What to do when a Aetna account holder dies
Contact Aetna — 5-step process, 12 required documents, and group life insurance death claims are typically processed within 30 to 60 days of receiving complete documentation. delays may occur if documentation is incomplete, the policy is within the two-year contestability period, or the circumstances of death require further investigation. ad&d claims may require additional investigation time.
Aetna Customer Service Center
Phone1-888-772-9682
Mailing Address
Aetna Life Insurance Company, 151 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, CT 06156
Aetna General Customer Service
Aetna Voluntary Plans
Aetna Senior Supplemental Insurance
WebsiteLearn more→
Aetna Customer Service Center
Phone1-888-772-9682
Mailing Address
Aetna Life Insurance Company, 151 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, CT 06156
Aetna General Customer Service
Aetna Voluntary Plans
Aetna Senior Supplemental Insurance
WebsiteLearn more→
Aetna Voluntary Plans - Group Life Claims
Phone1-888-772-9682
Fax1-859-455-8650
Mailing Address
Aetna Voluntary Plans, Attn: Claim Department, PO Box 14079, Lexington, KY 40512-4079
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
Filing a death claim on a Aetna policy begins with notifying the Aetna Voluntary Plans - Group Life Claims at 1-888-772-9682. Life insurance claims are separate from probate—proceeds transfer directly to named beneficiaries regardless of whether the estate goes through court. The timeline and documentation requirements depend on the policy type and cause of death.
Aetna provides an online portal for initiating death claims, which can simplify the initial notification and document submission process. Claims can also be started by phone or by mailing the required documents.
Death claim process
The death claim process at Aetna works as follows:
Filing a claim
1
Notify the deceased's employer HR or benefits department as soon as possible; the employer initiates the group life claim
2
3
The employer/authorized employer representative completes and signs the claim form (it cannot be filled out or signed by the insured or a beneficiary) and the beneficiary supplies supporting documents:
- Copy of the certified death certificate including cause and manner of death (a faxed copy is acceptable; the original is not required)
- Most current beneficiary designation form, card, or electronic screen-print on file with the employer or Aetna
- Birth certificate and Social Security card if the beneficiary is a minor child
4
Submit the completed claim package to Aetna Voluntary Plans, Attn: Claim Department, PO Box 14079, Lexington, KY 40512-4079, or fax to 1-859-455-8650
5
For questions on claim submission, call Aetna at 1-888-772-9682
Required Documents
- Completed Aetna Proof of Death claim form (GC-1373-4), signed by the employer/authorized employer representative
- Copy of the certified death certificate (with cause and manner of death)
- Most current beneficiary designation form, card, or electronic screen-print
- Enrollment information (if applicable)
- Government-issued ID for the beneficiary
- Birth certificate and Social Security card (if beneficiary is a minor child)
- Letters of guardianship or conservatorship (if beneficiary is a minor child)
- Police/accident report, autopsy report, and toxicology report (if accidental death benefits are claimed, for AD&D)
- Copies of the trust and a letter of acceptance from the trustee, with the trust tax ID number (if a trust is the beneficiary)
- Beneficiary's death certificate (if the designated beneficiary predeceased the insured)
- Notarized Aetna Affidavit of Sole Survivors (if no beneficiary is named or survives and the policy provides for payment to next of kin)
- Letters of administration or letters testamentary plus the estate EIN (if the estate is the beneficiary)
What to know at this institution
For employer-sponsored group life insurance, the employer HR or benefits department is the first point of contact and initiates the death claim. The Proof of Death claim form (GC-1373-4) must be completed and signed by the employer or authorized employer representative; it cannot be filled out or signed by the insured/employee or a beneficiary. The beneficiary supplies the death certificate and other supporting documents. The Aetna Voluntary Plans claims processing center for group life insurance is located in Lexington, Kentucky. If the deceased had both basic life and AD&D coverage, both claims should be submitted simultaneously. Conversion and portability options are available to the deceased's dependents for any dependent life coverage; the 31-day conversion window begins from the date of the employee's death. Aetna sold its U.S. group life and disability business to The Hartford in November 2017 (a $1.45 billion indemnity reinsurance transaction), so a claim on an Aetna-branded group life or AD&D policy may now be administered by The Hartford. Aetna Voluntary Plans continues to publish and process the GC-1373-4 form at the Lexington, Kentucky address; if a plan has migrated to The Hartford, the employer HR department or the Lexington claims line (1-888-772-9682) can direct the beneficiary to the correct claims administrator.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Aetna
Aetna provides its own letter-of-instruction form. Answer a few questions and we complete that official form for you to print and sign.
Build your letter of instructionHow long the process takes at Aetna: Group life insurance death claims are typically processed within 30 to 60 days of receiving complete documentation. Delays may occur if documentation is incomplete, the policy is within the two-year contestability period, or the circumstances of death require further investigation. AD&D claims may require additional investigation time. The most common reason for delays is missing or incomplete documentation, so submitting everything upfront is the best way to keep things moving.
Aetna requires several documents to process a claim, including Completed Aetna Proof of Death claim form (GC-1373-4), signed by the employer/authorized employer representative, Copy of the certified death certificate (with cause and manner of death), and Most current beneficiary designation form, card, or electronic screen-print, and additional documentation depending on the account type. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.
