A full trauma benefit pays 100% of your sum insured for a severe condition that meets the complete PDS definition. A partial trauma benefit pays a smaller percentage (typically 10% to 25%) for less severe or early-stage diagnoses without exhausting your remaining cover. The partial-benefit catalogue is what separates basic from comprehensive Trauma tiers.
Partial benefits matter because many cancers and cardiac events are now caught at early or intermediate stages. A diagnosis that would not meet the full "invasive cancer" definition can still trigger a partial payout, leaving cover in place for any future event.
How partial benefits work
- You hold Trauma cover with a sum insured (for example, $500,000).
- You are diagnosed with a partial-benefit condition (for example, carcinoma in situ of the breast).
- The insurer pays the partial benefit (for example, 25% = $125,000, subject to any stated cap).
- Your remaining Trauma sum insured is reduced by the partial payment ($375,000 remaining).
- You can claim again for an unrelated future Critical Illness Event, up to the remaining sum insured.
- Some partial benefits do not reduce the main sum insured; check the specific PDS catalogue.
Typical partial-benefit values across the panel
| Condition | Typical partial payment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Carcinoma in situ (breast, cervix, ovary, vagina, fallopian tube, vulva, penis, testicle) | 10% to 25% of sum insured | Capped (commonly $25,000 to $100,000); full benefit may pay if entire breast removed |
| Early-stage skin melanoma | 10% to 15% of sum insured | Excluded when melanoma in situ in some tiers |
| Early-stage prostate cancer | 10% to 25% | Restrictions on Reinstatement Benefit |
| Coronary Artery Angioplasty | 25% up to $25,000 | Full benefit if Triple Vessel Disease |
| Benign brain or spinal cord tumour (specified severity) | 25% up to $50,000 | Severity threshold required |
Per-insurer partial-benefit detail
- AIA Priority Protection PDS (Version 32, 9 November 2025), Section 4 Partial benefit payments table: Carcinoma in situ pays the greater of $10,000 and 10% of the sum insured for breast, vagina, ovary, vulva, fallopian tube, cervix, penis, testicle. The full sum insured is paid if the entire breast is removed. Skin Cancer (melanoma less than 1mm Breslow depth and less than Clark Level 3) pays the greater of $10,000 and 15% of the sum insured. Coronary Artery Angioplasty pays 25% up to $25,000. Where one coronary artery is corrected with angioplasty, atherectomy, laser therapy, or similar technique, 50% partial may apply. Prostate Cancer at stage T1a is restricted to $500,000.
- TAL Accelerated Protection PDS (12 December 2024), Section 2.3 Advancement Benefit Events: pays 25% of the Benefit Amount up to a maximum of $100,000 per event. Listed events include Loss of Hearing in One Ear, Loss of Use of a Single Limb, Loss of Sight in One Eye, Carcinoma in situ (specified site), Diagnosed Benign Brain or Spinal Cord Tumour, Early Stage Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia, Early Stage Skin Melanoma, Type 1 Diabetes diagnosed after age 30. Angioplasty is also covered, with each procedure occurring at least six months after the previous Angioplasty and a maximum of three payments.
- Zurich Wealth Protection PDS (1 November 2025), Trauma cover Section: partial payments for early-stage cancers and less-severe heart conditions. Coronary angioplasty can be claimed more than once per Zurich's partial-benefit structure.
- OnePath OneCare PDS (1 October 2025): partial benefits embedded in Severity Trauma Cover tiers, payable at 10%, 20%, 50%, or 100% of sum insured based on severity.
- ClearView ClearChoice PDS (13 May 2024, update 5 June 2025): Trauma Severe Events tier carries the partial-benefit catalogue.
- NEOS Protection PDS (6 December 2024): Partial Critical Illness benefits for early-stage and less-severe events.
- Encompass Protection PDS (26 September 2025): Partial Critical Illness Event definitions on page 84.
- Acenda Insurance PDS (27 September 2025): Partial Critical Illness Event catalogue under Critical Illness Plus.
- Futura Protection PDS (1 October 2025): Partial Critical Illness Event definitions on page 92.
TAL Female Critical Illness Benefit (separate built-in)
TAL is the only panel insurer with an explicitly named Female Critical Illness Benefit. The benefit pays 20% of the Critical Illness Insurance Benefit Amount up to $50,000, for conditions in the Female Critical Illness catalogue (pregnancy complications, female-specific cancers). When paid, it reduces the Critical Illness Benefit Amount by that amount. See TAL Accelerated Protection PDS Section 2.3.2. Other panel insurers handle female-specific events as standard partial benefits without a separately named benefit category.
Why this matters at claim time
A Trauma policy with a strong partial-benefit catalogue (TAL Premier, Zurich Trauma Plus, ClearView Trauma Severe Events, OnePath Severity Trauma, Encompass Critical Illness Plus, Acenda Critical Illness Plus) pays earlier and more often than a binary-trigger basic policy. Two clients with the same diagnosis and the same headline sum insured can receive very different payouts depending on the tier they hold. This is one of the main reasons IMFL recommends reviewing the partial-benefit catalogue when comparing across the panel.
Regulator anchor
The Life Insurance Code of Practice 2019 sets LICOP-standardised definitions for cancer, heart attack, and stroke applicable to the first $2 million of cover, but does not standardise the partial-benefit catalogue. The Life Insurance Act 1995 and Insurance Contracts Act 1984 govern the contract framework. Always read the specific PDS partial-benefit section before purchase.