- 17,069
They use the form that funeral directors fill out to apply for death certificates.
Death Claim Question
- Thread starter rousemark
- Start date
- 17,069
Thousands of death claims are processed every week for the past 30 years that I know of with no death certificates. It's not a problem. They require a Funeral Director to sign off on them. Those guys are easy to find if they commit fraud. And some have through the years. But not enough for this to be a problem.
Preneed companies like ForeThought, Homesteaders, NGL, FDLIC, and about 20 others have to pay their claims fast. Within 24 hours of the death. Other companies that come from a pre-need background pay the same way.
But I've had Met Life, TransAmerica, Prudential and others pay with no death certificate on certain cases also.
I'm an agent that worked inside of funeral homes for 10-years so I've assisted with a LOT of death claims.
- 26,127
And the bene gets their check or EFT within days.
I have seen the same. Especially if the carrier uses the SS database (which it seems to be notified of death within seconds if the person was in the hospital, hospice, or in an LTC setting).
Even the big carriers like NY Life and NW Mutual will process claims this way.
That's called double jeopardy and the insurance company has to pay.
^^^not actual insurance advice.
- 2,812
Right. Proper documentation in lieu of a death certificate. No problem there.
- 10,826
What about the people who make it to the funeral home and then are suddenly found to be alive? If the paperwork was already filled out... do they get the money?
- 2,812
"Double jeopardy" is when you can't be tried twice for the same crime.
You're thinking of "double indemnity" where the insurance pays an additional amount for death by accidental means. The insurance option is actually called "Accidental Death Benefit."
The phrase "double indemnity" was made ubiquitous by the movie Double Indemnity (1944) starring Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwick, and Edward G. Robinson.
