Do you know of a friend or family member who filed a life insurance claim? If yes, then you probably saw them undergoing a cumbersome process of information submissions. Also, there could have been instances where their claims got denied. Right from claims for car accidents to home damage due to a natural calamity, the practice if reading the life insurance policy is a significant task at hand. It seems that the policy’s terms and conditions contradict one another. Also, the language is difficult to understand, and people can get confused.
Most people feel guilty for not being able to comprehend the policy terms and conditions. The truth is sometimes insurance companies use an ambiguous language to write the policies and requirements. Hence, each time you attempt to file your insurance claims the companies invariably direct you to the policy conditions and urge that you read it all over again. And this is where most people succumb to the authority of the insurance company. People think that the insurance company knows better. The truth is that most high-end insurers mislead people. The fact is that the policy has you covered. But because your policy is written in such an ambiguous manner, that a layperson wouldn’t be able to understand that. Hence, it is essential to reach out to an expert life insurance attorney.
Life insurance claim denials
There have been several instances where an individual’s life insurance claims have got denied. Some of the common reasons include the following causes:
- A relative didn’t clear all the premium payments
- The applicant had furnished incorrect details to the insurance company
- Your dear one expired within two years of contestability
However, what majority of individuals don’t realize is that these reasons sometimes can merely be denial excuses. For instance, it could be that your family member forgot to mention that he/she smokes in the life insurance policy.
And this makes the insurance company merely deny the claim if he/she expires untimely. They might say that your claim in “material misrepresentation.” And it could also be that your family member’s death happened because of an accident. In such a case, his smoking habit is redundant. The truth is most families suffering a loss, don’t have the required time to dispute and fight a life insurance claim. They accept what the life insurance company dictates and let go of the claim.
How to fight a denied life insurance claim?
It is important to know that an insurance company should provide you with all the reasons if they deny your claim. Also, they will have to take on the accountability of proof. It means if they aren’t able to prove to the judge that your claim got denied legally, they will have to pay the total amount. Several real reasons might delay the claim temporarily or reject it altogether. Generally, there’s a significant confusion on the valid reasons. Listed below is an exhaustive list of reasons based on which a company might deny your life insurance claim.
- A denial for failing to share the daily medical check-up details
- A lapse in life insurance policy cancellation owing to missed payment
- A denial for failing to share a pre-existing medical record
- A denial for failing to offer all relevant details upon claim application
- Denial that stems from the use of alcohol
- Misrepresenting the life insurance application can cause denial as well
- Denial for wrongly presenting one’s age, income, employment details and also physical details like weight and the like
- Denials leading from excluding medical treatment and drug use
- Denials resulting from hiding a criminal history which is present in other legal records
- Denial for any claim for accidental death due to an independent medical issue
- Denials resulting from suicide, self-inflicted injury and policy exclusion
- Denial for an accidental death claim for a seizure that didn’t happen on a particular date and time
- Denials resulting from employment termination, any drastic change in employment condition that hasn’t got updated
- Denial resulting from misusing prescription drug misuse, expiring in a foreign land, presumed death because of prolonged disappearance
- Denial that results from an individual’s inability to furnish insurability proof
- Denial resulting from the employer failing to forward or retain documents to the correct department
- Denial taking place because an employer changed the concerned insurance provider
- Denial of claims when an individual fails to port coverage
- Denial of the insurance claim when one fails to convert the employment coverage to an individual policy
It is essential to collate sufficient data to decide whether a denied insurance deserves to be fought for or not. If you feel that you want to and can fight for this, make sure that you reach out for an expert attorney who can help you in your legal case. A denial from the insurance company is indeed not the end word. It is merely a place that most life insurance providers take on the payment. To sum it up, the insurance service provider is in a way coaxing you to fight for the amount that is yours. When they deny any life insurance claim, they usually place the decision in the court’s table, thinking that most people wouldn’t want to fight a case, for an indefinite time.
The idea is not to back down here at any point! You might lack motivation or know-how on how to tackle this matter. But when you join hands with the correct life insurance attorney, who has access to the right resources to represent your case, you can turn things to your favor. Hence, it is essential to opt-in for a life insurance attorney, who has won in receiving the life insurance claims for his clients successfully. An expert and experienced attorney will know how to approach every case of an insurance claim, which might look similar but can have minute different nuances. Always, ask for a one-on-one consultation before you join hands with a lawyer. The online world offers you plenty of choices that you can select from. Make sure that you read the online reviews and testimonials before you make the final decision.