What does this mean?
Loss of speech may be caused if the vocal chords are damaged in an accident or by a disease such as cancer of the larynx. The loss must be total, permanent and irreversible. Therefore a claim would not be paid if the loss was only partial or was a temporary condition. It is possible for the power of speech to be lost without physical damage to the vocal chords, possibly because of a severe mental trauma or shock. However, in such cases it is nearly impossible to determine whether the loss is permanent and therefore a claim would not be paid.