Has Your Accidental Death Claim Been Denied or Delayed?
The Center for Life Insurance Disputes are Nationally Recognized Experts at Getting Accidental Death Claims Paid.
Most Accidental Death Claims are going to be denied
An unfortunate fact is that most accidental death claims are going to be denied. There are two reasons for this. One, accidental death insurance has a very low premium and insurers can’t make a profit from these policies if they have to pay out a lot of claims. And two, every accidental death insurance policy has a list of exclusions that allow the insurer to get out of paying a claim if they can show the exclusion applies.
Why Are Accidental Death Claims Denied?
The number one reason AD&D claims get denied is because every policy has a list of Exclusions to Coverage which allow the insurance company to deny a claim.
These exclusions include carefully worded items such as, ‘The accident or injury must be independent of any medical condition’. An example of how this exclusion is used to deny claims is if the insured had a heart attack while swimming and drowned. The insurer will proclaim that he/she had a “medical condition” that caused the death (the heart attack) and the insurer doesn’t have to pay a claim. This very common exclusion is found in some form in the Exclusions to Coverage of most accidental death and dismemberment policies.
Another very common exclusion is, ‘The death cannot be the result of ingesting any substance unless prescribed by a physician and administered according to the prescription.’ This exclusion is heavily relied on by insurers to deny claims for all drug overdose deaths — even when the substance was prescribed. We fight and win overdose denials constantly for our clients. (See: Drug Overdose & Life Insurance Claims).
Yet another common Exclusion to Coverage is one that says, ‘The insured cannot be intoxicated at the time of death’. As drunk driving is one of the most common factors for motor vehicle deaths, this exclusion voids a large majority of claims where the insured died as a result of a car accident.
How To Get an AD&D Claim Paid
It’s not enough to simply file the claim.
The best way to get an Accidental Death Claim approved and paid in full is with proper planning before filing the claim. This includes doing a claim investigation on the same basis as the insurer will do to anticipate and resolve issues that would cause a claim to be denied. This can be things like obtaining prescription history reports, doing drug-to-drug analysis and analyzing Incident reports.
If a claim is filed without proper supporting documentation and anticipating the issues, the final decision will lack evidence and simply rest in the hands of the insurance company — which doesn’t want to pay the claim. The Center for Life Insurance Disputes are experts at identifying and presenting the information needed to get accidental death claims paid.
Likewise, if an accidental death claim has been denied we can re-open an investigation and appeal the denial based on evidence and legal precedence.
How Do I Get Representation for My Claim?
Representing clients nationwide, The Center for Life Insurance Disputes will properly research and file your accidental death claim and get it paid in full, even if it has already been denied. Call Us Toll Free 1-888-428-4868 for a Free Accidental Death Claims Consultation.
We Save You Time and Money
We are the premier life insurance claims resolution firm in the United States. The Center for Life Insurance Disputes gets claims paid fast and in full without legal fees.
Accidental Death Insurance is Different
There is a difference between life insurance and accidental death insurance. While either type of coverage will pay a benefit based on the insured dying, the Cause of Death differentiates the two coverages. In order to receive a claim benefit from an Accidental Death insurance policy the insured must die of an accident that is “covered” (not excluded) in the policy. It’s critical to understand the language of these policies.
The Death Certificate Says Accidental Death, So Why was My Claim Denied?
After a person dies a death certificate is issued. The certificate will have both a Cause of Death and a Manner of Death identified. Many people think that just because the death certificate says “accidental” their claim will be paid.
It won’t.
Both the Cause of Death and the Manner of Death will be factors in whether the claim is paid or denied. For example, someone can die from a car accident but if the death certificate says “blunt force trauma while intoxicated” the claim will be denied.
In other words, just because the death was accidental doesn’t mean claim benefits will be paid.
With Some Accidental Death Claims the Insurer May Simply Refuse To Pay the Claim
A Bloomberg Markets Magazine article, written by David Evans, states, “Life insurers have found myriad ways to delay and deny paying death benefits to families, civil court cases across the U.S. show. Since 2008, federal judges have concluded that some insurers cheated survivors by twisting facts, fabricating excuses and ignoring autopsy findings in withholding death benefits.”
Contact Us for Representation to Get Your Accidental Death Claim Paid
For your best chance of getting an insurer to pay your accidental death claim you need representation. We have a long history of getting these very challenging claims paid. We accept clients throughout the US.
For your Accidental Death claim contact us today.
Also read:
Accidental Overdose Claim Paid