Yes. Every retail TPD product on IMFL's panel contains supplementary branches inside the TPD definition that pay the full TPD benefit on diagnosis of specific catastrophic conditions, without requiring the three-month qualifying absence that applies to the standard own-occupation or any-occupation test.
The benefit amount is the same as the standard TPD sum insured; the route to it is faster. The panel is AIA, Zurich, TAL, OnePath, ClearView, NEOS, Encompass, Acenda and Futura.
What the branches cover
The core set, with minor wording variations across the panel:
- Total and irrecoverable loss of the sight of both eyes, use of two limbs, or sight of one eye and use of one limb.
- Paralysis (paraplegia, quadriplegia, hemiplegia, diplegia).
- Loss of independent existence (typically unable to perform two or more activities of daily living without assistance, or severe permanent cognitive impairment).
- 25% permanent whole-person impairment measured against the American Medical Association Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment.
Where each panel insurer sets this out
- AIA Priority Protection (PDS 9 November 2025, Section 12.1, page 221): both the Own Occupation and Any Occupation definitions pay on 'total and irrecoverable loss of the sight of both eyes, use of two limbs, or sight of one eye and use of one limb', and on 'Loss of Independence'. These branches sit alongside the standard three-month-absence path.
- TAL Accelerated Protection (PDS 12 December 2024, Section 9 Definitions, page 88): TPD pays on 'permanent Whole Person Impairment of at least 25%' as a standalone branch. The ADL definition is offered as a separately named third definition (inability to perform at least two of five activities of daily living without physical assistance).
- OnePath OneCare (PDS 1 October 2025, pages 32 to 33): supplementary branches for 'loss of limbs and/or sight', 'loss of independent existence' (inability to perform two of five activities of daily living without assistance: bathing, dressing, eating and drinking, using a toilet, getting in and out of bed or a chair), and 'cognitive loss' (with a six-month confirmation window rather than three months).
- Zurich Wealth Protection (PDS 1 November 2025, page 12): TPD Advancement Benefit advances 25% of the TPD benefit amount (up to $500,000) for loss of use of a hand or foot or loss of sight in one eye. Platinum TPD adds a Partial Impairment Benefit (40% or 65% of the TPD benefit amount) for two or three extended activities of daily living. The standard TPD branches cover the more serious losses.
- NEOS Protection (PDS 6 December 2024, page 67): from the plan anniversary after age 70 the TPD definition reduces to 'loss of independent existence (permanent and irreversible), loss of use of limbs (total and irrecoverable), or blindness (total and irrecoverable)'. Before age 70, these branches sit alongside the occupational tests.
- ClearView ClearChoice (PDS May 2024 with update effective 5 June 2025, pages 40 to 41): Non-Occupational TPD branch (loss of independent existence, loss of use of limbs, blindness in both eyes) sits inside the TPD definition and applies automatically from the policy anniversary after age 65.
- Encompass Protection (PDS 26 September 2025, pages 16 to 17): similar structure with supplementary branches for loss of limbs/sight and loss of independent existence.
- Acenda Insurance (PDS 27 September 2025, page 19): TPD Severity definition is offered as a separately structured branch requiring specified permanent impairment, plus standard branches.
- Futura Protection (PDS 1 October 2025, pages 21 to 24): from the plan anniversary after age 65 the definition reduces to loss of independent existence, loss of use of limbs, or blindness in both eyes (the definitions in the Critical Illness section). Before that age the supplementary branches sit alongside the occupational tests.
Why these branches matter
Three practical effects:
1. No three-month qualifying absence
The catastrophic branches do not require you to wait out the qualifying period, because the condition itself satisfies the 'unlikely ever again' permanence test.
2. Less reliance on contested medical opinion
Conditions like total irrecoverable blindness or paraplegia are typically settled by hospital admission and surgical or radiological records, not by a permanence assessment that turns on prognosis.
3. Faster outcome
The combination of points 1 and 2 is why these branches resolve in weeks to a couple of months, rather than the six to twelve months typical for the standard occupational test.
What is not included in the TPD catastrophic branches
Many severe conditions are covered by Trauma cover instead, not by TPD's catastrophic branches. Common examples:
- Heart attack.
- Cancer.
- Stroke.
- Multiple sclerosis at the conventional severity thresholds.
- Organ failure short of complete loss of use.
- Severe burns at the conventional percentages.
The two covers are designed to complement each other. Trauma triggers on a defined list of medical events. TPD triggers on functional permanence or one of the catastrophic branches above.
For the broader definitional framework see what 'total' and 'permanent' actually mean in TPD claims and what is an ADL TPD definition.