Life insurance is meant to be a lifeline for a person’s family after that person passes away. Unfortunately, many families in need see their claims denied.
Life insurance claims are denied all the time for various reasons. In many cases, claims are denied for small mistakes or errors. Other times they are denied for larger issues that take time to address. After your claim is denied, an attorney can help you explore options for challenging the denial. You might file an appeal, a complaint, or a lawsuit. The insurance industry is infamously complicated, and dealing with a denied claim can take a lot of work. An attorney can help you navigate the complex legal process of challenging an insurance denial.
If you submitted a life insurance claim but were unfortunately denied, you can challenge the denial and hopefully get the money you need. Our attorneys for life insurance claim denials can help you through the difficult process of challenging the denial. For a free case evaluation, call Howe Law at (844) 876-4357.
Why Life Insurance Claims Are Denied in Atlanta
Life insurance claims might be denied for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, the problem is a small mistake or clerical error made by the insurance company, or perhaps you forgot to include a bit of important information in your claim. Other times, a larger underlying issue puts the entire claim in jeopardy.
Life insurance policies often come with a window of time referred to as the contestability period. The contestability period often lasts around 2 years after the claim is initially purchased. If the policyholder passes away during this time, the insurance company reserves the right to contest or question the claim and possibly deny it.
Another common reason that life insurance claims are denied is that the death involved in the case is supposedly not covered by the policy. Life insurance policies often cover only certain kinds of deaths. The more kinds that are covered, the more expensive the policy probably is. Your insurance company might claim that the policy does not cover your loved one’s death, but an attorney can help you challenge this assertion.
It is also possible that the insurance company will claim that important information was not disclosed when the policy was purchased or when you filed your claim. Insurance companies often need a myriad of personal information to assess a policy before any agreement is reached. They might deny the claim if they believe important information was not disclosed.
What to Do After Your Life Insurance Claim is Denied in Atlanta
After the insurance company denies your life insurance claim, you can take several steps to challenge the denial and hopefully reverse the insurance company’s original decision. Our lawyers for life insurance claim denials can help you take on the insurance company and get the insurance payout you are entitled to.
File an Appeal
One method of challenging the denial is to file an appeal. The insurance company often handles the appeal internally, and they might have specific channels or procedures they want us to follow.
When filing an appeal, we must have your denial letter from the insurance company and any other paperwork or communications they sent you. When the insurance company denied your claim, they should have sent paperwork detailing the reason for the denial. If you were never given a reason for the denial, we might have grounds for an appeal.
We might also appeal because the denial is a mistake, and the reason for the denial is invalid. For example, the insurance company might claim they are denying the claim because the death occurred during the contestability period, but that period ended before your loved one passed away.
File a Complaint
You also have the option to file a formal complaint with the Consumer Services Division of the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire (OCI). This state agency oversees licensing and dealings with insurance companies and agents. If we believe your insurance company wrongly denied your claim, we can file a complaint and start an investigation.
We must make sure the OCI covers the insurance company, as many insurance policies through the government (e.g., Medicaid, Medicare, Federal Employee’s life insurance) are beyond the jurisdictional reach of the OCI. We must also attempt to resolve the issue with the insurance company before escalating the problem to a formal complaint.
File a Lawsuit
If all else fails, we can file a lawsuit against the insurance company for wrongfully denying your life insurance claim. The lawsuit may center on the insurance company’s breach of contract since the policy is a contract between the company and your loved one. Our attorneys for life insurance claims denials can help you get your lawsuit started and hopefully help you recover the payment you are entitled to.
In some cases, the insurance company might know that the denial is wrongful and deny your claim in bad faith. This is an incredibly serious violation, and we may have a strong case against the insurance company. In any lawsuit against an insurance company, it is vital that we have a copy of the life insurance policy and all paperwork, documents, emails, letters, and other communication between the policyholder, you, and the insurance company.
How an Attorney Can Help You After a Life Insurance Claim Denial in Atlanta
Disputing a denied life insurance claim can be extremely complicated and bogged down in bureaucratic red tape. Our attorneys for life insurance claim denials can help you through the difficult process of fighting your denied claim.
Various methods and channels are available to dispute your denied insurance claim, and your attorney can help you determine which channel works best for your case. There is also a certain order to these legal channels to keep in mind. Generally, filing a formal complaint or initiating a lawsuit is difficult if you have not first taken steps to resolve the issue with the insurance company. As such, your attorney can help you file an appeal with the insurance company while also preparing a complaint and lawsuit.
Call Our Atlanta Attorneys for Life Insurance Claim Denials for Help Now
If you attempted to submit a life insurance claim and were denied by the insurance company, you do not have the accept the denial. Our attorneys for life insurance claim denials can help you get started. For a free case review, call Howe Law at (844) 876-4357.
