Honestly, I’m feeling really stressed. My dad’s life insurance was a group policy with NY Life, and he worked there less than two years. His cause of death was listed as “complications due to alcohol use disorder.”
I’m worried they might deny the claim because of the contestability period. I sent the official death certificate to NY Life via email on September 23rd, and even though it’s only been about 10 business days, it feels like forever. I’m stuck trying to deal with the rest of my dad’s estate, and it’s overwhelming. He didn’t have a will, so now I have to figure out how to get named the person to handle it all. My brother is in prison, so getting him to sign anything is a huge hassle. Plus, I’m not even sure if there’s any money in my dad’s accounts to pay for a probate attorney. He had no assets, so if there’s nothing left, this insurance payout is really the only way I could afford any help.
Should I give it another week? Or call tomorrow to check on the claim? So far, I’ve only received an automated email saying, “Your email will be reviewed by your designated claim manager and if any additional information is needed, they will reach out to you as soon as possible.” It didn’t even confirm they got the death certificate. Do they need an official copy mailed in too? (If so, why didn’t they tell me that in the email?)
I haven’t heard anything from them, and I’m assuming if they are paying it out, they’ll need more info from me, like setting up an account or providing more details.
Sorry for the rambling, I just don’t know how long this is supposed to take. The initial letter I got said they’d update me every 30 days, which feels like forever. How does anyone manage to wait that long if they need the money for a funeral? I had to ask my dad’s siblings to pay for his cremation, and I’d really like to pay them back if I can. It also didn’t help that it took nearly two months to get the death certificate.
I think they gave me a claim manager’s name in the letter, but I’m not sure if it’s too soon to follow up. Would calling them after 10 business days be annoying? I just want to know if they’re going to ask for more paperwork or if this is going to drag on. And what if it gets denied?
I’d go ahead and call. New York Life will probably pay out the benefit. Was it just a group term policy? Did the company cover the premium? Usually, these policies are guaranteed issue, so I wouldn’t worry about the cause of death unless it was related to a felony.
@Stevie
I’m honestly not sure. The company only told me it was through NY Life group benefits, and that my dad bought extra coverage on top of the standard plan. Oh, and that I’m the beneficiary, lol.
Clarke said: @Stevie
I’m honestly not sure. The company only told me it was through NY Life group benefits, and that my dad bought extra coverage on top of the standard plan. Oh, and that I’m the beneficiary, lol.
Lane said:
I think they only deny claims within the first two years if the death was due to suicide.
Yeah, but where’s the line?
To be blunt, my dad’s doctors told him that if he didn’t stop drinking, he wouldn’t live much longer. He didn’t stop. He didn’t intentionally do anything to speed up the process, but he knew alcohol was killing him. So, does the life insurance company see that as suicide, or are they looking for something more immediate like an overdose or hanging?
Or do they just go by whatever the medical examiner wrote down?
@Clarke
Suicide means doing something to directly cause your death, like taking a bunch of pills. Living an unhealthy lifestyle doesn’t meet the legal definition.