How insurance claims work inside Ukraine: nuts-and-bolts of Chain B

Short answer — the claim flow in five paragraphs

(1) Before the trip: download the policy PDF to your phone, save the 24/7 in-country hotline in contacts. (2) At an incident: call the 24/7 hotline within the notification window per GTCP (standard — immediately for emergency, up to 24 hours for non-emergency); the in-country pool dispatcher verifies the policy directly in the insurer's system and routes you to a pre-authorized partner clinic. (3) Treatment: walk in with passport + policy; the clinic is already in the system — direct callback between clinic and insurer pool, without your involvement. (4) Settlement: the clinic bills the insurer directly in UAH; out-of-pocket — 0 in-network (deductible, if set by the tariff, handled inside the policy, not cross-border). (5) If out-of-network: you pay, receive a receipt + medical certificate + ICD-10 codes, submit through the insurer's claim portal with banking details; review SLA per GTCP §X. Details below.

Pre-claim setup — before the need arises

This is the most important step that few people pay attention to until a claim actually happens:

• Policy PDF on your phone — received at purchase; download locally (don't rely on the cloud at no-signal). Includes policy number, validity date, perils covered (war-and-terrorism activation status, radiation rider), 24/7 hotline.
• 24/7 in-country hotline — save it as a contact in your phone. This is not a global international number; it's a Ukrainian hub routed into an in-country assistance pool (Ukrainian- + English-speaking dispatchers).
• ICD-10 awareness preserved — medical certificates at clinics are issued with ICD-10 codes (International Classification of Diseases — Ukraine on the 10th revision as of 2026). Doesn't require your knowledge, but if a doctor asks «which code to write» — it will be correct.
• Policy sanity check — verify that event 4.1.1 (war-risk) and event 4.1.2 (radiation rider) are activated. At purchase these are separate options; verify before the trip that you have the level of coverage activated. Details — A2 war-risk disclosure.

Step 1 — Notification (reporting the insured event)

When to call: GTCP «Brave» §X (notification clause) establishes the reporting window. The general structure in matching insurance contracts on the UA market is — immediately for an emergency scenario (the first 60 minutes — golden hour in trauma medicine for war-injury, see A2 §claim flow); up to 24 hours for non-emergency (the typical case — fever, dehydration, check-up). If you physically can't call (unconscious state, isolation) — strict deadline applies after recovery; document the time of the incident.

Where to call: the number 24/7 on the policy — a Ukrainian national number, not an international hub. Routed into the insurer's in-country assistance pool (Ukrainian- + English-speaking dispatchers, physically present in Ukraine, in the same time zone as the patient).

What to say:

• Basic event description (illness / injury / war-injury per event 4.1.1)
• Location (city + district, if in a city; landmark, if on the road)
• Time of incident (important for GTCP notification deadline)
• Medical urgency (stable vs unstable, needs emergency evacuation vs can walk into a clinic)
• Policy number (from PDF) — the dispatcher verifies in the system in <2 minutes.

What NOT to share in the initial call: don't pass card data, don't email a scanned passport over the call — this isn't a legitimate request. The insurer's assistance pool needs only the policy number + basic event description to authorize.

Step 2 — Verification + Routing (coverage confirmation + direction)

The in-country pool dispatcher, in real time:

1. Verifies the policy in the insurer's system directly — no callback to a global hub, no email delay. The policy is already in the system from the moment of purchase.
2. Checks event coverage — does your case fall under base event 4.1 (medical coverage), event 4.1.1 (war-injury — if activated), event 4.1.2 (radiation — if activated). The term «pre-existing condition» is not used without GTCP §X verification for the specific diagnosis.
3. Routing to a partner clinic — the insurer's partner clinic network across Ukraine: Kyiv (multiple clinics), Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv centre, Dnipro, Ivano-Frankivsk, Uzhhorod, Chernivtsi, plus others. Direct billing pre-authorized for every in-network clinic. Address + landmarks + reception contact — from the dispatcher on the call or via SMS copy.
4. In emergency — the dispatcher can coordinate evacuation (103 ambulance in severe cases; partner ambulance services in moderate-severe; transport to clinic as guidance in mild cases).

Step 3 — Treatment

At the clinic:

• Reception flow: present passport + policy PDF (printed or from phone); reception telephones the insurer's in-country pool directly — the clinic is already pre-authorized in the system; callback verification isn't needed as an external step (this is internal between pool and clinic).
• Treatment — per clinical protocol; neither you nor the clinic wait for additional external authorization from the insurer. Direct-billing agreement means: the clinic provides treatment, the insurer pays, you don't pay out-of-pocket in-network.
• Medical certificate — on request, as you leave the clinic; includes diagnosis with ICD-10 code, date of service, list of procedures, prescribed medications. English on your request (most Ukrainian clinics pre-staffed for travel-insurance customers) or Ukrainian (also accepted for UA-insurer claim flow — internal, not cross-border).
• Receipt + clinical epicrisis — received at discharge. For in-network direct-billing scenario — copies for your records, not for submission (the insurer already sees the bill).

