Life Insurance Death Benefit Claim Without Cause of Death

vicmartin12345

New Member
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My father has two different life insurance policies. One is whole life insurance that he got about 15 years ago and the other is term that he got around 18 months ago.

He is a US Citizen but has been living in Pakistan for the past year and he passed away suddenly last week while at home. The health care here is not too good so the doctors never bothered to check the cause of death so the death certificate does not even have anything related to the cause of death. I wanted to know if there will be any problems claiming the death benefits due to the cause of death being unknown? And is there anything I can do about this if there is a problem with this?
 
My father has two different life insurance policies. One is whole life insurance that he got about 15 years ago and the other is term that he got around 18 months ago.

He is a US Citizen but has been living in Pakistan for the past year and he passed away suddenly last week while at home. The health care here is not too good so the doctors never bothered to check the cause of death so the death certificate does not even have anything related to the cause of death. I wanted to know if there will be any problems claiming the death benefits due to the cause of death being unknown? And is there anything I can do about this if there is a problem with this?

The insurance company will investigate that the 18 month policy was not a sucide and that there was nothing in his health history that was misrepresented on the application. It will take months for them to research and make a decision. They will need to try to determine the cause of death from their research even if it's not on the death certificate. The main concern to know the cause of death is to determine if sucide was involved. Other than that the cause of death is not too big of a deal. Known health history up to the day he signed the application or accepted the policy is what determines if they can rescind and no pay the claim.

The other policy will have no problem at all. It's non contestible since it's past 2-years old.
 
Also some life insurance companies ask if you intend to travel or move. If this question was asked and at the time he knew he would be moving to Pakistan and did not disclose this, the insurance company can refuse to pay. It would be hard for them to prove this, but this is the same thing with health, you are supposed to disclose everything truthfully at the time of the application.

I have had issues with insurance companies refusing to send money overseas. It helps if the beneficiaries have a US based bank account
 
I had a death claim many yrs ago with a person who died in 3rd world country. The policy was way over the 2 yr contestable period. It took 8 months to pay as they had to legitimately confirm his death due to so much corruption in 3rd world country's . The way you sound the Family still lives in the US so i'm sure most of his Dr's were here. But the contestable policy will take much longer to pay and depending on the size of it they might put up a fight on the question "do you intend to travel outside the US in the next 2 yrs"?
 
My father has two different life insurance policies. One is whole life insurance that he got about 15 years ago and the other is term that he got around 18 months ago.

He is a US Citizen but has been living in Pakistan for the past year and he passed away suddenly last week while at home. The health care here is not too good so the doctors never bothered to check the cause of death so the death certificate does not even have anything related to the cause of death. I wanted to know if there will be any problems claiming the death benefits due to the cause of death being unknown? And is there anything I can do about this if there is a problem with this?

For United States citizens, a certified death certificate must be accompanied by a Report of the Death of an American Citizen Abroad. Did you report the death to the American Citizen Services Unit? I cannot post a link but below is text from the us embassy in Pakistan.

Obtaining a Death Certificate (called a Consular Report of Death Abroad)

Even if no assistance is needed, the death of any U.S. citizen should be reported to the ACS Unit so that a Consular Report of Death Abroad can be issued. This report is like a death certificate, and can help family members settle legal and estate matters in the United States. The report is official and written in English.

Requirements

The ACS unit will issue the Consular Report of Death Abroad when the following documents are provided:
•Original death certificate from local authorities.
•Doctor’s report with cause of death listed.
•Original passport of the deceased. Please be aware that a consular officer is required to cancel the deceased’s passport before the Consular Report of Death Abroad can be released.
 
For United States citizens, a certified death certificate must be accompanied by a Report of the Death of an American Citizen Abroad. Did you report the death to the American Citizen Services Unit? I cannot post a link but below is text from the us embassy in Pakistan.

Obtaining a Death Certificate (called a Consular Report of Death Abroad)

Even if no assistance is needed, the death of any U.S. citizen should be reported to the ACS Unit so that a Consular Report of Death Abroad can be issued. This report is like a death certificate, and can help family members settle legal and estate matters in the United States. The report is official and written in English.

Requirements

The ACS unit will issue the Consular Report of Death Abroad when the following documents are provided:
•Original death certificate from local authorities.
•Doctor’s report with cause of death listed.
•Original passport of the deceased. Please be aware that a consular officer is required to cancel the deceased’s passport before the Consular Report of Death Abroad can be released.

I have not fact checked this, but great helpful post.

Welcome aboard.
 
From my personal experience, if you’re having issues with life insurance companies not paying out, I highly recommend contacting this law firm called “Boonswang Law”. They deal exclusively with life insurance cases, specifically when claims are delayed or denied to the beneficiary. I highly recommend them (their number is 888.726.6679).
Interesting first post...How much do they pay for referrals?
 
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