2 million TPD win helps Timothy rebuild after life-changing illness
16 March 2026 Case review: This blog explains how three TPD claims for the same client were strategically prepared, why the medical evidence was critical, and how a $2 million outcome helped rebuild his future.
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TPD win after years of pain, delays and two trustee declines
01 February 2026 We secured a significant TPD payout for our client after years of pain, delays and two trustee rejections. This article highlights how strong medical evidence, persistence and experienced legal guidance can shift an insurer’s position.
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Underinsured and out of pocket? We helped a Victorian café owner recoup losses
21 December 2025 Underinsurance is a silent trap that catches many business owners off guard – especially during times of crisis. In this win, we helped a café owner recoup losses from their insurance broker after demonstrating that the broker failed in their duty of care when advising on and arranging our client’s business interruption insurance, including annual renewals.
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Mortgage protection insurance win after complaint to AFCA
09 November 2025 Richie (a pseudonym) had purchased a mortgage protection insurance policy when he took out his mortgage. He lodged a claim on that insurance due to his inability to work due to illness, but that claim was rejected. We were asked to review the rejection of the mortgage protection insurance claim.
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$100,000 income protection back-payments secured after long delays
12 October 2025 Roger (a pseudonym) came to us in early 2025 for help with his income protection (IP) claim, after experiencing long delays in his insurer’s assessment of the claim. Two months after meeting with Roger, we secured back-payment of the outstanding income protection benefit.
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$2 million secured for client with ‘own occupation’ TPD definition
07 July 2025 Although there are similarities in TPD definitions across funds, there are also differences that can impact whether your insurance benefits will be paid. One common definition is called an ‘own occupation’ TPD definition. These TPD insurance policies enable you to claim if you cease work and are permanently unable to return to your own occupation.
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Successful TPD claim due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a physical injury delivers $1.25m in benefits
23 June 2025 We’ve run and won many TPD claims with significantly complex and tricky hurdles to overcome. In this blog, we review just one of those success stories which delivered our client $1.25 million dollars in TPD benefits that may ordinarily have been lost to them.
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Initial trauma insurance payout of $10,000… We got our client a benefit of $250,000
11 May 2025 Our client told us that her multiple sclerosis meant that she had to cease work as a school teacher. She lodged a trauma insurance claim and was paid an insurance benefit of $10,000 based on the category of disability the insurer determined. We worked with our client and her doctors to eventually deliver a $250,000 payout.
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$3.5 million secured for client after disability insurance claim initially denied
16 March 2025 John (a pseudonym) came to us in October 2024 after his insurer made allegations that he had fraudulently failed to disclose certain medical conditions during his application for disability insurance cover back in 2012. John was seeking a payout on multiple insurance policies, including for terminal illness, TPD, income protection and trauma insurance.
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Successful TPD and income protection claims help client with alcoholism turn his life around
19 January 2025 With disability insurance claims, there are often complications around policy definitions, medical opinions, timing of claims and pre-existing conditions. In this case review, we were absolutely delighted to secure a successful TPD claim and income protection benefits for our client.
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Mortgage insurer considers rejecting claim due to pre-existing condition exclusion
05 January 2025 Our client had submitted a death benefit claim under her late brother’s mortgage insurance policy. The insurer had indicated to her that they required all her late brother’s medical records and may decline the claim on the basis that her late brother’s drinking problem was a pre-existing medical condition.
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$700,000 secured after TPD claim initially rejected
29 September 2024 Jessica (a pseudonym) lodged a TPD claim for a shoulder injury from 2014, which was rejected. After many years and further injuries and illness, she finally sought legal advice and assistance, which resulted in a successful TPD claim payout of $700,000.
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Terminal illness insurance claim paid out to wife after death of policy holder
29 July 2024 We provided Brendan and his wife with advice and assistance in relation to his income protection entitlements and an entitlement to a terminal illness payout. Unfortunately, there was little we could do with the income protection claim, however, with diligent and persistent work, we secured $1,200,000 in terminal illness benefits for Brendan’s wife.
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$200,000 TPD and IP benefits paid after successfully appealing the insurer’s initial decision
19 May 2024 Trevor (pseudonym) came to us at the end of 2021 because he had tried to return to work after a period of being unable to work due to mental illness and drug addiction. He was ultimately unable to hold down a job. His mental health eventually led to his incarceration. We helped Trevor claim on his TPD and income protection insurance, years after he stopped working.
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$2,600,000 in TPD benefits secured after complaint against insurer
10 March 2024 We take on the complex and complicated cases that other firms won’t. And that’s precisely what we did for our client’s claims related to mental illness, securing $2.6 million in well-deserved benefits.
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Successful TPD and IP claim due to chronic fatigue delivers $1.5m in benefits
28 January 2024 We’ve run and won many TPD and income protection claims with significantly complex and tricky hurdles to overcome. In this success story, we delivered our client $1.5 million dollars in TPD and income protection benefits that may ordinarily have been lost to them.
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A life changing TPD and income protection claim paid out in full
27 August 2018 Jeremy was referred to Berrill & Watson by his Financial Counsellor. The Financial Counsellor was working with Jeremy to help him establish a budget to make his Disability Support Pension go a bit further. In doing this work, the Financial Counsellor recognised that Jeremy might have a Total and Permanent Disability (“TPD”) claim.
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