Frequently Asked Questions about DAN Membership & Optional Dive Injury (Treatment) Insurance
- Do I have to apply for both DAN Membership & Treatment Insurance?
- Does my DAN Membership provide dive accident (treatment) insurance?
- Can I get insurance without being a DAN Member?
- Do Membership & Insurance need to be applied for at the same time?
- Are the optional insurance benefits in addition to the TravelAssist benefits?
- Does DAN TravelAssist need to arrange all evacuations?
- Is DAN owned by any of the training agencies?
- A number of insurance companies offer insurance. What is the DAN advantage?
- What is the evacuation service? Isn’t that the insurance?
- What are the main differences between the three insurance plans that DAN offers?
- What information must I disclose about previous injuries, pre-existing illness, or previous DCI?
- Who is eligible for a family membership?
- I am not a resident of the Asia-Pacific region what do I do?
- How long will it take to process my application?
- If I select Fast Processing how will this speed up my application?
- I’ve applied on-line, now what?
- What do I need to do if I am moving out of my country of DAN Registration for 3 months or more?
- What does DAN mean when it states that DAN Insurance is secondary insurance cover?
- Can I take out insurance cover for all my family members?
- Are there any travel distance restrictions on my policy?
- What is a Covered Diving Accident?
- What is the period of coverage for both membership and insurance?
- Does the TravelAssist Emergency Evacuation benefit cover both diving and non-diving incidents?
- Who can apply for DAN Insurance?
- Are there any countries excluded from Emergency Evacuations?
- How do I make a claim on the Dive Injury Insurance?
- Should I also take out Travel Insurance?
- Do I Need General Medical Insurance?
1. Do I have to apply for both DAN Membership & Treatment Insurance?
If you wish to have optional dive injury (treatment) insurance in addition to your DAN Membership then “Yes” you do. DAN Membership provides Emergency Evacuation Cover but does not pay the costs for treatment.
2. Does my DAN Membership provide dive accident (treatment) insurance?
No. DAN Membership covers the cost of an emergency evacuation but it does not cover the associated treatment costs following an evacuation. DAN offers several levels of treatment insurance coverage. In order to be covered for the costs associated with treatment following a Covered Dive Accident you will need to apply for a level of Dive Injury Insurance at the time of joining or renewing your DAN Membership.
3. Can I get insurance without being a DAN Member?
It is a prerequisite that you be a DAN Member in order to be eligible to apply for DAN dive injury (treatment) insurance.
4. Do Membership & Insurance need to be applied for at the same time?
Yes. If you are looking to take out insurance it must be applied for at the same time that the DAN membership application is lodged. Insurance cannot be added at a later date.
5. Are the optional insurance benefits in addition to the TravelAssist benefits?
Yes. TravelAssist benefits are offered as part of DAN Asia-Pacific Membership. While TravelAssist covers emergency evacuation to an appropriate medical facility it does not cover you for the medical expenses associated with your treatment following an evacuation.
6. Does DAN TravelAssist need to arrange all evacuations?
DAN TravelAssist MUST arrange all evacuations if they are to be paid for by DAN TravelAssist. The determination of the need for an emergency evacuation or medical repatriation will be made by DAN TravelAssist in consultation with a local attending physician and payment will be made direct to the evacuation provider by DAN TravelAssist.
7. Is DAN owned by any of the training agencies?
No. DAN Asia-Pacific is an independent not-for-profit organisation with its head office in Melbourne, Australia. We are part of the International Network of DAN Dive Safety Associations with worldwide membership exceeding 300,000. We endeavour to work co-operatively with each of the training agencies in our quest to improve safety in recreational diving for all divers. We are not owned by any training agency, business or shareholders, we are an association.
