Life Insurance Lawyer Serving Ohio & Defending Your Rights
Boonswang Law’s Experienced Ohio Life Insurance Lawyers Are Ready to Help You Get Paid
Get Your Free Case Evaluation
No Fee Unless We Win
The Life Insurance Beneficiary Firm
If you have recently lost a loved one, dealing with their life insurance company is probably the last thing on your mind. However, filing a claim for death benefits isn’t always as straightforward as it should be.
In these cases, an experienced life insurance lawyer can shoulder the work of filing and appealing your claim so you can focus on moving forward and helping your family heal.
If you’ve filed your life insurance claim and your payout is being delayed or your life insurance claim was denied, contact Boonswang Law right away. We confront insurance companies on a daily basis, and know how to navigate delays and denials — we’ll help you get the compensation you deserve.
Contact a life insurance lawyer serving Ohio at Boonswang Law for your free consultation. Our team of knowledgeable life insurance lawyers has helped people throughout Ohio receive their rightful benefits.
Boonswang Law has served beneficiary clients throughout Ohio with a dedicated team of life insurance lawyers. We’ve helped life insurance beneficiaries who live in and near the following cities in Ohio:
- Columbus
- Cleveland
- Cincinnati
- Toledo
- Akron
- Dayton
- Parma
- Canton
- Youngstown
- Lorain
- Hamilton
- Springfield
- Kettering
- Elyria
- Lakewood
- Newark
- Cuyahoga Falls
- Middletown
- Euclid
- Mentor
- Beavercreek
- Mansfield
- Dublin
Contact A Ohio Life Insurance Lawyer at Boonswang Law For Your Free Consultation
Common Reasons Life Insurance Claims Denied in Ohio
It is easy to assume that when someone purchases a life insurance policy, their beneficiaries automatically receive death benefits when they die. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
Life insurance companies frequently use the following reasons to initially refuse to pay beneficiaries’ claims for death benefits, often unfairly.
Missing Documents
Life insurance companies require official proof of death of the insured in order to process a claim for death benefits. This proof may take the form of a certified death certificate, an obituary, or a bill from the funeral home or crematorium.
If the insured died overseas, sometimes a foreign death certificate is insufficient to prove death. If your claim has been denied for this reason, contact us — we can help.
Call the Ohio Life Insurance Lawyers at Boonswang Law Today
Life insurance companies have teams of lawyers working to prevent you from getting the life insurance payout your loved one wanted you to receive. Fortunately, you don’t have to deal with them on your own — Boonswang Law is here to help.
We have helped many Ohio life insurance beneficiaries in your position get their death benefits. Call Boonswang Law today at (855) 865-4335 to set up your free, no-obligation consultation.
Policy Lapse or Termination
Life insurance premiums must be paid to maintain coverage. If the insured failed to pay premiums for any reason, coverage will lapse and any claims for the death benefit will be denied.
However, there are often cases in which non-payment of premiums is not the fault of the insured and the beneficiaries can still get paid. If your claim was denied due to policy lapse or termination, call us. We may be able to help you.
Cause of Death is Excluded from Coverage
Every life insurance policy lists causes of death that are excluded from coverage. Common exclusions include suicide and acts of war or terrorism. If the circumstances of the death of the insured are excluded from coverage, the life insurance company will refuse to pay death benefits.
If your claim for death benefits was denied because an exclusion allegedly applies to the insured’s cause of death, give us a call. An Ohio life insurance lawyer can help you understand what is excluded or covered in a policy and may be able to show that the exclusion does not in fact apply.
Misrepresentation
Misrepresentation on the initial life insurance application and medical questionnaire is a form of life insurance fraud that will likely result in denial of your claim for death benefits. Even if the insured made an innocent mistake, such as transposing the numbers on their date of birth, the life insurance company will deny your claim.
If your claim was denied due to alleged misrepresentation, call us—we have gotten many beneficiary clients in Ohio paid under these circumstances.
What to Expect When You Work With an Experienced Ohio Life Insurance Lawyer
Working with a life insurance lawyer in Ohio is the best way to ensure you recieve the death benefits to which you’re entitled. These policies can be complex, and the attorneys at Boonswang Law are here to help you understand them and file your claim properly.
Here’s just a sample of the ways we can assist you with your claim:
- We handle all correspondence and communications with the life insurance company
- We keep you apprised of developments in your case
- We review the terms of the policy
- We investigate why your claim has been denied or delayed
- We investigate whether the denial reason used applies
- We follow up with the life insurance company on any delayed payouts
- We resolve disputes over incorrect payout amounts
Life insurance companies are deeply invested in protecting their bottom line—if you get paid, they lose money. This reality incentivizes insurance companies to cite any potentially applicable reason to delay or deny your legitimate claim for death benefits. We help people in Ohio whose claims are unfairly denied or delayed get paid.
