Vero urges Canterbury farmers affected by flooding to use mental health benefit on their insurance

Vero insurance has today urged its rural customers affected by flooding in the Canterbury region to make use of the mental health benefit available on their rural insurance policies.

“The flooding in Canterbury is having a significant impact on our rural insurance customers, with inundation and damage to farming infrastructure like fences, pump and other farm assets and buildings,” says Chris Brophy, Executive Manager SME and Rural Insurance. 

Brophy says that a large number of the 350 claims Vero has received due to the storm so far have been from rural customers, and that it expects the number of claims to increase further. 

“Vero is on the ground to help our customers with assessing and settling claims quickly, but we know it is still a tough time for farmers.”

Brophy says that Vero’s rural insurance policies include an extra benefit called Best Doctors, which includes a world-leading service called Mental Health Navigator which could help farmers to navigate the stress and anxiety created by the damage.

“We know that for our rural customers, this is their livelihood and that causes a lot of uncertainty and stress, and the potential depression, anxiety and burnout.”

“Mental Health Navigator provides our rural customers with direct virtual access to some of New Zealand’s leading registered psychologists and psychiatrists. We’re urging our rural customers to use the service if they need support to stay resilient as they deal with this period of uncertainty.”

The service can also assist customers who have existing mental health conditions to review their existing condition and treatment or recommend improvements.

Mental Health Navigator is available to the main policyholder for all existing Vero rural insurance policies, and their immediate families. 

Customers can find out more on the Best Doctors website. Vero customers in Canterbury who have been affected by the flooding can still make a claim by calling us  on 0800 808 134 or can lodge a claim online.