A life insurance policy may be a great work benefit, but not if the insurance company denies your claim. An employee sponsored life insurance claim could be denied by the insurer for a variety of reasons, and right when the family needs the benefits most.
Read about sample letter contesting life insurance beneficiary
Certainly getting employer sponsored life insurance is an ideal way to protect your family, provided mistakes are not made. When it works, the policy is very inexpensive and does not require a medical exam. Premiums are deducted directly from the employee's paycheck.
The amount of insurance available to an employee will usually depend on the salary or income earned by that worker; every workplace is different, so it is essential to fully understand the benefits you are receiving. If you are offered life insurance through work, get a copy of the actual policy from the insurance company or from your employer.
While life insurance through work has many benefits, seemingly countless claims are denied. Insurance companies use a variety of excuses to deny claims, including:
- The worker was not eligible for coverage because they did not work full time
- The coverage is invalid because the worker was retired
- The claim is denied because the insured was on sick leave
- The insured was terminated from the job and failed to port his coverage
- The insured left the company and did not convert the policy to an individual one
- The employee did not work for the company for a specified length of time
- The employer failed to pay the premiums or deducted the incorrect amount
- The employer completed the paperwork incorrectly
- The employer misrepresented the employee in some way
A denial often arrives when the beneficiary is grieving, so fighting a big insurance company can seem overwhelming. Seeking out help after a life insurance denial is a must. Many beneficiaries simply get overwhelmed and confused and fail to fight for their rights, or try to play lawyer, and blow their one appeal.
Any time a life insurance claim has been denied, the family needs to seek out the advice of an experience life insurance attorney, one with at least fifteen years of experience specifically handling these claims. ERISA-governed life insurance denials are extremely complex, and you get one appeal, so if your lawyer blows it, the claim is over.
Contact us for help if your life insurance claim has been denied; we'll send a 100 to 200 page life insurance appeal brief, and get you the money to which you are entitled.