Life insurance is a long-term financial plan that covers the death expenses of the insured. Most insurance companies today are also offering living claims which pay for the hospital and medication bills in case the insured person had an accident.
This is a way of benefiting not only the beneficiary but also the insured person. The insured must appoint someone, usually a spouse or a family member, to act as the beneficiary who is entitled to receive the insurance claim after the person’s death.
Although typical insurers release the payout within 30-60 days after the insurance claim form has been submitted and reviewed by the company, life insurance claims could still get delayed or denied due to certain occurrences. A few are listed below:
- If homicide is listed as the cause of death of the insured person, the insurer will require an investigation to prove that the beneficiary has nothing to do with the murder case.
- If there is no beneficiary listed in the policy.
- If the beneficiary is a minor. (To avoid a delayed claim, make sure to include a guardian for the minor in the policy.)
- If the insurance claim form is not filled out correctly. This happens when it contains incorrect (misspelled name, incorrect date of birth and death) or incomplete information.
- If a beneficiary’s information is not updated after major life changes such as marriage, divorce, or sex change.
- If the insured has died after two years of issuing the policy, the claim is usually given 6-12 months after death.
For beneficiaries, do not forget the following requirements before you request an insurance claim to avoid getting denied or delayed payout.
Requirements for a Life Insurance Claim
1. A certified copy of the insured person’s death certificate
If the person dies in the hospital, they can provide you with the death certificate of the insured person. Whereas, if the death occurred outside the hospital, most states instruct the dead person’s representative to report the event to the local health officer.
Although death certs may vary from state to state, make sure that it is sealed or signed by the authoritative person which often refers to the attending physician or the representative from the municipality.
The certificate of death (COD) will serve as a permanent legal document that you can use in claiming insurance benefits, pensions, and any other death benefits that the late person is entitled to. If the surviving spouse decides to get married again in the future, the death certificate of the late spouse can validate the remarriage.
2. Death claimant statement form
In filing for an insurance claim, you have to make sure that you can fill out the entire statement form correctly. Never miss a single piece of information to avoid getting delayed or declined from receiving the claim.
Submit the death claimant statement form to the insurer’s address along with the death certificate and the policy documents right after the event of death. The insurance company is required to send you a notification of approval or denial in an equivalent time frame.
Some insurers will require the beneficiary to provide additional requirements for further review and verification of the policy.
Also Read: What is the Importance of Claim Settlement?
Additional Requirements
1. Valid Identification Card
Provide at least 2-3 valid identification cards when claiming the insurance benefit. Make sure that all the significant information on the claimant statement form is parallel to the info listed in your IDs.
2. Attending physician statement form/medical certificate
Either of these two requirements is needed in requesting for living claims when the insured is hospitalized due to an accident.
3. Marriage certificate
This is required if the entitled beneficiary is the spouse of the insured person.
4. Birth certificate
the representative guardian must provide the birth certificate of the minor beneficiary/ies when claiming the payout.
