Your client dies within contestable period, and the beneficiary calls

[jacobtn]

How does most of you handle it? Do you just defer them straight to the home office? Curious. I know how long the claims can take when contestable, and don't want them thinking I"m holding them up somehow and calling me when the process drags on.

 

[jdeasy]

How does most of you handle it? Do you just defer them straight to the home office? Curious. I know how long the claims can take when contestable, and don't want them thinking I"m holding them up somehow and calling me when the process drags on.

I help with the claims process if they need help. Sometimes as simple as sending claim forms to the FH to expedite things. I explain the process and that taking a while is normal. Most understand even though they don't like it. Some get irate.

I have Trans contestable claim right now. About 2 months in. The beneficary calles me 2 or 3 times a week.

Sometimes you just gotta let them vent.

 

[Life Hawk]

Explain the process and be very transparent. I never give false hope but lean more the other direction by saying the company will complete the investigation and render a verdict. "There shouldn't be an issue as long as Mildred was forthcoming on the application and not aware of any important heath issues. "
Do not use the word "honest", round that word off so as to not make it sound as Mildred could have lied.

Help the beneficiary understand that this is a process that is instituted for all life policies, and it is standard industry practice.

You should have a pretty good guess where things are headed based on the death cert.

 

[titeye]

This just happened to me earlier this year. The beneficiary called me directly. In general, I took the same steps jd and hawk did, by helping the beneficiary complete the process. In addition, I had to contact the hospitals, clinics, and doctors for where to send forms they were required to complete. The beneficiary did not know about contestability, but appreciated my explanation. I must have had 4 or 5 phone conversations with her. The last phone call she made to me was very disturbing to the both of us. The claim was denied, however, the claims analyst led her to believe that she would received the death benefit by saying, "Your case has been approved". Yet, she received a check later that week for the return of premium, instead of a check for $30,000. Due to the rapport I built with her, she did not go ballistic on me. However, she did say she would call that particular claims analyst back and ask what was meant by the term, "approved".
The client did not know he had cancer, but neither did his physicians. However, his physicians did advise him to get a biopsy, which is a test, and he answered "NO" to that question. In a letter that accompanied the ROP check, the claims dept. said they never would have insured him, had he answered "Yes" to that question.
Bottom line, these calls are part of the job I signed up for. When performed to perfection, there is a possibility that it may lead to a referral, or two.

 

[DonP]

I have one right now . . This client has been with his live in in 30 yrs . I wrote an awesome 30 k sagicor Simplified issue in 2015 . She was 46 . An agent or someone cancelled it in 2019 . He calls me in 2021 not knowing what happened to it . I was no longer with sagicor so I never saw the lapse . Anyway rewrote her $30 k with another carrier . She died 18 months later . The sucker calls me as she’s dead looking at her ( she died of heart attack ) and they hadn’t picked her body up . I told him the procedure and he starts railing like it’s 2 yr wait . I said no but they’ll investigate. He said all she had was high blood . Then he slipped up and said she smoked . She answered no to that and I never saw her smoking . I suspect she lied about other things . 2 days later he calls me from funeral home on speaker phone . Funeral guy asks Will this pay anything now . I said you understand contestable. If she told the truth it pays . He mumbles it ain’t paying . The beneficiary starts railing you sold me 2 year wait and accused me of replacing the sagicor. Now understand this guy can hardly read and thinks everything’s fraud . I simply hung up on him . He calls back and apologizes . Anyway I decided no matter what I do He’ll be railing weekly . I’m not taking abuse from anyone.In the end I highly doubt it pays after he said she smoked. I decided to cut my loses and blocked him . I called to report the death the next day but the sucker already called it in . I have his Medicare and life . I fired him .

 

[somarco]

Do not use the word "honest", round that word off so as to not make it sound as Mildred could have lied.

Great advice, and I like the way you phrased that.

 

[titeye]

...The sucker calls me as she’s dead...
....but the sucker already called it in .

Why do you keep referring to this guy as a "sucker"?

 

[DonP]

Why do you keep referring to this guy as a "sucker"?

I really meant the F word. I think it’s disgusting your partner died 2 hrs ago and your calling about the ins .

 

[fed up]

The flipside of these is a Colonial Penn policy I started for a woman who was looking out for her nephew who was homeless and living on the streets at the time. I needed his SSN and she was taking forever to find him and get the information. She supplied the info mid day Monday but called to tell me that he had been stabbed to death Sunday night. I called Colonial Penn to withdraw the app and they wanted timeline details in an effort to determine if they could pay because he did not die from any of the Graded complications.

 

[Life Hawk]

I really meant the F word. I think it’s disgusting your partner died 2 hrs ago and your calling about the ins .

Funny you should mention this. A week or so ago we where down in SC for a few weeks vacation and I fielded a call much like you mentioned.

Son calls while in the hospital room with his deceased mother (I'll miss her but not her two chihuahuas). He had no clue what to do next, so I coached him a bit.

My next call was from the funeral home while he stat in their office. The director had the audacity to ask if the policy could all be given to the beni in his office??? The beni's where split 3 ways and the the son said that the other two where druggies so he wanted the director to ask if the funds could all be remitted to him.

I got a bit niffed at a real stupid question and after some discourse the director admitted that he didn't think that could be done. Why even give the guy any hope by entertaining such a stupid question... very unprofessional in my opinion.