Submitting a claim

How to submit a claim

We’ve made things simple, because dealing with your pet’s health concerns can be difficult enough.

1. Receive your invoice and diagnosis

Ask for an itemized copy of your invoice at the vet’s and clarify the reason for visiting or diagnosis. The full invoice should include the total amount charged, including any discounts or taxes, charges for other pets and so on.

Will I Need to Submit a Claim Form?

You’ll only need to submit a claim form if you are submitting via email, fax, or mail. This can be found in your Paw Protect customer account and your post-enrollment email.

If you use your Paw Protect customer account to submit a claim, you do not need to fill out a claim form.

Male veterinarian examining dog

2. Submit your claim through Paw Protect

Log in to Paw Protect, select Submit a Claim, and use the easy-to-follow instructions to complete the form. Then select your vet, attach your invoice, and select the diagnosis or reason for visit.

We’ll send you a confirmation email once we have received your claim and you can view your claim’s status at any time in your online customer account.

Dog sat by computer screen showing Paw Protect website

3. Your claim is reviewed

We aim to process all claims within 10-15 business days but if we’re missing any of the necessary information, we’ll get in touch with your vet and update you in your Paw Protect account. 

Covered claims are paid by check and will arrive via mail in roughly 10 business days, or with direct deposit which arrives within 3 business days. You can switch to direct deposit at any time in your account. 

Illustration of cat lying down behind calendar

Possible claim scenarios

Every pet is different, so it’s no wonder that claims can also come in many shapes and sizes. We’ve tried to address a few:

Recurring Prescriptions If you’re not submitting via your online customer account, ask your vet’s office to complete a claim form with the diagnosis and the name of the medication. Keep that form safe and submit it with your invoice each time your pet has a refill. 

The invoice includes a pet who isn’t insured No problem. Submit the full invoice as before with that pet listed. We’ll only set up a claim for insured pets on the invoice.

Recurring conditions Even though the condition is the same, you will be able to claim for each visit’s invoice. Unless you are submitting via your Paw Protect customer account, a new claim form is needed for every invoice. 

Supporting Documents Please do not attach your supporting documents when submitting your claim. You can upload these (chart notes, discharge summary, etc.) in the Submit Documents section of your Paw Protect customer account.

Illustration of woman at a veterinarian's reception desk with her dog

What to expect with your first claim

First claims usually take longer to process as we’ll need to look at your pet’s medical records. When you create a customer account with Paw Protect, we ask for your pet’s medical history for the 12 months prior to your coverage start date.

Parents of puppies, kittens, and newly adopted pets will need to provide the medical records from the time you brought them home if it’s less than 12 months.

After your first claim, we won’t need to review these records again so future claims will be processed quicker.

Illustration of dog with cone and cat

Wellness Rewards Claims

Submitting a Wellness Claim in Paw Protect:

  • Submit the full invoice/receipt with all pages including discounts, taxes, charges for other pets, remaining balances, etc. just as you would normally
  • Select “Wellness” under diagnosis or reason for visit

Submitting a wellness claim by email/fax/mail:

  • Complete the claim form(s) with the clinic, hospital, or retailer information and select “Wellness Rewards” as the claim type
  • Submit the claim form(s) and full invoice/receipt with all pages including discounts, taxes, charges for other pets, remaining balances, etc. just as you would normally

All done! The status of your claim will be updated in Paw Protect and we’ll email you to let you know when your claim has progressed. Wellness Rewards claims are usually processed within five business days, subject to the review team having all necessary information.

Illustration of woman sat in chair with dog beside her

How to view your claims

You can view and track your claims in your Paw Protect customer account.

Simply select the profile of the pet you’d like to see claims for and you’ll be able to:

  • View Claims by Date of Service
  • Review the Claim Status
  • Contact Our Claims Team Directly via Email
  • Download Your Explanation of Benefits (EOB)
Illustration of woman using mobile phone

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Your Paw Protect account on our website is the quickest ways to submit a claim, but you can also submit by:

    • Email: claims@pawprotect.com 
    • Fax: (800) 238-1042
    • Mail:
      Paw Protect c/o Embrace Pet Insurance
      P.O. Box 22188
      Beachwood, OH 44122-0188

  • You can find your claim form(s) in your online Paw Protect customer account. We also emailed it to you when you first signed up for Paw Protect but please contact our Customer Care Team if you’d like your claim form emailed or mailed to you.

    Please Note: You do not need a claim form if you’re submitting a claim via your online Paw Protect customer account. A claim form is only required if you submit a claim by fax, email, or mail.

    Each pet has its own personalized claim form.

  • Your vet will provide you with a diagnosis for your pet but if you are still waiting on test results, you could include some of the symptoms your pet was showing. Reasons for visit might include vomiting, lethargy, diarrhea, etc.

  • We will accept complete, legible invoices which include:

    • Pet’s name(s)
    • Date(s)
    • Itemized list of services/products/treatment and their costs
    • Invoice total including taxes, fees, discounts, shipping, etc.