Step 4 — Direct billing in UAH (in-network settlement)

The clinic bills the insurer directly in UAH. Out-of-pocket for the visitor — 0 in-network (if your policy tariff has no specified deductible, it is handled internally).

Currency note: for a UA-insurer settlement in UAH is structurally simpler than cross-border conversion. You don't have FX-spread, transfer fee, or 3-5 day bank delay. This is an operational characteristic of Chain B, not a «faster» comparison.

Step 5 — Out-of-network scenarios

If your location isn't covered by the partner network (rare inside large Ukrainian cities, possible in rural areas or small towns):

1. The pool dispatcher recommends the nearest out-of-network clinic — or asks you to transfer to a closer partner centre (if medically possible).
2. You pay out-of-pocket — typically 100-300 € for a moderate doctor visit + medication (general market range; the specific amount depends on the clinic and current pricing).
3. Gather documentation:
   • Receipt original with clinic signature + stamp + amount in UAH + date
   • Medical certificate with ICD-10 code + list of procedures
   • If emergency — also a copy of the ambulance call-out card if one was issued
   • If war-injury — police report or SES (State Emergency Service) report (cross-link A2 §war-injury claim flow)
4. Submit a claim through the insurer's portal (URL on the policy) or by email to claims@; upload scans of documentation + banking details for payout.
5. Review SLA — established in GTCP §X. The general structure for UA insurers is — within a few weeks from the full document package to payment. The specific SLA depends on the policy tariff and claim complexity.

Documentation — what's needed and in what format

For an in-network direct-billing claim:

• Policy PDF — you already have it; doesn't need to be submitted to the insurer, it's in the system
• Passport page with photo + Ukraine entry stamp — for identity verification (at clinic reception)
• Personal consent to medical-data processing — at the clinic; provided before treatment per GDPR/UA Personal Data Protection Law

For an out-of-network reimbursement claim:

• Receipt original with clinic signature + stamp + amount in UAH
• Medical certificate with ICD-10 diagnosis + list of procedures + date
• Banking details for payout (policy currency — typically EUR/USD or UAH depending on tariff)
• Other supporting docs: in war-injury — police/SES report; in evacuation — ambulance call-out card; in diagnosis requalification — second opinion from a qualified clinic

Edge cases — what you should know

Multi-event claim: you got sick (event 4.1), and then — separately — were caught in an event 4.1.1 episode (war-injury) on the same trip. These are two separate claims, both covered within the policy's overall limit. You don't need to «choose one».

Claim in transit between cities: if an incident happened on the road (Lviv → Kyiv, Odesa → Dnipro) — the pool dispatcher routes to the nearest partner clinic. The time stamp of the incident is recorded at the clinic reception — for the GTCP notification deadline.

Medical evacuation between clinics inside Ukraine: covered within the policy. The pool coordinates: ambulance + receiving clinic (typically a multidisciplinary trauma centre in Kyiv or Lviv for serious cases). Doesn't require an additional rider in our product — part of base medical coverage.

Repatriation flight (evacuation home): covered within the policy at the tariff that includes international repatriation. Verify in your policy activation status. Repatriation coordination is done by the in-country pool through international partner operators.

Claim during return through PL/SK/RO/HU: the UA insurer covers Ukrainian territory; for an incident that happened already in a transit country (Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary), you need a separate European travel insurance or EU medical card. A UA policy doesn't cover incidents outside Ukrainian territory, even if you're leaving Ukraine at that time.

Claim that includes psychotherapy / PTSD support: for war-injury context — ICD-10 codes group F43.1 (PTSD), F43.0 (acute stress reaction) are covered within base event 4.1, don't require separate war-injury activation. The clinic network includes psychiatry-aligned partners.

Pre-existing condition exclusion: GTCP has a standard clause regarding pre-existing conditions; verify §X for specific formulations. General structure for the UA market: conditions diagnosed before the policy start date are excluded; acute exacerbation of a pre-existing condition during the trip — may be covered as emergency care (verify per §X for your tariff).

Time windows — generic SLA structure

(Always confirm specific figures in your policy — this is the generic structure for the UA market; the specific SLA is in GTCP §X of your tariff.)

