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Funeral Homes & Claims

Funeral Homes & Claims

A funeral home may contact a life insurance company to initiate a claim as part of supporting the family during the arrangements process. In many cases, families plan to use life insurance to cover funeral expenses. By notifying the insurance company promptly, the funeral home helps start the claim process.

Start a New Claim

Before you get started, plan for about 10 to 15 minutes to complete this form. Review your information before submitting and provide details to the best of your knowledge.

Have these ready to begin your claim:

Insured's full name, date of birth, and date of death
Beneficiary's name, date of birth, SSN, and phone number
Policy number
Your funeral home's contact information

Start Claim

Already Started a Claim?

Once your claim has been submitted, you'll hear from our Claims Department within 2-3 business days with beneficiary and death benefit details, or if any additional documents are needed to move forward.

Due to privacy regulations, detailed policy information may only be shared with beneficiaries or authorized representatives.

If you have documents ready, you can email them to claimform@westernsouthern.com.

We're here to help along the way. Call 1-800-926-1315 if you need assistance.

Providing a Death Certificate

The beneficiaries or the funeral home can initiate a claim and will require a death certificate. A certified death certificate is required for claims over $50,000, otherwise we can accept a photocopy or electronic copy of the death certificate. Additional documentation may be requested based on the policy or specific circumstances.

Sending Documents

Documents may be submitted by fax, email, or mail. Once received, they are typically attached to the claim within 48 hours.

claimform@westernsouthern.com

Claims Representative

513-362-2358

Fax

Western & Southern Life Insurance Company

Claims Department
P.O. Box 1399
Cincinnati, OH 45273-9425

Funeral Home Assignments

A funeral home assignment occurs when a beneficiary authorizes life insurance proceeds to be paid directly to a funeral home to help cover final expenses.

To be valid, the assignment must include:

The signature of each beneficiary assigning their portion of the proceeds;
The exact dollar amount being assigned;
The correct policy number(s).

Assignments cannot be honored if the beneficiary is a trust or an estate.

Claim Review & Payment

Once all required documentation is received, claims are typically reviewed within 5 business days. Additional review time may be needed if information is missing or incomplete. Checks are sent via standard USPS mail.

If Western & Southern Life requires additional documentation, our Claims Department will contact the beneficiary directly. Funeral homes may be notified if clarification related to an assignment is needed.

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES

Payment of benefits under the contract is the obligation of, and is guaranteed by, the issuing company. Guarantees are based on the claims-paying ability of the issuer. Products are backed by the full financial strength of the issuing company.