Life insurance query

sfm82

Hi there,

I was wondering if there was anyone out there that would be able to help with a small issue we have.

My boyfriend lost his mother 6 weeks ago to cancer. She had a life insurance policy paid through and organised by her employer, I believe that the insurance provider is Aviva. We gave a copy of her death certificate to her employer and they have told us that they had submitted the documents to Aviva the week she died in order to process the claim.

We were wondering if it was possible to get in contact directly with aviva in order to see whether they had received the policy and whether they we processing it, the employer just told us he knew nothing about it and it was out of their hands but we do not have a policy number, a copy of the policy or a contact in Aviva.

We just want to know whether aviva will pay and if so how long the policy will take to pay out and whether they have all the information they need on order to process it but it seems like we have no right to talk to them about it and simply have to wait for them to process it when they choose.

My boyfriend and his family are not keen to press the issue as they feel it's quite a tabboo thing to do as the money is coming as a result of thier mothers death and they do not want to be perceived as money grabbing children, but I dont see it that way, at the end of the day life insurance is there to make things easier for those who are left behind and it would certainly enable us to afford to keep her home and even do basic things like buy a headstone.

Any help much appreciated.

marshallka

We also have a private policy with work (my hubby) that pays out on death and pension etc but we do have some documents. Have you tried to look for any documents yourself or ask her works for all the information they have? I bet they would give you the details they have if you asked. I am sure you will get this sorted and its good to have someone like yourself who can help in dealing with this at this sad time.

I would just get in touch with the employers again and ask that they give you the policy details etc so you can deal direct.

sfm82

Thanks for the quick reply marshallka.

I'm in a bit of a difficult position as I am not a relation so theres only so much pushing I can do to get the family to get this information from the employer and it seems that they are under the impression that we can't deal with this directly which just does not seem possible. I can just see costs mounting in the near future as she also did not leave a will and credit cards needed to be paid off and bills need to be paid at her house house like CT etc and we're not exactly smimming in money we live to a very tight budget.

I just want to have the peace of mind to know that it is being processed and what kind of time frame we're looking at that doesnt seem like an unreasonable thing to ask. 6 weeks seems like a long time to me I thought it would have been paid within a month. As far as I know we have not found any documents to do wth her policy.

dunstonh

We just want to know whether aviva will pay and if so how long the policy will take to pay out and whether they have all the information they need on order to process it but it seems like we have no right to talk to them about it and simply have to wait for them to process it when they choose.

If its linked in with an occupational scheme then the scheme administrators do the bulk of the work. Not the insurer. So, individuals approaching the insurers are often told to contact the administrators instead.

Life assurance claims typically take a short time to pay out unless there isnt a trust or nominated beneficiary.

marshallka

Hi sfm82, I would listen to dunstonh here as he knows his stuff. Just hope you get it sorted soon.

sfm82

dunstonh wrote: »

If its linked in with an occupational scheme then the scheme administrators do the bulk of the work. Not the insurer. So, individuals approaching the insurers are often told to contact the administrators instead.

Life assurance claims typically take a short time to pay out unless there isnt a trust or nominated beneficiary.

Thanks dunstonh, am I right in assuming that the scheme administartors would be emplyed by my bf's mothers employers as when they were contacted they basically told us it was out of their hands and does 6 weeks seem like a long time to be waiting for the claim to be processed?

marshallka

I think dunstonh has gone offline now sfm82. You may have to give it a bump (or I will ) tomorrow for your answer.

sfm82

Thanks for your help I shall bump it up tomorrow evening

sfm82

evening bump

dunstonh

Good job you bumped. I missed it until this one.

am I right in assuming that the scheme administartors would be emplyed by my bf's mothers employers as when they were contacted they basically told us it was out of their hands and does 6 weeks seem like a long time to be waiting for the claim to be processed?

It very much depends on the scheme and the arrangement. If its your typical occupational pension/death in service arrangement of a medium sized company (i.e. when its insurance company being used rather than the company itself providing benefits through its own in house arrangement), then the employer would know exactly who the administrator is. The employer chooses the administrators and in effect the administrators work for the employer (the employer could sack them and transfer the scheme to another administrator). So, if the administrator is being difficult then the employer could ring them up to get them to pull their finger out.

It is possible to contact Aviva and with a postcode, date of birth and name they should be able to locate the policy if it was not a group scheme. They may find it on some group schemes as well (especially if the employer name and address is mentioned). If Aviva cant deal with it directly due to scheme administrators being in place, they will be able to provide details of the scheme administrators so you can contact them directly.

sfm82

thank you very much for your help I feel much more informed now. I'll let you know what happens!