LIFE INSURANCE DEATH CLAIM LETTER
Intimation of death and claim under a life insurance policy
To: The Manager, Claims, __________, __________
Sir or Madam,
- 5. What I ask you to do.
(a) Register this letter as the intimation of the death and of my claim, and give me the claim reference number.
(b) Send me your claim forms, and tell me in writing every paper you need from me, including any you need because of the way the death happened.
(c) Tell me the time within which you will decide the claim and the rule on which you rely.
(d) Tell me what is payable under the policy and how it is worked out, including any bonus, and any deduction you make.
(e) Pay the amount due to the account described in paragraph 6.
(f) If you reject the claim or any part of it, give me the reasons in writing and tell me the remedy open to me.
- 7. What I accept. I understand that a nominee is paid so that you are safely discharged, and that this does not by itself decide who owns the money as against the other legal heirs. If you pay me and it is later found that someone else had a better right, I will account to that person for what I received.
- 8. If the claim is not settled. If you reject the claim or do not reply within the time allowed, I will take the matter to your grievance redressal officer and then to the Insurance Ombudsman, and I am free to bring a consumer complaint before the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.
Please acknowledge this letter and tell me the name and telephone number of the officer who will handle the claim.
ENCLOSURES
LEGAL BASIS
Punjab: A life insurance policy can carry a nomination under the Insurance Act, 1938, and the insurer pays the nominee and is discharged. Whether the nominee keeps the money or holds it for the legal heirs depends on the law and on who the nominee is, and this letter does not decide that; the order in which a Hindu's heirs inherit is set by the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, and other communities follow their own law. Where there is no nominee, the insurer may ask for proof of heirship, an indemnity, or a succession certificate, which the District Judge grants under the Indian Succession Act, 1925. The insurer decides the claim under its own claims procedure and the rules made by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India. A claimant who is not satisfied can go to the insurer's grievance redressal officer, then to the Insurance Ombudsman, or file a consumer complaint before the District Commission. A dispute among the heirs is decided by the civil court, and an appeal goes to the District Judge or to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Chandigarh: The same provisions apply to an insurer's branch in the Union Territory, with a succession certificate granted by the District Judge, Chandigarh. A claimant who is not satisfied can go to the insurer's grievance redressal officer, then to the Insurance Ombudsman, or file a consumer complaint before the District Commission serving the Union Territory. A dispute among the heirs is decided by the civil court at Chandigarh, with an appeal to the District Judge, Chandigarh, or to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
PERSONAL DATA NOTICE
This notice is given under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
The purpose of collecting personal data in this Life Insurance Death Claim Letter is to identify the person who died and the claimant, record the death and the claim under the policy, and let the insurer pay the amount due or say what more it needs.
If the matter does not proceed, the personal data will be retained for 90 days and then erased. If the matter proceeds, the record will be retained for the matter plus 12 months, except where a statute requires a longer named retention period.
Data minimisation: this document does not collect a full Aadhaar number, an Aadhaar-card copy, a password or bank credentials.
SIGNATURE