8. A number of insurance companies offer insurance. What is the DAN advantage?
DAN are the experts in diving accident management, with a vast network and experience in dealing with dive emergencies throughout the world. DAN is Your Dive Safety Association and because of this you receive more than just an insurance policy. You receive all the benefits of Membership, such as TravelAssist benefits, subscription to Alert Diver magazine, and access to Medical Information. Plus you will be helping support the funding/provision of 24-hour Diving Emergency Hotlines throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
9. What is the evacuation service? Isn’t that the insurance?
A benefit of DAN Membership is the emergency evacuation service, DAN TravelAssist. It is a Member benefit that, in the event of an emergency you need to be airlifted to a medical facility, and you are more than 80km from home, you can access this service through DAN without a fee. You can use this service during any emergency - even a non-diving one. In order to use this Member benefit you MUST first contact DAN Travel Assist.
10. What are the main differences between the three insurance plans that DAN offers?
Please refer to the table in the Membership and Insurance section, which summarises the differences between each plan.
11. What information must I disclose about previous injuries, pre-existing illness, or previous DCI?
It is important that you notify the DAN team of any significant injury or medical condition you have suffered or are currently suffering from, as well as regular medications you are taking. You can do this directly from the online application form or by downloading a declaration form (click here). You need to mark the relevant section of the form and submit it with your application. Some divers may be required to obtain a Fitness to Dive certificate in accordance with the guidelines of the South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society.
12. Who is eligible for a family membership?
A Family Membership is defined as you and your spouse or legal cohabitor or dependent; Child if unmarried and under 18 yrs old or; your unmarried child who is 18 yrs old or until his or her 24th birthday if that child, a) is enrolled as a full-time student at an accredited school or college and; b) is not employed on a full-time basis; and c) has the same home permanent address as the parent.
13. I am not a resident of the Asia-Pacific region what do I do?
- If you do not intend to reside in the Asia-Pacific region for longer than 3 months then you will need to join the DAN organisation that relates to your place of permanent residency.
- If you intend to reside in Australia for greater than 3 months then you can join DAN Asia-Pacific. However, if you are also planning to purchase the optional dive injury (treatment) insurance then you will need to be intending to reside in Australia for a period of 12 months or longer.
- If you intend to reside in another country within the Asia-Pacific region (excluding Japan) for a period greater than 3 months then you will need to join DAN Asia-Pacific and you have the opportunity to purchase the optional dive injury (treatment) insurance, providing that your stay is 3 months or longer.
Please note should you make a claim on your optional dive injury (treatment) insurance you may be required to provide evidence of your long-term residency in the region for your claim to be approved.
14. How long will it take to process my application?
The normal processing time is within 1 week unless Fast Processing (See Question 15) is selected. Please allow sufficient time for your local postal services to deliver your Membership Pack, which may take several weeks depending on your location.
15. If I select Fast Processing how will this speed up my application?
For an additional cost of $10 (+GST in Australia) your application can be Fast Processed. Fast processing means your application will normally (excluding payment/medical issues) be processed within 24 hours from the time of receipt at the DAN Asia-Pacific Office providing it is received on a week day before 2pm Friday. If received on a weekend your application will be processed within 72 hours from the time of receipt at DAN Asia-Pacific’s Head Office.
16. I’ve applied on-line, now what?
- An automated “Thank you” response will be generated once you submit your application that explains the time involved in processing applications.
- If there is a problem with your application the DAN AP administration team will endeavour to make contact with you by phone and/or email in order to get the required information.
- Once processed you will receive an email from the DAN Head Office advising you of your Membership Number and Optional Dive Injury Insurance coverage (where applicable) as well as identifying the relevant DAN 24-Hour Hotline Numbers.
- Following processing, you can expect to receive your pack by post anywhere between 1-3 weeks depending on where you live.
17. What do I need to do if I am moving out of my country of DAN Registration for 3 months or more?
You must contact the DAN Asia-Pacific Administration team on +61 3 9886 9166 or email info@danasiapacific.org to discuss your options. In order to ensure a claim is approved in the event of an accident it is recommended you contact the DAN team prior to leaving for any substantial period.
