(Life Insurance) Financial Steps to Take When a Loved One Dies

The death of a loved one can be a difficult time in one’s life but dealing with the life insurance company should be easy. Dealing with the weight of grief, one shouldn’t have to deal with the weight of financial burdens too. Death benefits from a life insurance policy can help ease some of the burdens one faces.

Upon the death of a loved one, make sure to have a medical professional verify the death. If a loved one passes away in the hospital, the physician will do this. If a loved one passes away unexpected, call 911 first and help will arrive and they will determine the appropriate way of declaring the death.

Next, you’ll want to arrange for transportation of the body. If the body is not taken to the hospital, you can arrange for a funeral home to pick up. Once you’ve made arrangements for the body, contact a funeral home director. Most funeral home directors will help you coordinate the memorial service, obtain the correct permits for burial, place an obituary in the newspaper and obtain copies of the death certificate.

The death certificates may take around 5 days to process. In the meantime, begin arranging funeral services.

Once the death certificates arrive, file a claim with the life insurance provider. Contact the insurance agent to help file the correct documents and move the process along. If you cannot find the life insurance policy, don’t worry; your insurance agent can verify who you are and look it up for you, just make sure to provide a death certificate.

If a loved one passed away naturally, such as from illness, you may receive the life insurance payout within 1 – 3 weeks after filing. Some states do allow insurers 30 days to pay. If the death was a suspected suicide or homicide, processing the claim may take longer while the insurance company investigates or cooperates with police.

In most cases, life insurance funds are available within 30 days of filing.

To find out more about life insurance and it’s payouts, Call Advanced Insurance Concepts today and Jim Rooney will work with you to find the answer. Advanced Insurance Concepts works with a variety of insurance companies and all Medicare Advantage providers in Missouri and Kansas. He is licensed to sell Health, Life and Accident Insurance, so call Jim Rooney for all your insurance needs.