The Road Accident Fund (RAF) urges claimants to submit outstanding documents in order to enable the fund it finalise their claims.
The South African state insurer that provides liability and collision insurance coverage to all drivers, stated that it has a backlog of claims due to a delay in submission of outstanding documents.
The call for submission of outstanding documents is part of the RAF campaign “Drive Your Claim Forward”, aimed at reducing the backlog for claims submitted before April 2021.
Currently, the RAF is sitting with a backlog of 321 000 claims that have not been finalised.
In addition to cases where outstanding documents are required to support a claim, other challenges include: the comprehensive medical assessments for serious injuries not being met; and the litigation process, which involves a court process that the fund must adhere to by law.
Through the campaign, the RAF seeks to ensure that it is doing everything to minimise delays and assist all claimants.
Supporting documents play a crucial role in finalising a claim efficiently and speedily. They inform the fund about what is being claimed, set out the basis of the claim, allow the fund to investigate, and facilitate an assessment on the merits of the motor vehicle accident.
Through the campaign, the RAF anticipates processing and finalising more claims, thus significantly reducing the waiting period claimants have to endure.
Claimants and their representatives who submitted their claims before April 2021 are encouraged to deliver all outstanding documents in order for the fund to finalise their claims. Enquiries about which documents to submit can be made at any of the RAF’s offices or via email.
Collins Letsoalo, RAF chief executive officer (CEO), said the RAF introduced a new RAF 1 Form in July 2022 in order to improve service delivery and better manage claim risk. The introduction of the form was aimed at making it easier for legal practitioners to lodge claims on behalf of claimants, and more importantly, to assist with settling claims faster.
“The fund’s open claim backlog would not be on this scale if road accident victims and attorneys representing them submitted all the required information and documents upfront.”
Claimants can submit their outstanding documents via email to contactcentre@raf.co.za, or drop the documents off at any of the fund’s regional offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, East London and Cape Town. The documents can also be dropped off at the fund’s customer service centres in Bloemfontein, Polokwane, Kimberley, Mahikeng and Durban.
More details about these offices are available on the fund’s website.
Claims must be submitted within three years of the motor vehicle accident if it is known who was responsible.
To determine which documents are outstanding, claimants should visit raf.co.za, click on the “Drive Your Claim Forward” banner on the home page, and get the information about which documents they need for their specific claim.
They may also contact the RAF’s contact centre on 087-820-1111, via SMS on 44930, or by email on contactcentre@raf.co.za.
Claimants who request a call back will be contacted by one of the contact centre agents.
In the unfortunate event of being involved in a motor vehicle accident, the RAF contact centre can be contacted from Monday to Friday, from 07:45 to 16:00. The RAF can also be reached through its offices countrywide.
