Our life insurance attorneys successfully recovered a $75,000 death benefit after the insurer denied the claim based on alleged high-risk foreign travel. The insured had traveled to a country experiencing political unrest that appeared on the U.S. Department of State travel advisory list. The insurer argued that the trip was not disclosed and that the death fell outside coverage. After a detailed policy review and legal challenge, the denial was overturned and the full benefit was paid to the beneficiary.
This case highlights how insurers often misuse travel related policy language to deny claims, even when the policy does not clearly exclude coverage.
Can Travel to a Dangerous Country Lead to a Life Insurance Denial?
Yes, but only in limited circumstances. Life insurance claims are not automatically denied because the insured traveled to a dangerous country. A denial is only valid if one of the following applies:
The policy contains a clear geographic exclusion that applies to the country
The death resulted from an excluded risk such as war or terrorism
The insured made a material misrepresentation about travel during underwriting
Absent one of these factors, travel alone is not enough to justify denial.
How Insurers Use Travel Advisories to Deny Claims
Insurers often rely on travel advisories issued by the U.S. Department of State to argue that a region is inherently excluded. However, travel advisories do not override policy language. A policy must explicitly tie coverage exclusions to travel warnings or designated regions.
Common insurer arguments include:
Claiming nondisclosure of travel plans voids the policy
Treating travel advisories as automatic exclusions
Equating political unrest with war or terrorism exclusions
Applying exclusions that only exist in accidental death riders
Courts generally reject these arguments unless the policy language clearly supports them.
Travel Disclosure and Material Misrepresentation
Insurers may attempt to rescind a policy if they believe the insured failed to disclose planned or frequent travel to high risk regions. For a denial to stand, the insurer must show:
The application specifically asked about travel
The insured provided an inaccurate answer
The information would have changed underwriting
The misstatement was material to the risk
If the application did not ask about travel, or if the travel was incidental, nondisclosure is often not a valid basis for denial.
In the Sammons case, the policy application did not clearly require disclosure of future travel, and the exclusion relied upon by the insurer did not apply to the actual cause of death.
Travel Versus War and Terrorism Exclusions
Many life insurance policies exclude deaths caused by war, military conflict, or acts of terrorism. Insurers sometimes try to stretch these exclusions to cover deaths that merely occurred in unstable regions.
A valid exclusion generally requires proof that:
The death was directly caused by war or terrorism
The insured was an active participant
The policy clearly defines the excluded activity
Mere presence in a country experiencing unrest is not enough.
How We Overturned the Sammons Denial
Our review focused on:
Whether the policy actually excluded the country
Whether the travel advisory was incorporated into the policy
Whether disclosure of travel was required at application
Whether the cause of death matched any exclusion
Once these issues were addressed, the insurer could not justify its denial under a fair reading of the contract. The full $75,000 benefit was paid.
When Travel Based Denials Can Be Challenged
These denials are often reversible when:
The policy lacks a clear geographic exclusion
Travel advisories are not incorporated into the policy
The application did not require travel disclosure
The death was unrelated to war or terrorism
The insurer relies on vague or implied language
Insurers frequently assume beneficiaries will accept travel based denials without scrutiny. That assumption is often wrong.
Help With Denied Life Insurance Claims Involving Foreign Travel
Foreign travel denials are complex and commonly mishandled by insurers. They require careful analysis of policy language, underwriting questions, and the actual cause of death.
Our firm focuses exclusively on denied life insurance claims nationwide. We regularly overturn denials involving foreign travel, travel advisories, geographic exclusions, and alleged nondisclosure.
We offer free consultations and handle all cases on a contingency basis. There are no fees unless benefits are recovered.