rehabilitation has been completed, or until any other appropriate time necessary to determine permanency, at which point a specialist can determine the irreversibility of the condition . Stroke means a cerebrovascular event producing neurological deficit. This requires clear evidence on CT, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) or similar appropriate scan or investigation that a stroke has occurred. This requires evidence of:
Permanent loss of hearing Means irreversible, and profound (defined in accordance with the Clark 1981 Scale of Hearing Impairment), hearing loss in both ears which cannot be corrected medically or mechanically. Permanent loss of speech The life assured , as a result of sickness or injury, loses the ability to produce intelligible speech, both natural and assisted. This loss must be total and permanent and the unequivocal diagnosis reaffirmed after a continuous period of three months of such loss by an appropriate specialist . Loss of speech related to any psychological cause is excluded.
infarction of brain tissue; or
intracranial or subarachnoid haemorrhage.
Excluded from this definition are transient ischaemic attacks (TIA), cerebral symptoms due to migraine, cerebral injury from trauma or hypoxia and vascular disease affecting the eye, optic nerve or vestibular functions.
Permanent loss of use of limbs (including sight)
The life assured , as a result of sickness or injury, permanently loses the use of: both hands; or
Paralysis and loss of functionality
both feet; or
The life assured has suffered or undergone one of the following conditions :
one hand and one foot; or
one hand and the sight of one eye (to the extent of 6/60 or less); or one foot and the sight of one eye (to the extent of 6/60 or less). Quadriplegia/Tetraplegia Total and permanent loss of function of both upper and lower limbs due to injury or disease of the spinal cord.
Diplegia Total and permanent loss of function of both arms or both legs due to injury or disease of the spinal cord.
Hemiplegia Total and permanent loss of function of one side of the body due to brain injury or disease.
Total Permanent Disablement (Optional condition ) A life assured has suffered Total Permanent Disablement if in AIA’s opinion the life assured before attaining age 65:
Loss of independent existence The life assured is totally and irreversibly disabled, with the effect that he or she is unable, as a result of sickness or injury, to perform at least two activities of daily living . Alternatively, the life assured is totally and irreversibly unable to perform one of the activities of daily living and his or her intellectual capacity has reduced or deteriorated to such an extent that the life assured requires full-time care .
A. becomes totally and permanently incapacitated by illness or accident and, as a result of that incapacity:
is completely unable to engage in the occupation, or carry on the business, he or she was involved in immediately before becoming incapacitated; and
for the three consecutive months after that incapacity began, has not worked in that occupation or carried on that business; and is, in AIA ’s opinion, after consideration of the medical and any other evidence satisfactory to AIA , so incapacitated that it is unlikely he or she will ever be able to resume work in that occupation or carry on in that business; or
Paraplegia Total and permanent loss of function of both legs due to injury or disease of the spinal cord.
Permanent blindness
Irrecoverable loss of sight of both eyes as a result of sickness or injury. This is evidenced by:
B. suffers by illness or accident the total and permanent loss of meaningful use of:
visual acuity on the Snellan Scale after correction by suitable lenses is less than 6/60 in both eyes; field of vision is reduced to 20 degrees or less of arc in the better eye; or a combination of visual defects resulting in the same degree of visual impairment as either of the points above.
both feet (entire feet); or
both hands (entire hands); or
the sight in both eyes (to the extent that visual acuity is reduced to 6/36 or less in the better eye and/or the field of vision is reduced to 10 degrees or less of arc in the better eye); or
1166 ALB-ST version 2 Effective 12 May 2026
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