Florida Life Insurance Lawyers

Boonswang Law Has A Team of Experienced Florida Life Insurance Lawyers Who are Ready to Fight for You

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The National Life Insurance Law Firm - Boonswang Law

For decades, our team of knowledgeable and skilled life insurance lawyers has helped beneficiaries throughout Florida with their life insurance claims.

Unfortunately, it is common for life insurance companies to delay or deny life insurance claims in order to make money for their Shareholders. Our Florida life insurance lawyers will investigate the alleged reason or reasons the life insurance claim was denied and get to the bottom of the matter. Don’t take no for an answer!

Boonswang Law is proud to serve Florida with a dedicated team of life insurance lawyers ready to help you. Our clients come from throughout Florida, including but not limited to:

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Why Can A Life Insurance Claim Be Denied In Florida?

Life insurance policies should be a safety net for beneficiaries to automatically receive benefits following the policyholder’s death. However, this isn’t always the case, and there are unfortunately quite a few reasons why an insurance policy may refuse to pay death benefits in Florida.

Lack of Documentation

If you are the beneficiary of a life insurance policy, you may be responsible for providing proof that the insured has passed. This proof can often be a certified death certificate, an obituary, or a bill from the funeral home. Without access to these documents, your claim could be denied.

A Florida Life Insurance Lawyers at Boonswang Can Help You Get the Benefits You Deserve

Dealing with losing a loved one is difficult enough without having to worry about claims and paperwork. Let Boonswang Law alleviate some of your stress. Call us today at (855) 865-4335 to set up a free consultation. We do not get paid unless you do!

Unpaid Life Insurance Premiums

Life insurance policies generally have a premium that must be paid each month in order to maintain coverage. Failure to pay that premium can cause coverage to lapse, resulting in a claim for death benefits being denied. However, it’s important to note that a missed premium may not automatically mean that you are no longer eligible to receive death benefits.

If you feel that a life insurance company has unfairly denied your claim over an unpaid premium, contact a life insurance lawyer at Boonswang Law today. There are many circumstances under which an unfair lapse in coverage happens to the insured, and we can work to get the beneficiaries paid.

Self-Inflicted Injuries

All life insurance policies have exclusions to coverage. Deaths that are the result of self-inflicted injuries tend not to be covered. That said, you should hire an attorney if you suspect that the insurance company is wrongfully attempting to claim the insured’s death was due to self-inflicted injuries or suicide.

Retroactive Cancellation

An insurance company can sometimes try to cancel a claim after the insured’s death in an attempt to avoid paying the beneficiary. Reasons for retroactive cancellation include misrepresentation on the initial application and medical questionnaire.

Boonswang Law has extensive experience dealing with these types of cases and can help fight for you. Often, the alleged misrepresentation was not the fault of the insured or was not related to the cause of death, and we can work toward getting you the compensation you deserve.

Insurance Scams & Bad Faith You Should Know About

Ultimately, insurance companies are businesses trying to make money. They can be bullies that make your life even more difficult during such a sensitive time. To ensure you and your family are protected, you should know about the following scams and bad faith practices.

Indexed Universal Life Insurance Scams

On the surface, indexed universal life (IUL) insurance can seem benign or even like a good deal. The problem arises when insurance agents target older policyholders, trying to convince them to take the “great bargain” at their own expense. IUL works when the policyholder grows their cash value by contributing to an equity index account like an S&P 500 or NASDAQ.

A growing cash value seems appealing, but in reality, your cash growth depends on interest credits from a financial index. If you’re an older policyholder, that money may not be enough by the time your beneficiaries need it. IUL is also not always the best option if you don’t have disposable income to contribute to the equity index accounts. 

Churning Scams

Longstanding policyholders are often the focus of churning scams where an insurance agent will purposely misrepresent their offerings in order to convince policyholders to purchase a new plan. 

The new plan, typically advertised at a “lower” rate, can have a devastating effect on the value of your policy. Essentially, churning takes the savings from the original policy and uses it as a loan to pay for the new coverage plan. 

