It can be taken out with Sovereign’s TotalCareMax products across the personal and business range.

“We know that experiencing an accidental injury can have an immediate impact on someone’s daily life. This upfront payment does not affect payments from ACC or other insurance cover and can be used for whatever our customers need - whether it’s covering treatment costs, getting taxis to work, hiring someone to help with children, running their business, or simply taking time off work to recover,” said chief officer product and marketing Len Elikhis.

The product has been designed to complement the coverage provided by income protection policies and ACC.

“ACC’s income replacement cover is generally available to those in paid employment and can be limited to 80% of pre-disability income. Accidental Injury Cover pays a lump-sum payment that can be used to top-up cover or to pay for support services not otherwise fully covered by ACC,” Elikhis said.

It can be used by people who are not in paid employment.

Depending on their needs, Sovereign’s Accidental Injury Cover allows customers to be insured for between $500 and $5000 a month, with no proof of income, no medical underwriting, and flat-rate pricing based on gender and smoking status. Customers can access between two and 12 months’ payment depending on the nature of their injury and treatment.

“Customers can claim across four injury categories, most of which are based on the treatment received for an accidental injury,” Elikhis said.

Sovereign’s Accidental Injury Cover is now available to new customers, as well as existing customers with a policy issued after February 2004.