Frequently asked questions
For individual or converted Aetna life insurance policies, you can assign policy ownership to an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT). This removes the death benefit from your taxable estate, though a three-year lookback rule under IRC Section 2035 applies if you transfer an existing policy. Group term life policies cannot be assigned to an ILIT, but you can name a trust as the beneficiary so the death benefit pays directly into the trust. Contact Aetna at 1-800-872-3862 to request an assignment form for individual or converted policies. Aetna does not establish ILITs; work with an estate attorney to create one.
The deceased's employer initiates the claim. The Aetna Proof of Death claim form (GC-1373-4) must be completed and signed by the employer or an authorized employer representative; it cannot be filled out or signed by the insured or a beneficiary. As the beneficiary, you supply a copy of the certified death certificate (with cause and manner of death) and any minor-child or trust documents. The completed package is mailed to Aetna Voluntary Plans, Attn: Claim Department, PO Box 14079, Lexington, KY 40512-4079, or faxed to 1-859-455-8650. If the deceased had both basic life and AD&D coverage, submit both claims simultaneously. For questions, call Aetna Voluntary Plans at 1-888-772-9682. Claims are typically processed within 30 to 60 days of receiving complete documentation.
The Aetna Accelerated Death Benefit allows members with life-limiting medical conditions to receive up to 75% of their life insurance benefit while still living. Qualifying conditions may include ALS, need for artificial life support, or organ failure where the member is not a transplant candidate. The funds can be used for hospital bills, medications, experimental treatments, daily living expenses, or financial arrangements for the family. Receipt of accelerated benefits may affect eligibility for public assistance programs such as Medicaid, and tax treatment can be complex, so consult a qualified tax advisor.
There are two stages. To name a trust on the Designation of Beneficiary form, you provide the full legal trust name exactly as it appears in the trust document, the date the trust was established, the trustee name, and the trust EIN; a Certificate of Trust or trust abstract is sufficient at this stage. At the time of a death claim, however, Aetna's Proof of Death claim form (GC-1373-4) instructs that a trust beneficiary submit copies of the trust and a letter of acceptance from the trustee, along with the trust tax ID number. Plan for the trustee to provide the full trust document to settle the claim, even though only summary information is needed to set up the designation.
Aetna offers dependent life insurance through employer-sponsored plans, covering spouses and dependent children at flat dollar amounts. The employee must purchase supplemental life coverage to be eligible for dependent life coverage. Benefits are payable to the employee (the certificate holder) upon the death of a covered dependent, not to a named beneficiary. Dependent life insurance is not typically a significant estate planning asset, but if the employee dies, covered dependents have a 31-day conversion window to convert their dependent life coverage to an individual policy.
If no named beneficiary survives the insured, Aetna pays the life insurance proceeds as prescribed in the Group Policy. The typical order of payment is: surviving spouse, then surviving children equally, then surviving parents equally, then the estate of the insured. Where the policy provides for payment to next of kin, Aetna requires a notarized Aetna Affidavit of Sole Survivors completed by a family representative. If proceeds are payable to the estate instead, Aetna requires Letters of Administration or Letters Testamentary from probate court plus the estate EIN, which can delay receipt of benefits. To avoid this, keep beneficiary designations current and always name both primary and contingent beneficiaries with percentage allocations totaling 100%.
It may be. Aetna sold its U.S. group life and disability insurance business to The Hartford in November 2017 (a $1.45 billion indemnity reinsurance transaction), and Aetna no longer sells new group life coverage. Many employer-sponsored group life and AD&D policies that were originally written by Aetna are now administered by The Hartford. However, the Aetna Voluntary Plans book still publishes and processes the GC-1373-4 Proof of Death claim form through its Lexington, Kentucky claims center. When settling a death claim, start with the deceased's employer HR or benefits department to confirm the current claims administrator, or call Aetna Voluntary Plans at 1-888-772-9682, which can direct you to The Hartford if the policy has migrated. Aetna itself remains active as a CVS Health company, focused on health insurance.
Aetna's Aetna Voluntary Plans - Group Life Claims can be reached by phone at 1-888-772-9682 and fax at 1-859-455-8650 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple Aetna policies, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Aetna Voluntary Plans - Group Life Claims can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from Aetna primary sources (10 pages reviewed). How we research.
Aetna Customer Service Center
Phone1-888-772-9682
Mailing Address
Aetna Life Insurance Company, 151 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, CT 06156
Aetna General Customer Service
Aetna Voluntary Plans
Aetna Senior Supplemental Insurance
WebsiteLearn more→
Aetna Customer Service Center
Phone1-888-772-9682
Mailing Address
Aetna Life Insurance Company, 151 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, CT 06156
Aetna General Customer Service
Aetna Voluntary Plans
Aetna Senior Supplemental Insurance
WebsiteLearn more→
Aetna Voluntary Plans - Group Life Claims
Phone1-888-772-9682
Fax1-859-455-8650
Mailing Address
Aetna Voluntary Plans, Attn: Claim Department, PO Box 14079, Lexington, KY 40512-4079
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
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