DRAFT — FINAL VERSION IN PREPARATION
This draft is published so prospective members can see how the Fund is intended to work. The final Rules are adopted by the members before the first membership year begins.
1. The Fund and its members
Mishmish Cover Limited (the Fund) is a company owned by its members, with no shareholders and no share capital. Every member of the Fund is a member of the company. The Fund exists to hold contributions and, at its absolute discretion, to grant assistance towards members’ veterinary costs for their cats. Membership does not give any right to payment; it gives the right to have a request considered under these Rules.
2. Contributions and the operator fee
Members pay a contribution of £29 a month for a cat joining under 8 years old, or £39 a month for a cat joining aged 8 to 10, monthly or annually at 12 times the monthly amount. 65% of each contribution is transferred to the Fund each week. 35% is retained by Mishmish Operations Ltd (the Operator) as a fixed, disclosed fee for running the membership.
3. Membership term, cooling-off and renewal
Membership runs for 12 months from the first payment. A member may cancel within 14 days of the first payment for a full refund. After that the term is binding and any unpaid balance may be deducted from a grant. Membership renews automatically for further 12-month terms; the contribution band is reviewed at each renewal against the cat’s age.
4. Eligibility
A cat may join between 8 weeks and 10 years of age, must be microchipped and vaccinated, and must live in the United Kingdom with the member. Once joined, a cat may remain a member for life.
5. Requests for assistance
A member may request assistance by sending the vet’s invoice and the clinical history for the treatment to the Operator. The Operator prepares a memo for the Fund’s Grants Officer. Requests from suspended members are not considered.
6. What the Fund may grant towards
Illness and injury (consultations, diagnostics, imaging, surgery, hospitalisation and prescribed medication) at any RCVS-registered vet, and dental illness and injury where the cat has had a vet dental check within the previous 12 months.
7. What the Fund does not grant towards
Routine and preventive care (vaccinations, worming, flea treatment, neutering, routine dental cleaning); pre-existing conditions; behavioural therapy and behaviourist referrals; alternative and complementary therapies; third-party liability, loss, theft, travel, boarding or death.
8. Ceilings, excess and co-payment
The Fund may grant up to £2,000 per cat per membership year. The limit refreshes each membership year, including for ongoing conditions. The member bears the first £99 of each condition in each membership year. The Fund may grant 100% above the excess, or 80% from the cat’s 8th birthday.
9. Waiting periods and pre-existing conditions
No grant is made towards an accident in the first 3 days, or an illness in the first 14 days, after the first payment. Conditions that showed signs before joining are excluded.
10. Decisions and review
Every decision is made by the Fund’s Grants Officer, who records the amount and the reasons. A member who disagrees may ask for an internal review, and after that may refer the matter to an independent mediator. Grants are paid to the member’s bank account.
11. Surplus
At the end of each year, once grants have been paid and the reserves the Fund requires have been set aside, any surplus may be donated to the three charities members choose from when they join, with each group’s remainder going to that group’s charity. Nothing is rebated to members.
12. Suspension and cancellation
A membership is suspended when a contribution remains unpaid after the payment provider’s retries. It is restored when payment is made. A member may cancel at any time; after the cooling-off period the remaining term is still due.
Membership does not give any right to payment. Assistance is granted at the Fund’s discretion, as to both whether a grant is made and its amount. Mishmish Cover is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority; the Financial Ombudsman Service and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme do not apply. Disputes go to internal review and then an independent mediator.