What to do when a Gerber Life account holder dies

What to know at this institution

There is no online claim filing and no downloadable claim form: every life claim starts with a phone call, after which a representative mails the paperwork. The single most consequential step is reading the carrier name printed on the policy before calling. Since the brand was widened, "Gerber Life" covers policies issued by Gerber Life Insurance Company (Grow-Up, Young Adult, Family Plan Term and Whole, Guaranteed Life, Accident Protection, College Plan — claims to 1-800-628-0560) and a Term Life policy issued by Western-Southern Life Assurance Company and distributed by Gerber Life Agency, LLC using Fabric Technologies (claims to Fabric by Gerber Life at 877-623-7177). Health claims are a third channel entirely, at 1-866-846-9993 with their own administrator address in Overland Park, KS. Three product-level facts change what actually arrives. On Guaranteed Life, a non-accidental death in the first two years of coverage pays 110% of EARNED PREMIUMS rather than the face amount; the graded period is ONE YEAR IN NORTH DAKOTA, and the policy language adds "or any shorter period required by applicable law," so another state may compress it too. Separately and regardless of the graded period, death by suicide within two years of the Issue Date (or any shorter period the state of delivery requires) limits payment to the premium paid plus 10% interest, less any debt against the policy. On whole life and the Grow-Up Plan, an outstanding loan against the cash value — interest up to 8% — is deducted from the death benefit. A minor beneficiary is the other common snag: Gerber Life will pay a court-appointed guardian of the minor's estate or a trustee, or else hold the benefit itself until the child reaches 18 or the age of maturity in their state. Where no beneficiary is named or none survives, the benefit follows the policy provisions, which commonly sends it to the estate and through probate. Two practical notes. A survivor who cannot locate the contract can get one: Gerber Life states a copy of the policy of insurance and a Policy Summary go out with every policy and can be obtained by writing to the Fremont office, which is the only way to read the exclusions that actually apply. And the carrier can be checked independently — the Term Life policy's own disclosure gives the NAIC company code for Western-Southern Life Assurance Company as 92622, so a state insurance department record confirms which company owes the benefit. On the tax side, Gerber Life states Guaranteed Life benefits are not generally subject to federal tax under current federal law when paid to a named beneficiary, and that estate or inheritance taxes may apply in some cases.