What to do when a Gerber Life account holder dies
Contact Gerber Life's Life Claims Processing Unit — 4-step process, 5 required documents, and after a beneficiary files a claim, gerber life will review it and respond in as little as 24 hours or up to 60 days, depending on the complexity of the claim and completeness of documentation. delays may occur if the policy is within the two-year contestability period (or the two-year graded benefit period for guaranteed life insurance), documentation is incomplete, or circumstances of death require further investigation.
445 State Street, Fremont, MI 49412
Life Claims Processing Unit
445 State Street, Fremont, MI 49412
Death Claims
Gerber Life Insurance Company, Life Claims Processing Unit, 445 State Street, Fremont, MI 49412
Filing a death claim on a Gerber Life policy begins with notifying the Death Claims at 1-800-628-0560. 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.
Gerber Life 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 Gerber Life works as follows:
Filing a claim
- Locate the Gerber Life policy documents and note the policy number
- Obtain an official certified copy of the death certificate from the funeral home or local vital records office
- Call Gerber Life claims at 800-628-0560
- A claims representative will mail the necessary claim forms and provide instructions
- Complete the claim form with policy number, deceased's information, and beneficiary information
- Indicate how the beneficiary wants to receive the death benefit payment
- Mail the completed claim form and certified death certificate to: Gerber Life Insurance Company, Life Claims Processing Unit, 445 State Street, Fremont, MI 49412
Required Documents
- Completed life insurance claim form (provided by Gerber Life after calling 800-628-0560)
- Certified death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for each beneficiary
- Policy number and deceased's information
- Trust documents and trustee ID (if a trust is the beneficiary)
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
To initiate a death claim with Gerber Life, you must call 800-628-0560 to request the claim forms. Claim forms are not available for download online. A claims representative will walk you through the process and mail the necessary paperwork. Make sure you are a designated beneficiary on the policy before filing. For the Guaranteed Life Insurance product, if the insured dies within the first two years from a non-accidental cause, beneficiaries receive a return of premiums paid plus 10% interest rather than the full death benefit. Accidental death is covered in full from day one regardless of the policy age.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Gerber Life
Gerber Life asks for a letter of instruction alongside its claim form. We prepare a transmittal cover letter and the enclosure checklist Gerber Life requires.
Build your letter of instructionProcessing timelines at Gerber Life: After a beneficiary files a claim, Gerber Life will review it and respond in as little as 24 hours or up to 60 days, depending on the complexity of the claim and completeness of documentation. Delays may occur if the policy is within the two-year contestability period (or the two-year graded benefit period for Guaranteed Life Insurance), documentation is incomplete, or circumstances of death require further investigation. Incomplete documentation is the most common cause of delays—submitting all required documents with the initial claim helps avoid additional processing time.
Gerber Life requires several documents to process a claim, including Completed life insurance claim form (provided by Gerber Life after calling 800-628-0560), Certified death certificate, and Government-issued photo ID for each beneficiary, 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
The policy continues to insure the child; the death of the policyowner does not end the policy. Ownership passes according to the owner-designation provisions of the policy and applicable state law: typically to a contingent owner if one is named on the application, otherwise to the policyowner's estate or to a successor-owner determined under state insurance law. To avoid the policy being tied up in probate, name a contingent policyowner on the application (often the other parent or a trust) and name a trust as policy beneficiary so any death-benefit payout for the insured child is managed by a trustee rather than paid to a minor. Call Gerber Life at 800-704-2180 to update the contingent owner.
Yes. Gerber Life policies can be owned by an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust, removing the death benefit from the grantor's taxable estate. Either have the ILIT own the policy from inception, or transfer an existing policy using Gerber Life's assignment/transfer of ownership form (request at 800-704-2180). Transferring an existing policy triggers the three-year lookback under IRC Section 2035 — the death benefit is pulled back into the taxable estate if the grantor dies within three years of the transfer. Gerber Life does not draft ILITs; work with an estate attorney. The Accident Protection (AD&D) policy cannot be assigned to a trust.
Yes — the graded benefit applies regardless of who or what is named beneficiary. Gerber Life Guaranteed Life Insurance is guaranteed-acceptance with no medical underwriting, so a two-year graded period applies (one year in North Dakota): if the insured dies within the graded period from a non-accidental cause, the beneficiary (including a trust) receives 110% of premiums paid rather than the full death benefit. Accidental death is covered in full from day one. After the graded period, the full death benefit is payable for any cause of death.
Gerber Life's Death Claims can be reached by phone at 1-800-628-0560 and fax at 1-231-928-3078 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple Gerber Life policies, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Death Claims can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from Gerber Life primary sources (23 pages reviewed). How we research.
445 State Street, Fremont, MI 49412
Life Claims Processing Unit
445 State Street, Fremont, MI 49412
Death Claims
Gerber Life Insurance Company, Life Claims Processing Unit, 445 State Street, Fremont, MI 49412
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