Insurance Scams & Bad Faith: What to Watch Out For
When it comes to retaining their assets, life insurance companies will try anything to increase profits and keep from paying your claim—up to and including acting in bad faith. Below are some of the most common scams to watch out for when setting up a life insurance policy.
Indexed Universal Life Insurance
Indexed universal life insurance (IUL) may be a good investment for some—but be very cautious of insurance companies that push these policies. Contracts are often intentionally misleading, meaning you could give up control of your money without realizing it until it’s too late.
IULs make your policy more valuable by allocating some of the funds to an S&P 500 or NASDAQ account. This may be a smart move for a younger person with discretionary income, provided the contract is sound. However, older persons or those with less discretionary income may not have the time or resources for these policies to mature properly.
Churning Scams
Churning scams keep beneficiaries from claiming compensation by misleading the policyholder into purchasing a new policy that will allegedly cost them less money. The insurance representative then purchases the new policy with funds from the old policy, and takes premium payments from the old policy, as well.
This process shrinks the available funds in both policies, often until there’s nothing left. Older policyholders are often targets of churning scams—if you suspect your loved one has been victimized this way, contact our life insurance legal team today.
Insurance Bad Faith
Insurance companies want to deny your claim to protect their bottom line—they may sometimes even act in bad faith to do so. Bad faith acts include fraudulent claim denials, extended delays in payment, or attempting to pay less than the policy states. If this has happened to you, contact a life insurance lawyer in Ohio to fight back.
Common Questions About Life Insurance Benefits in Ohio
How Long Does it Take to Get a Life Insurance Payout in Ohio?
The life insurance company should process your death benefits claim within 30 to 60 days.
In order to receive your payout as soon as possible, try to file your claim in a timely manner after the insured’s death.
To help this process go as smoothly as possible, contact an OH life insurance lawyer to help navigate your claim more easily.
What Happens When a Life Insurance Claim is Denied in Ohio?
You should contest the claim denial. Often legitimate claims for death benefits are improperly denied, and you still might be able to get paid.
The life insurance company will send you an explanation letter listing the reason or reasons they will not pay your claim. In our experience, we have found that those reasons are often insufficient or do not actually apply.
Our experienced OH life insurance lawyers can assist you in disputing a denied claim. Call us — our years of experience will improve your chances of getting the money you deserve.
What Happens When a Minor is Listed as Life Insurance Beneficiary?
If one or more beneficiaries is under 18 when the policyholder dies, the court must appoint someone to administer the proceeds of the life insurance policy. A policyholder can avoid this by establishing a life insurance trust in the name of the child, and name the trust as beneficiary.
How Can I Find Out Whether My Loved One Had A Life Insurance Policy?
There is no universal record of life insurance policyholders. If you suspect your loved one had life insurance, you can investigate by contacting their employer’s human resources department or examining their important paperwork and bank statements to look for policy documents or premium payments.
Can I Share Life Insurance Benefits With My Siblings?
Yes! If the insured listed only one of their children as the beneficiary, that child may share with their siblings.
Can Death Benefits be Contested if the Beneficiary Designation Was Recently Changed?
Yes — in fact, you should contest the beneficiary designation if you suspect changes were coerced or made when the policyholder was not of sound mind. It’s important to remember the policyholder may make changes at any time while they’re alive and mentally sound.
However, irrevocable beneficiaries — such as the policyholder’s spouse and children — must consent to any changes made to the policy. Even if the policyholder and their spouse were divorced or legally separated, the ex-spouse is still an irrevocable beneficiary.
If there are claims that a child, spouse, or former spouse has been removed as a beneficiary, this is likely a false claim.
Can I Still Receive Death Benefits if the Insurance Policy Has Lapsed?
It’s possible. We would need to investigate the reason premiums were not paid in order to determine whether the lapse was not the fault of the insured.
Examples of lapse where the beneficiaries still get paid include when the insured does not receive the required notices and when the insured is not given the conversion forms by their employer.
No two cases of lapsed payment are the same. Contact an Ohio life insurance lawyer at Boonswang Law to discuss your specific situation.
Can a Life Insurance Beneficiary Designation Be Changed After the Insured’s Death?
No. The policyholder is the only person who can make changes to the policy unless they have granted power of attorney. Any evidence indicating posthumous changes to the policy has been falsified. If someone has produced such evidence, contact Boonswang Law today to protect your claim.
What Do I Do if My Claim Was Denied Due to Misrepresentation?
Give us a call — we can help. Alleged misrepresentation on the part of the insured is probably the most common reason life insurance companies deny otherwise valid life insurance claims.
We have gotten beneficiaries paid in cases where it was an honest mistake on the part of the insured, there is no evidence of the intent to deceive, and the cause of death had nothing to do with the alleged misrepresentation.
Life Insurance Attorneys Serving These States
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- US Virgin Islands
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
