Life Insurance Claims Process
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Investing in an insurance policy is a wise choice that needs to be made by everyone to cater to the needs of the dear ones should there be any tragedy. The uncertainity of life is covered by the advantages life insurance has to offer. Loss of loved one is a painful event and leads to lot of emotional distress not to mention the change in social and financial position. Claims settlement is the moment of truth - when the company upholds the promise made to its clients. While the process for claim is straightforward and simple, there are instances when claims can be rejected, for instance, on proving misrepresented facts on the insured's part. |
Process to File a Life Insurance Claim
Claim settlement is an important part for the insurance company to provide to its customers and meet its obligations and committments. Insurance companies have an obligation to settle claims promptly. In the tragic event of loss of your loved one who had a life insurance policy, you will need to fill a claim form and contact the financial advisor from whom you bought your policy to ensure all documents and process are followed properly to get the settlement amount on time. Submit all relevant documents such as original death certificate and policy bond to your insurer to support your claim. Most claims are settled by issuing a cheque within 7 days from the time they receive the documents. However, if your insurer is unable to deal with all or any part of your claim, you will be notified in writing.
Types of claims
- Maturity Claim
On the date of maturity life insured is required to send maturity claim / discharge form and original policy bond well before maturity date to enable timely settlement. Most companies offer/issue post dated cheques and/ or make payment through ECS credit on the maturity date. - Death Claim (including rider claim)
In case of death claim or rider claim the following procedure should be followed.
Four simple steps to file life insurance claim
- Claim intimation/notification
The claimant must submit the written intimation as soon as possible to enable the insurance company to initiate the claim processing. The claim intimation should consist of basic information such as policy number, name of the insured, date of death, cause of death, place of death, name of the claimant.
The claimant can also get a claim intimation/notification form from the nearest local branch office of the insurance company or their insurance advisor/agent. Alternatively, some insurance companies also provide the facility of downloading the form from their website. - Documents required for claim processing
The claimant will be required to provide a claimant's statement, original policy document, death certificate, police FIR and post mortem exam report (for accidental death), certificate and records from the treating doctor/hospital (for death due to illness) and advance discharge form for claim processing. Based on the sum at risk, cause of death and policy duration, insurance companies may also request some additional documents. - Submission of required documents for claim processing
For faster claim processing, it is essential that the claimant submits complete documentation as early as possible. A life insurer will not be able to take a decision until all the requirements are complete. Once all relevant documents, records and forms have been submitted, the life insurer can take a decision about the claim. - Settlement of claim
As per the regulation 8 of the IRDA (Policy holder's Interest) Regulations, 2002, the insurer is required to settle a claim within 30 days of receipt of all documents including clarification sought by the insurer. However, the insurance company can set a practice of settling the claim even earlier. If the claim requires further investigation, the insurer has to complete its procedures within six months from receiving the written intimation of claim.
Claim intimation
In case a claim arises you should:
- Contact the respective life insurance branch office.
- Contact your insurance advisor
- Call the respective Customer Helpline
Claim requirements
For Death Claim:
- Death Certificate
- Original Policy Bond
- Claim Forms issued by the insurer along with supporting documents
For Accidental Disability / Critical Illness Claim
- Copies of Medical Records, Test Reports, Discharge Summary, Admission Records of hospitals and Laboratories.
- Original Policy Bond
- Claim Forms along with supporting documents
For Maturity Claims:
- Original Policy Bond
- Maturity Claim Form
Download life insurance claim forms
Each life insurance company may have a different process or timelines etc to settle the claims and thus we recommend you to visit the company claim settlement section to identify the correct process right from intimation to the forms and get an early settlement. In case there is any problem with claim settlement, you can use the grievance redressal mechanism on respective companies website or contact us to help you with your claim filling.
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