We have helped people fight for denied life insurance benefit payouts since 2001. We work on a contingency basis which means there’s only a fee if we are successful. The cases we get involve with are where someone dies and the life insurance or accidental death policy benefit isn’t paid off.
We see a lot of similar situations occur and thought it would be helpful to provide answers to some common questions. Here are some Illinois life insurance FAQ’s:
How could they deny my payout?
Insurance companies make billions of dollars a year. Some of that is by doing the wrong thing. If they have any reason to deny payment, no matter how flimsy, they will. And often they deny paying out a claim with no valid reason just to see what you will do.
My wife died, but the life insurance company is out of business. Am I out of luck?
No. Illinois law guarantees death payments from a State fund for up to $300,000.00.
What do I do if I can’t find the policy?
You have to at least know the name of the company for us to be able to help. If you don’t know who that is, we suggest you go through old credit card and bank statements to see if any payments were made that identify a company. Or if they had the policy through their job, ask them.
What’s the difference between life insurance and an accidental death policy?
Accidental death policies pay for accidental deaths like car accidents, falling off a mountain, etc. Life insurance pays for those along with illnesses, gun shots, etc.
Is life insurance part of the Illinois probate process?
No unless the beneficiary is listed as the estate of the person who died. Otherwise payment goes to the beneficiary listed on the policy.
The insurance company is trying to void the policy after my husband died. Can they do that?
They often do it fraudulently. But if you lied on the application they can get away with it. For example if you were asked if you have a history of heart disease and said no, but it turns out you previously were diagnosed with congestive heart failure, that’s grounds for cancelling the policy.
What do lawyers charge to handle my case?
Every attorney we work with and recommend works on a contingency basis meaning they take a percentage of what they recover. That amount can vary, but nobody we recommend takes more than 1/3 of what they get for you. If they get nothing you owe them nothing.
If you would like to discuss a case for FREE, please reach out any time at 312-346-5320. We handle disputes everywhere in Illinois.