    For pharmaceutical prescriptions, we can accept drug labels that include the following:

    • Pet’s name
    • Medication dispensed
    • Date
    • Quantity
    • Total charge including taxes, fees, discounts, shipping, etc.

  • If you only want to submit a claim for one or some of the pets on the invoice, only select the appropriate pets in your online customer account when you submit your claim.

    If you want to submit a claim for all pets on the invoice, you’ll need to provide a claim form for each of them with one invoice.

    Please Note: You do not need a claim form if you’re submitting a claim via your online Paw Protect customer account. A claim form is only required if you submit a claim by fax, email, or mail.

  • We can only accept itemized invoices when processing a claim. Please ask your vet’s office for this instead of/as well as a receipt.

    If you submit a receipt with your claim instead of an invoice, we’ll contact your vet’s office to obtain an invoice, which can delay the processing time.

  • We’ll send you an email when we’ve received your claims and documents. This is usually within two working days of your submission but if you don’t hear from us within four working days, we may not have received it. You can either send your information again or contact us at askclaims@pawprotect.com.

    Please Note: It could take up to two working days for your claim status to change in Paw Protect if information sent to us by email or fax 

  • Accident and illness claims have a 10-15 working days processing time, but they are typically processed quicker than this, unless it is your first claim. 

    First claims take longer to process because we will need to review your pet’s medical history first.

    Your claim could also be delayed if we are missing some of the necessary information needed to process your claim such as an invoice or visit notes.

    It could take up to two working days for your claim status to change in your Paw Protect account if information is sent to us by email or fax.

    Wellness Rewards claims are usually processed within five working days.

  • If you check your claim status in your Paw Protect account and notice that we’re waiting for information from your vet, you can help speed things along by contacting your vet as well. Or, you can submit information from your vet through your Paw Protect online account using ‘Submit Documents’ to make sure we get it as soon as possible.

    You can also speed up the claim-processing time by requesting a free medical history review after you sign up before you submit your first claim.

  • Once we’ve processed your claim, you will be reimbursed via your chosen method. Direct deposits typically take 2-3 working days. Checks are sent via USPS and typically take 5-7 working days. Please allow up to 10 working days as per the Post Office’s request.

  • Head to your online Paw Protect customer account and go to your payment settings. Here you can set up a direct deposit. You can also contact us with the following information:

    • Bank routing number
    • Bank account number
    • Type of account (checking or savings)

  • Log in to your online Paw Protect customer account and go to the claims section. Choose the claim you’d like to view and there will be a link to download your Explanation of Benefits within your claim.

  • Don’t worry! You won’t need a claim form if you’re submitting a claim via your online Paw Protect customer account.

    However, if you’re submitting a claim via email, fax, or mail, you can download a copy of your claim form from Paw Protect and send it to your vet in an email. Our customer care team will also be happy to fax or email a copy to your vet’s office on your behalf. All you have to do is ask!

  • Ask your vet’s office to complete a claim form with your pet’s diagnosis and the name of the medication. You can then submit the same claim form with the new invoice or pharmacy receipt, each time your pet has a refill. 

    Please Note: You’ll only need to submit a claim form if you are submitting via email, fax, or mail. This can be found in your Paw Protect customer account and your post-enrollment email.

  • You can submit a claim at any time during your policy term plus 60 days after renewal. Plenty of time!

  • Once a claim has been fully processed, it cannot be canceled, even if you haven’t cashed the check yet.

    However, you can email askclaims@pawprotect.com or call us at (888) 812-6704 before the claim has been completed to cancel. 

  • Good news! We won’t increase your premium if you submit a claim.

  • Your Explanation of Benefits explains why your claim wasn’t covered but you can appeal the decision if you feel it was wrong.

  • You can appeal your claim decision within 14 days if you feel it is inaccurate.

    Please ask your vet to write to us by email addressing the reason why the claim wasn’t covered and the claim number(s). This will need to include the practice’s stamp or header. It must come from your vet’s direct email address if sent via email. 

    Any extra information such as medical records, test results, X-rays, etc. will be very useful to help us review your appeal.

    Appeals can be sent to: askclaims@pawprotect.com. 

    Fax: (800) 238-1042

    Mail:
    Paw Protect c/o Embrace
    P.O. Box 22188
    Beachwood, OH 44122-0188

    Please Note: It may take up to 5-10 working days to review your appeal. We will email you to confirm we have received it.

  • Once you have enrolled with Paw Protect, you can request a free medical history review, before you submit your first claim. 

    Our claims team will request your pet’s medical records from all vet visits within 12 months of signing up. If you have a puppy, kitten, or newly adopted pet, we will need records from the date you brought them home if it’s less than one year. 

    These will be reviewed and we will send you an email detailing the results within 15 working days. The email will confirm whether or not your pet’s condition would classify as pre-existing and for how long.

  • Pre-certification is not a requirement but it is an option. We’d recommend a pre-certification if your vet has given your pet a course of treatment which is over $1,000 and/or is experimental.

    Head to your Paw Protect account to find your pet’s custom pre-certification form.

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