18. What does DAN mean when it states that DAN Insurance is secondary insurance cover?
Basically if you have any other pre-existing insurance policies, e.g. travel insurance, health insurance, and ambulance cover. Your DAN policy becomes secondary coverage and will pay up to 100% of all remaining eligible expenses. Please provide DAN with your existing insurance policy details.
If, however, you do not have any other insurance policies DAN will pay up to 100% of all eligible expenses.
19. Can I take out insurance cover for all my family members?
If all the members in your Family Membership are divers then 'yes'. In addition each Member is permitted to take out a different level of cover depending upon his or her coverage needs. If you have members under your family membership who are not divers they need not apply for dive insurance cover, however they will be covered for TravelAssist benefits including Emergency Evacuation.
20. Are there any travel distance restrictions on my policy?
Distance restrictions apply for divers taking out membership ONLY and no insurance. This restriction states that the illness or injury must occur at least 80km (measured as a direct route by air) from their registered home address in order to receive the TravelAssist benefits such as Emergency Evacuation. However, this restriction is waived for a dive accident involving a Member who has taken out any level of dive injury insurance coverage.
21. What is a Covered Diving Accident?
A Covered Dive means a recreational dive or diving while a scuba instructor, dive master, underwater photographer, or while performing research under the auspices and following the diving safety guidelines equivalent to the American Academy of Underwater Scientists (AAUS). A Covered Dive begins upon entry into the water and ceases upon exit from the water. A Covered Dive must begin while Insurance is in force.
A Diving Accident means an Illness or Bodily Injury that occurs during a Covered Dive.
An Accident means a sudden, unexpected, unusual, specific event that occurs at an identifiable time and place during a Covered Dive.
22. What is the period of coverage for both membership and insurance?
Each is for a period of 12-months.
23. Does the TravelAssist Emergency Evacuation benefit cover both diving and non-diving incidents?
Yes, so long as you are 80km from your residential address. The 80km is measured as a direct route by air (i.e. as the crow flies).
24. Who can apply for DAN Insurance?
Any recreational diver or snorkeller, (including instructors and divemasters supervising recreational diving activities), who is a Member of DAN Asia-Pacific and is 12 years of age or older. It's also available to certain research divers & underwater photographers. Coverage is not available for commercial diving other than those activities specified.
25. Are there any countries excluded from Emergency Evacuations?
It is the responsibility of the Member to inquire as to whether a country is "open" for assistance prior to his/her departure. The following list will provide some guidance but must not be used as a definitive listing as it will change from time to time.
Tibet, Antarctica, the Arctic Circle, Mongolia, Muritania, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Angola, Bosnia, Cuba, Bhutan, Haiti, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, and Russia east of the Urals.
Please contact DAN TravelAssist to confirm which countries are excluded at a particular point in time. TravelAssist can be contacted on +1-919-684-3483 (Collect).
26. How do I make a claim on the Dive Injury Insurance?
Follow the procedures outlined here
27. Should I also take out Travel Insurance?
Yes. DAN always encourages divers to take out travel insurance in addition to their DAN coverage when they travel. Travel Insurance offers coverage for things that are not covered by DAN Membership or Insurance, such as medical treatment for non-diving illnesses and accidents and lost luggage.
28. Do I Need General Medical Insurance?
If you live in a country where you are not covered by an adequate National Medical Health Scheme, then you definitely should have General Medical Insurance to provide coverage for non-diving accidents and illnesses occurring in your country of residence.
The DAN Dive Injury Treatment Insurance plans provide coverage for covered diving accidents only. The Standard, Master and Preferred Plans do not cover medical expenses for non-diving medical problems.
The Preferred Plus Plan (available only to Members who live outside Australia) provides coverage for non-diving accident medical coverage only if you are outside your country of residence for a maximum period of 3 months. It does not provide coverage if the non-diving accident occurs within your country of residence.
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