What to do when a The Hartford account holder dies

No, not the group certificate itself. The Hartford's workplace life coverage — basic group term life, voluntary life, and AD&D — is issued under the employer's master group policy (Life Form Series GBD-1000 A (10/08), GBD-1100 (10/08), or state equivalent). The employee holds a certificate, not a policy, so there is nothing to retitle and no ownership to assign to an irrevocable life insurance trust through the group process. What you CAN do is name the trust as beneficiary on the Designation of Beneficiary Form for Group Insurance Policies, giving the exact trust name, the date of the trust, and the trustee's name and address; the trustee then receives the death benefit and distributes it under the trust. If ownership outside your estate is the goal, the policy has to be individually owned — converting or porting coverage on leaving the employer (Portability and Conversion Unit, 877-320-0484) is the route to an individual contract, and an individually owned legacy Hartford policy now at Prudential can be assigned to a trust.

Safe Haven is The Hartford's retained-asset account: instead of mailing a check, it holds the death benefit in its own general account and sends the beneficiary a draft book. It is not a bank account and is not FDIC insured; the drafts are payable through Bank of New York Mellon; there are no fees or withdrawal limits; if the balance drops under $750 The Hartford closes it out with a check; and dormant funds can escheat to the state. It is the DEFAULT for benefits of $10,000 or more ($15,000 for Minnesota residents) if the beneficiary makes no election on the claim form — except in Alaska, where it is not offered, and in Connecticut, Florida, Minnesota, North Carolina, and New York, where the beneficiary must affirmatively elect it. Critically for estate settlement: the claim form states Safe Haven is NOT an option for minor beneficiaries, ESTATES, or TRUSTS. A trustee or an executor is always paid by check. An individual beneficiary who wants the money outright must tick the box electing payment "by check." Safe Haven service: 1-800-918-2335.

Because on a group policy the employer is the policyholder and holds the beneficiary designation. The Hartford's claim form is built in parts: the employer completes Part I, the Employer's Statement (date of death, class, amounts of basic and supplemental life and AD&D being claimed, premiums paid to date, and whether the employee had been approved for the Living Benefit Option / accelerated death benefit, waiver of premium, long-term disability, conversion, or portability), and the beneficiary completes Part II. The form directs that every claim must be submitted with the beneficiary designation form(s) on file with the employer or plan, and that "if none on file, the Policyholder/Employer shall certify to that fact on the claim form." For voluntary, contributory, or dependent life, the employer must also attach enrollment records for the current and two prior plan years and any evidence-of-insurability approval. A beneficiary cannot complete the claim alone — if the employer has dissolved, call The Hartford at 888-563-1124 before assembling anything else.

The AARP Auto and Home Insurance Program from The Hartford is property and casualty coverage: there is no beneficiary and the policy is not retitled to a trust. The executor or administrator notifies The Hartford at 1-800-243-5860, keeps premiums paid so the car or house stays covered while it is an estate asset, and has the personal representative added as an insured. Coverage generally continues for the estate during administration, but the policy has to be rewritten in the new owner's name once the vehicle or home is transferred, and the heir needs their own policy. A surviving spouse who wants to keep the AARP-program policy in their own name needs an AARP membership. This is a separate claims organization from the group life unit — do not send a P&C matter to the Lexington, KY life claims address.