Waiting Periods After Enrollment

Your policy is effective 12:01 a.m. of the day following the date you enroll your pet, subject to the fifteen (15) day waiting period, from the Pet Policy Effective Date for accidents and illness and 12 months from the Pet Policy Effective Date for illness related to hip dysplasia.

If your pet is younger than six years of age at the time of enrollment, hip dysplasia coverage, although subject to a 12-month waiting period, is provided at no extra cost. At this time, we are unable to cover hip dysplasia if your pet is six years of age or older at the time of enrollment.

Unfortunately, if your pet is or becomes sick or injured during the waiting period, the sickness and/or injury will not be covered and will be considered a pre-existing condition. Please understand that the waiting period is meant to protect all our customers from fraudulent claims, and from individuals who will purchase pet health insurance only when they become aware that their pet is already sick or injured.

For pets enrolled in the state of Maine, there is a 15 day waiting period from the pet policy effective date for illness, injury and orthopedic conditions (other than hip dysplasia) not resulting from an accident. There shall be no waiting periods for illness, injury or orthopedic conditions resulting from an accident. Waiting period is defined as the period of time specified in a pet insurance policy that is required to transpire before some or all of the coverage of the policy begins. The waiting periods will be waived by us upon completion of a complete clinical examination.

Waiting periods do not apply to the states of Maryland and New Hampshire

Clinical examination requirement
A pet less than six (6) years of age on the date of enrollment must have undergone a complete clinical examination. The exam must have taken place either in the twelve (12) months prior to the pet policy effective date, or within fifteen (15) days following the pet policy effective date.

A pet six (6) years of age or greater on the date of enrollment must have undergone a complete clinical examination within thirty (30) days prior to the pet policy effective date, or within fifteen (15) days following the pet policy effective date.

Your failure to submit your pet to a complete clinical examination may void the policy. If your policy is not voided for failure to submit your pet to a complete clinical examination, we will not pay for any medically necessary veterinary treatment provided to your pet until such time as your pet has undergone the required clinical examination. Subsequent to undergoing the clinical examination and providing Healthy Paws with a copy, any costs incurred by you for medically necessary veterinary treatment recommended by your veterinarian will be reimbursed if covered by your policy.

If you fail to submit a clinical examination at enrollment, the waiting period will be adjusted according to the date of your pet’s first clinical examination after enrollment. The last day of the waiting period will be the later of:

the last day of the longest applicable waiting period as outlined in the policy; or
the date when the clinical examination was conducted for the conditions covered by the policy that resulted in the claim; and, the claim will not be processed because the policy does not cover illness or injury that occurs during the waiting periods.

If there are pre-existing conditions related to the claim, the claim will not be processed because the policy does not cover pre-existing conditions.

Please read your policy carefully. Coverage is subject to the language of the policies as actually issued.

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Waiting Periods and
Vet Exams

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Waiting Periods and Vet Exams

Waiting Periods After Enrollment

Waiting Periods After Enrollment