Factors That Affect Your Life Insurance Death Claims

Your family means the most to you, so you want to invest in a life insurance plan to provide for them - even in your absence. You look at the various types, their respective benefits, and features, and choose the one that’s tailored to your family’s needs. You also customise it by adding riders, and selecting the payout option that would be convenient for your nominee. But what happens if you actually pass away during the policy term?
Given the nature of life insurance, your family will receive the claim amount (the Death Benefit) when you're not around anymore. So it’s all the more important to learn about any complications that may happen at the time of claim - and how your family can avoid them.
In this article, let’s take a look at some of the factors that may affect a life insurance death claim. So if the time comes, it will not be overwhelming, but a smooth, fast, and easy experience for your family.

When you purchase a life insurance policy, you will need to fill out a proposal form with all your details, like name, age, address, qualifications, occupation, etc. You will also need to submit documents like your ID proof like an Aadhaar Card, proof of income like income tax returns, and recent passport-sized photographs. You will be asked about your and your family's medical history and any underlying medical conditions you may have. Also, details about your nominee.
As per Section 45 of the Insurance Act, 1938, the insurer cannot reject your claim if your policy has been in force for 3 years continuously. However, in cases of early death within the first 3 years of the policy, the insurers have been known to investigate the reason for death. And if they find any wrong declarations made in the proposal form, they may dispute the claim.
So it’s really important to be honest with your insurer and disclose all the necessary details. This will save your family the trouble of facing issues regarding claims when they’re already going through so much.

To receive the life insurance death claim amount, your nominee will need to submit the claim form and other relevant documents. Along with the mandatory documents, the insurer can even ask your nominee to share additional documents - depending on the product.
The insurance company will verify the submitted documents, and only then initiate the claim intimation request. If the documents are incorrect, or the insurer finds any discrepancy with them, your family's claim may get rejected.
The claims process and document requirements are subject to change and may vary from insurer to insurer. Therefore, at the time of policy purchase, make sure you ask the right questions to the insurer and understand the policy thoroughly. Once you and your nominee learn about the details, you can bring all the policy-related and other documents together, and store them in a safe, secure place to avoid misplacement and confusion.
You can also create an account on the Digilocker app or open an e-insurance account to store the documents in digital format. Remember to share the account details with your family members - so they can take over the process when you’re not there.

Along with the features and benefits of a policy, it is also important to know about its exclusions (situations it won't cover) - to avoid any surprises during the claim. There's just one exclusion in life insurance - death due to suicide in the first year of buying the policy. So if a claim is filed on the grounds that a suicide has taken place within 1 year, it will be rejected. In this situation, however, all the premiums (excluding the taxes) you have paid in the first year - will be paid back to your nominee.
If you opt for riders, i.e., optional benefits with your life insurance policy, you should know that they come with specific exclusions too. So, while only death due to suicide in the first year will be excluded under your base life insurance plan, there might be a variety of deaths that the riders won’t cover. It is important to inform your family about this - to avoid any hassles at the time of claim.

Along with the features and benefits of a policy, it is also important to know about its exclusions (situations it won't cover) - to avoid any surprises during the claim. There's just one exclusion in life insurance - death due to suicide in the first year of buying the policy. So if a claim is filed on the grounds that a suicide has taken place within 1 year, it will be rejected. In this situation, however, all the premiums (excluding the taxes) you have paid in the first year - will be paid back to your nominee.
If you opt for riders, i.e., optional benefits with your life insurance policy, you should know that they come with specific exclusions too. So, while only death due to suicide in the first year will be excluded under your base life insurance plan, there might be a variety of deaths that the riders won’t cover. It is important to inform your family about this - to avoid any hassles at the time of claim.

So, these were some of the factors that can affect a life insurance death claim. Besides keeping the above things in mind, you must also inform your family about the policy you have taken. Take them through the claims process, the list of documents they may have to submit in case a claim under the policy arises, etc.
As important as it is to leave good coverage for your family, it is equally important to make sure, if the time comes, they have a smooth claims experience. So there is no additional burden when they are already going through a difficult time.