The IBCA claim journey – conversation with a claim manager

Kieran was one of the first IBCA claim managers, here he shares his experience of supporting someone through their claim from start to finish.

What did you want to achieve on your first call with someone?

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve called someone at the start of a claim and they’ve said something like, “I’ll be honest Kieran, I didn’t trust ringing you”. People have had years of waiting and plenty of reasons not to trust organisations.

Our job as claim managers is to be like a sponge and just absorb everything we can, in terms of information but also sometimes emotion. I also remind people starting as claim managers now that however much training we receive the greatest expert about someone’s claim is that person. They’ve lived it and we owe it to them to listen.

My role is to be available for someone making a claim from start to finish. I answer questions, make everything clear and help someone get the compensation they’re eligible for as quickly as possible.

What happens in the first conversation?

We will always get in touch with people in the best way for them – whether that's email, phone or post. On the first call, I explain how the claim will work, including confirming peoples’ information before the calculation is made, making an offer and making the payment. I also explain what medical and other supporting information we’ll need. I also talk about the financial and legal support I can help arrange, and the different routes that people can take to receive their compensation such as lump sum or continuous payments.

What comes next?

I review the information IBCA already has about the person’s claim, and help gather any other details we need, if they are available, with the person’s permission. This might include medical records and information about specific conditions.

Then I ask the person claiming to confirm all the information is correct on their declaration form. Once this is done, it’s time for the calculation. Here I write to the person to let them know how much, and what types of compensation they are due based on their circumstances.

How do you organise and make the payment?

Before we make the payment, the amount is checked by my senior manager and by a financial assessor. Then I make the transfer to the person’s bank account. I always confirm they’ve received it safely. Sometimes a bank might ask for proof of where payments have come from for example, and there’s things we can do to help in that situation.

It’s always really rewarding making the payment. People I speak to have waited years for this compensation and I’m honoured to play a part in supporting them. They regularly say it was easier than they expected, and they didn’t really believe it would finally be over.

Find out more

Watch Joanne Dodds, our training lead, explain more about our 3-week training programme for claim managers (opens in new tab).