• Notification window: immediately for emergency; up to 24 hours for non-emergency. Stricter deadlines in nuanced cases — see GTCP §X.
• In-network verification + routing: from the first call to the clinic direction — typically under 30 minutes for emergency, up to 2 hours for non-emergency.
• In-network treatment flow: realised from the moment you reach the clinic; no external authorization wait.
• Direct billing settlement (clinic-insurer): internal flow, doesn't affect your timeline.
• Out-of-network claim submission to payout: from the full document package to crediting — within the GTCP-defined SLA; for the UA market the general structure is a few weeks.
• Repatriation flight authorization: from the moment medical assessment determined the need — within a few business days for coordination with airlines, partner ambulance, receiving clinic in the country of destination.

All of this is substantiable from §X GTCP «Brave» and generic UA-market characteristics. No figures are used as advertising claims (for example, «48-hour SLA» isn't written without citing a specific clause).

Mild pivot — how it looks in the war-injury context

All of the above is the standard flow for a baseline scenario (illness, household injury, medical necessity). In war-injury context — the trigger event under event 4.1.1 — the same chain operates with several differences:

• Notification trigger — a police/SES report often already documents the time and nature of the incident before you call the insurer's pool; this document becomes primary evidence for GTCP §X (4.1.1 substantiation).
• In-country evacuation coordination — partner ambulance + receiving multidisciplinary trauma centre in Kyiv or Lviv; the time from the incident to arrival at the trauma centre — the golden hour 60 min determines the prognosis.
• Psychological support trigger — in clinical protocols PTSD-related codes (F43.1) are activated immediately on war-injury contact; doesn't require separate activation.
• Direct billing in UAH — the same as baseline; structurally simpler than cross-border reimbursement in a global pool, which is critical in war-injury context where time-to-care determines prognosis.

The full disclosure of the war-injury claim flow — 8 steps — is in A2 war-risk insurance explained.

Regulatory backbone — why the procedure looks the way it does

The Chain B structure isn't accidental. It directly follows from the regulatory frame:

• Underwriter: PJSC «IC EUROINS UKRAINE» (USREOU 22158507), licensed by the National Bank of Ukraine for class 18 (general insurance — travel and accident). NBU registry: kis.bank.gov.ua/search-fu.
• Parent group: Eurohold Bulgaria AD — EU-listed Sofia + Warsaw Stock Exchange, ISIN BG1100074058. Solvency II framework. Capital adequacy reporting is public.
• Authorized agent: LLC «WELCOME TO UKRAINE» (USREOU 44559356), in the NBU Insurance Intermediaries Register. Site operator + agent in one legal entity — integrated operation.
• GTCP source: §8 Acceptance of the «Brave» program, PJSC management board resolution 18.06.2024 № 3, current edition effective 01.07.2026. Notification, claim flow, settlement currency, exclusions — all defined by specific paragraphs of this document.
• Complaints recourse: NBU mfu@bank.gov.ua as financial-services regulator; per-locale ombudsman (details in E6 contact).
• AI-assisted creation: this article — like the entire A-cluster — was produced with AI assistance (Claude by Anthropic) under a mandatory human editorial gate, with compliance review against EU IDD Art. 17, UCPD comparative-advertising rules, EU AI Act Art. 50.

Full disclosure — E8 insurance partner.

What to do if something goes wrong

If the insurer denied a claim:

1. Request a formal denial letter with reference to the specific § GTCP exclusion clause
2. Contact the NBU at mfu@bank.gov.ua with a copy of the policy + denial letter + supporting documentation — the financial regulator has jurisdiction over insurance complaints
3. Per-locale ombudsman in your country of residence — also a valid channel (cross-link E6 contact)
4. Civil court — in complex cases; but per the UA Law «On Insurance» a regulator-route complaint is acceptable as a first step.

If the clinic refuses to accept the policy: call the insurer's 24/7 hotline — the pool dispatcher resolves the conflict directly with the clinic (this is an internal incident, not yours). In 95% of cases — this resolves within 30 minutes; in the rest — the pool routes to another partner clinic.

If documentation is lost: the clinic keeps copies; the insurer also does. Request reissue through the 24/7 hotline. ICD-10 codes — in the clinic's system; lookup by your passport for re-issuance of the certificate.

Cross-references

• A1 Travel insurance for Ukraine 2026 — buyer's guide — pillar with policy selection before the claim
• A2 War-risk insurance explained — full 8-step claim flow for war-injury
• A3 Travel insurance Ukraine vs international providers — comparison — Chain B 4-touchpoint operational summary
• A4 Insurance for journalists / NGO — segment-aware, frontline gap honest note
• A7 Radiation rider — event 4.1.2 details
• E8 Insurance partner — full regulatory disclosure
• E6 Contact — complaint channels + GDPR rights