So, every time the policyholder pays into the new life insurance plan, their overall cash value decreases. This decrease impacts not only beneficiaries but also the coverage itself. If you run out of cash, it can be considered a lapsed payment and result in denied coverage.

Insurance Bad Faith Practices

If your life insurance company unreasonably denies or delays your claim, they could be acting in bad faith. Additionally, insurance companies can offer your beneficiaries lower compensation than they’re owed, which is another bad faith practice. To avoid falling victim to bad faith practices, talk to an experienced insurance lawyer in Florida right away.

What to Expect When You Hire a Florida Life Insurance Lawyer at Boonswang Law

There are several benefits to working with a seasoned life insurance lawyer, from having a legal support system to understanding the ins and outs of your policy. Below are some ways a Florida life insurance lawyer can assist you:

 

  • Review the terms of your policy to explain all coverage and any exclusions
  • Review denial letters or any other documents you’ve received from the life insurance company to see why your claim has been denied or delayed
  • Investigate the alleged reasons for the life insurance claim denial
  • Pursue your claim in court if necessary

Frequently Asked Questions About Life Insurance in Florida

Who Can Change the Beneficiary On a Life Insurance Policy in Florida?

In general, the insured is the only person who can change the beneficiary on a life insurance policy. This means that the beneficiary cannot be changed after the insured’s death. In some instances, a person who has power of attorney for the insured may be able to make adjustments to the policy.

Typically in Florida, you will have up to five years after your life insurance claim was denied to file a dispute. If you need help with submitting your dispute in a timely manner, contact a Florida life insurance lawyer at Boonswang Law.

If you’ve filed a life insurance claim in Florida that was denied, you will get an explanation letter from your insurance company. If you’d like to contest the denial, we highly recommend hiring a life insurance lawyer who can help protect your interests.

In some cases, a minor will be listed as the beneficiary on a life insurance policy. If that person is still a minor when the insured dies, the courts will likely appoint a custodian to oversee the minor beneficiary’s death benefits. Additionally, the insured can also name a custodian prior to their death.

Since not much can be done to stop the custodian from using the minor’s inheritance for their own gains, it’s often best to set up a trust in the minor’s name. It’s important to hire an estate planning attorney to help you properly set up the trust.

If you think your loved one had a life insurance policy, you can contact their employer to ask about benefits, look for life insurance documents in your loved one’s paperwork, or review banking information for paid life insurance premiums. It’s your responsibility as the beneficiary to tell the insurance company that the policyholder has passed.

If you are the only person listed as the beneficiary on a life insurance policy but would like to share your benefits with siblings (or anyone else for that matter) there’s nothing to stop you from doing that. However, additional people cannot be added as beneficiaries after the insured’s death.

Policyholders can change beneficiaries while they are alive provided they aren’t being coerced and are mentally stable. For that reason, abrupt changes are typically difficult to contend with without evidence that the adjustments were made through manipulation or under unfavorable circumstances.

There are exceptions made for irrevocable beneficiaries, who are the insured’s spouses and children. An irrevocable beneficiary cannot be removed due to divorce or separation. An irrevocable beneficiary must consent to all policy changes that affect their benefits. Some policies may require them to approve all changes.

If an insurance company says you were removed as an irrevocable beneficiary from a life insurance policy, this change can likely be contested.

Even if a policy has lapsed its beneficiaries may still be eligible to receive benefits. Our experienced team of Florida life insurance lawyers at Boonswang Law can help you understand what you may be entitled to as the beneficiary of a lapsed policy.

No. The insured is the only person who can make changes to their life insurance policy. Exceptions may sometimes be made for someone with power of attorney over the insured. If you receive any documentation showing that the beneficiary has been changed after the insured’s death, it is most likely fraudulent.

There are some circumstances that allow the insured’s spouse to contest the life insurance policy. A life insurance lawyer can explain your rights as the deceased’s spouse or former spouse.