Filing A Life Insurance Claim May Sound Easier Than It Is

Losing a loved one is never easy, even if it was expected. After the funeral and burial, there are usually several matters to take care of in order to close out his or her estate. One of those items may be to file a claim against one or more life insurance policies your loved one had.

If you are the beneficiary on at least one of those policies, you will need to file a claim in order to collect the proceeds of the policy. Following certain steps may help ensure that the life insurance company does not deny your claim for some reason.

Follow these steps

Hopefully, you know where your loved one kept the policy in question. For some Florida residents, finding the policy turns out to be the most challenging part of the process. Thereafter, you may want to follow the steps below to file your claim:

• Obtain several copies of the death certificate. You will more than likely need to provide one to the life insurance company, and others will more than likely need it as well for other things.
• Contact the insurance company to advise the appropriate party of the death of your loved one. If the policy was through his or her employer, you may be able to have the claim handled through the human resources or benefits department.
• Obtain the claim proper claim forms. You will need to fill them out properly in order to avoid any delays or denials in receiving the benefits from the policy.
• If you are unable to fill out the forms yourself, it may be a good idea to get some help. Many people turn to a probate attorney for help with the forms.
• After completing the forms, you will need to submit them to the life insurance company for processing.

If you fill the forms out correctly, you should receive a check within a few weeks. However, the company may deny the claim for some reason. If it is simply an error in filling out the forms, you should be able to fix the problem fairly easily, but other reasons may require you to provide more information or to take further action in order to receive the death benefits you deserve. If you receive a denial, it may be in your best interest to sit down with an attorney in order to determine your rights and legal options.