Life insurance claim help
I get life insurance claims paid.
Filing, stalled or denied, you do not have to face the insurer alone. Claims are paid in an average of 90 days, for the full amount the policy owes. No retainer, no hourly billing and no legal fees. You pay nothing at all unless your claim gets paid.
Free claim review, for beneficiaries anywhere in the United States.
Who is handling your claim and working for you?
Stephen C. Burgess
Life Insurance Claim Advocate
Licensed Life Insurance Analyst. I handle every claim personally, from the first phone call through to payment.
I bring 30 years of claims handling experience to every case. I have worked with the claims and legal departments of nearly every major life insurer in the country, and I know how these decisions get made before the letter ever reaches you.
That matters because a denial is almost always an argument about underwriting. The insurer claims that had it known something at application, it would never have issued the policy. Answering that argument takes someone who knows what insurers actually verify, what they choose not to verify, and which discrepancies genuinely change an outcome.
Over the years my work has put more than $250 million into the hands of beneficiaries, most of it recovered without litigation.
30+
Years of claims handling experience
$250M+
Recovered for beneficiaries
200+
Claims resolved for beneficiaries
10%
Fee, only if the claim pays
Where does your claim stand?
The right next step depends on where you are. Start with whichever of these sounds like your situation.
I need to file a claim
How to prepare a death claim so it pays quickly, which documents decide the outcome, and the early mistakes that trigger an investigation.
File it properlyMy claim has not been paid
Nobody has denied it and nobody is paying it. Why insurers stall, what the status letters really mean, and how to force a decision.
Get it movingMy claim was denied
What the denial letter actually says, why insurers rescind policies, and the ways a denial gets reversed on appeal.
Fight the denialMy claim is under investigation
What a claim examination involves, what contestability means, and how long an insurer can reasonably take before deciding.
Understand the processWhy so many valid claims go unpaid
Most people file exactly one life insurance claim in their life. They have no experience to draw on, the insurer offers no guidance, and the process is built around the company rather than the family. Claims get filed incorrectly, sit for months without a decision, or come back refused.
Very few of those outcomes are ever challenged. A stalled claim costs the insurer nothing, because no regulator will fine it for being slow. A denied claim usually stands, because the person holding the letter has no idea what to do next.
Insurers understand this. Denying a $50,000 or $100,000 death claim carries very little risk for them. Most life insurance attorneys will not take a claim that size, because the potential recovery does not justify litigation. And when the policy came through an employer, federal benefits law bars punitive damages entirely, so there is even less reason for an insurer to worry about the consequences of saying no.
That leaves a gap. A family with a legitimate claim, a policy that should pay, and nobody willing to take it on. That gap is the work I do, at every stage of a claim rather than only after it goes wrong.
Litigation is the last resort
Most claims I handle are settled directly with the insurer's claims and legal departments. That is faster and costs you far less than starting with a lawsuit.
Months, not years
Direct negotiation typically resolves a claim in a matter of months. Litigation routinely runs two years or longer.
Nothing upfront
No retainer and no hourly billing. If the claim does not pay, you owe nothing.
Recent writing
All postsSeptember 10, 2026 · 6 min read
The Insurer Sent a Check With the Denial. Do Not Cash It.
When a life insurer rescinds a policy it refunds the premiums. Depositing that check is often treated as accepting the denial, and it can end your right to appeal.
September 9, 2026 · 7 min read
Died Within Two Years: What the Contestability Period Really Allows
If the policy was under two years old, the insurer can reopen the application and look for a reason not to pay. What it can examine, what it must prove, and where these denials fall apart.
September 8, 2026 · 6 min read
When Two People Claim the Same Life Insurance Policy
Competing claims stall a death benefit indefinitely and can end with the insurer handing the money to a court. What causes these disputes and how they get resolved without going there.
Get help with your claim
Tell me where your claim stands and what the insurer has said. I will tell you what is really going on and what it takes to get it paid. There is no charge for that review.
No retainer. No hourly billing. No fee unless the claim pays.