Legal Question in Insurance Law in California

Re: life insurance policy

Sorry about your Mom.

Stop communicating verbally. Write letters. Use certified mail.

The best option is to have an attorney write to the company demanding the policy information. If they do not come up with the information, sue them! Do not take their word for it that the policy is "invalid."

Somewhere in the company files the information is there, and they would have to produce the documents in a lawsuit. And there are lots of situations where life insurance companies try to weasel out of policies during a terminal illness.

Re: life insurance policy

My sympathies for your loss.

As Mr. Stone suggests, only deal with both the employer and the insurer in writing. I would write - and fax - both the insurer and the company in separate letters, asking for a complete copy of the policy including any endorsements, the application, all beneficiary desiginations and changes thereto, and all communications with your late mother. When an employee leaves employment, the insurer or employer usually sends conversion rights concerning various kinds of insurance. So you need to write two letters.

Once you get those, see if you can have a friend who knows something about this area look and tell you what they mean. If you know a lawyer who might do this then do so.

Because this was part of her job, you might be able to get the U.S. Dept. of Labor to help you with what is an employee benefit.

It is hard enough to lose a parent and then to have to go through this is just that much worse.