Things to Keep in Mind When Filing A Death Claim
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The main purpose of life insurance is to protect the family of the insured person after his/her death. Untimely death of a family’s breadwinner may bring a lot of financial burden in addition to the emotional distress. While the emotional distress caused by the loss of a family member may never be compensated, a comprehensive life insurance policy will provide for the future of the family by lessening the financial burden.
Before the family of the insured can get hold of the insurance money, a claim application must be submitted to the company along with the policy details. Most of the top life insurers in the market have a relatively simple claim settlement process. However, there is an exact procedure that must be followed before one can successfully receive the settlement money. Here is a brief take on the steps that must be followed while filing a life insurance claim following the death of the insured.
Steps To File A Life Insurance Death Claim
Most of the top insurance companies in the market follow a similar procedure when it comes to claim settlement. Claim requests must be filed within the deadline specified in the policy document. The exact process for filing the claim request can be given as follows:
Step 1: Intimating the company
The claim settlement process begins with intimating the company about the death of the insured person. During the time of claim intimation, the nominee must provide details like time, date, and cause of death. The policy details must be mentioned while notifying the claim. If you are not sure about the process, you can contact the insurer’s customer service department and raise the claim request.
Step 2: Submission of documents
Following the intimation of the claim, a time period will be provided for the submission of claim documents. The type of documents required may differ from one insurer to another. However, it is likely to be pretty standard in most cases. Any doubts regarding the documents to be submitted can be clarified from the company’s customer service department. Here is a list of documents that may be required by the insurer before processing a claim request:
- Duly filled claim form
- Policy details
- Death certificate
- Medical reports, bills, diagnosis, etc.
- Post mortem report (for accidental death)
- FIR copy (for accidental death)
- Legal evidence of next of kin relationship (if nominee is not declared)
- Any other documents that may be requested by the insurer
All these documents must be submitted with the due date set forth by the company.
Step 3: Claim processing
Once the relevant documents are submitted to the company, the company will initiate the claim processing. The documents will be verified and the validity of the claim will be determined by the Claim Assistance Team. If the documents are not sufficient for processing the claim, the insurer may ask for additional details relevant to a claim.
Step 4: Claim settlement
Once the submitted documents are verified by the company, the company will provide the settlement amount as a lump sum payout. The settlement amount will be paid to the nominee or legal heir through ECS. Before providing the payment, the insurer will ask the nominee or legal heir to submit their bank details including account information, IFSC Code, cancelled cheque, etc. These details must be accurate in order to receive the payment successfully without any delay. If there are any rider policies included in addition to the base cover, the insurer will take that into consideration and provide the payment accordingly.
Conclusion
Claim settlement process is pretty simple in most of the top insurance companies in the market. However, the specific guidelines set forth by the company and IRDA must be followed without fail. The documents required for the claim must be accurate, and they must be submitted within the concerned deadline. By following the proper instructions from the insurer, the family of the insured can easily get access to the settlement amount without any issues.
Also read- Importance And Benefits Of Life Insurance
