What to do when a Ohio National account holder dies
Contact Ohio National — 11-step process, 7 required documents, and augustar publishes no claim-payment service level. two structural gates control the clock on an annuity: augustar must receive all required documentation and forms from all beneficiaries before proceeds are distributed, and the beneficiary stretch and immediate annuitization settlement options must be elected within twelve months of the annuitant's death. if augustar cannot locate a beneficiary, it sends written notice to the last known address, and if that person does not respond within 30 days, their portion of the proceeds reverts to the state as unclaimed property.
Brand change
The Ohio National Life Insurance Company is now AuguStar Life Insurance Company, a Constellation Insurance company. The rebrand was announced July 17, 2023 (legal name change effective Q4 2023) following Constellation's sponsored demutualization acquisition, completed March 2022. Existing Ohio National policies and annuity contracts remain in force under the same legal entity. ohionational.com no longer serves a homepage — it redirects to welcometoaugustar.com — and all claims, forms, and servicing now run through AuguStar Financial (augustarfinancial.com). Effective July 2023.
The procedures below reflect Ohio National's accounts. Account servicing may transfer as the change takes effect.
AuguStar Financial — Life and Disability Income Insurance Customer Service
Phone800.366.6654
Mailing Address
Life / disability income: AuguStar Financial, P.O. Box 237, Cincinnati, OH 45201-0237. Annuities: AuguStar Financial, P.O. Box 5308, Cincinnati, OH 45201-5308 (overnight: 4526 Cornell Rd, Blue Ash, OH 45241). Retirement plans: P.O. Box 5358, Cincinnati, OH 45201-5358. Corporate headquarters: AuguStar Financial, One Financial Way, Cincinnati, OH 45242.
Annuity Customer Service
Retirement Plans
Corporate
WebsiteLearn more→
AuguStar Financial — Life and Disability Income Insurance Customer Service
Phone800.366.6654
Mailing Address
Life / disability income: AuguStar Financial, P.O. Box 237, Cincinnati, OH 45201-0237. Annuities: AuguStar Financial, P.O. Box 5308, Cincinnati, OH 45201-5308 (overnight: 4526 Cornell Rd, Blue Ash, OH 45241). Retirement plans: P.O. Box 5358, Cincinnati, OH 45201-5358. Corporate headquarters: AuguStar Financial, One Financial Way, Cincinnati, OH 45242.
Annuity Customer Service
Retirement Plans
Corporate
WebsiteLearn more→
AuguStar Financial Claims (formerly Ohio National)
Phone877.446.3010
Fax513.794.4521
Mailing Address
Life and disability claims: AuguStar Financial, P.O. Box 237, Cincinnati, OH 45201-0237. Annuity claims: AuguStar Financial, P.O. Box 5308, Cincinnati, OH 45201-5308.
Life Insurance Claims
Variable Annuity Claims (legacy Ohio National ONcore block)
Fixed and Fixed Indexed Annuity Claims
Disability Insurance Claims
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
Filing a death claim on a Ohio National policy begins with notifying the AuguStar Financial Claims (formerly Ohio National) at 877.446.3010. 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.
Ohio National 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
Follow these steps to file a death claim with Ohio National:
Filing a claim
1
Understand who you are actually calling. The policy in your hand may say "Ohio National," but Ohio National no longer operates under that name — the issuer is now AuguStar Life Insurance Company, a Constellation Insurance company, and every claim runs through AuguStar Financial. ohionational.com no longer serves a homepage; it redirects to welcometoaugustar.com. You are NOT calling Prudential: the widely reported $10 billion Prudential transaction ran the other way (a Constellation affiliate reinsured a block of Pruco Life annuities), and it did not move any Ohio National contract to Prudential.
2
Call the right claims line — AuguStar splits them three ways, and there are now TWO annuity numbers:
- Life insurance claims: 877.446.3010, fax 513.794.4521, Claims@augustarfinancial.com
- VARIABLE annuity claims (the legacy Ohio National ONcore block): 888.925.6446, fax 513.794.4730, AnnuityClaims@augustarfinancial.com
- FIXED and FIXED INDEXED annuity claims (the newer AuguStar Retirement products): 855.663.3901
- Disability insurance claims: 844.290.1790, fax 513.794.4521, DisabilityClaims@augustarfinancial.com
3
Or start the claim online at https://augustarfinancial.com/filing-a-death-claim/ (the same request form is mirrored at https://www.ohionational.com/sites/public/default/SUPPORT/Claims/Death-claim). Have ready, per AuguStar's published list:
- Policy or contract number(s) — and if you cannot find them, the insured's full date of birth and the last four digits of their Social Security number
- Full name of the deceased
- Date and MANNER of death (the online form asks cause of death)
- Whether the product is life insurance or an annuity
- Name, mailing address, and email of the person filing or assisting with the claim
4
Wait for the claim package. AuguStar does not publish a downloadable death claim form: it states that after the request is received, "the claims department will send you a complete set of claims forms to be completed." There is no public PDF to pre-fill.
5
Complete a claim form for EACH beneficiary. AuguStar's published requirement is "a claim form completed and signed by each beneficiary" — one claimant, one form. On a variable annuity, the prospectus is stricter still: AuguStar must receive all required documentation and forms FROM ALL BENEFICIARIES before proceeds are distributed.
6
Obtain a certified copy of the death certificate for the insured from the vital records office. AuguStar calculates the total death benefit once it has the death certificate or other acceptable proof of death as defined in the contract.
7
Expect additional documentation where the beneficiary is not a straightforward surviving individual. AuguStar names two situations specifically:
- The named primary beneficiary predeceased the insured
- An estate, trust, corporation, or other legal entity is the named beneficiary
8
ANNUITY claims: choose the settlement option. Per the AuguStar variable annuity prospectus, proceeds are paid in a single sum unless the owner or the beneficiaries elect a settlement option, and there are deadlines attached:
- Five Year Continuance — proceeds taken over five years or less; ALL proceeds must be liquidated within five years of the annuitant's death.
- Ten Year Continuance — proceeds over ten years or less; if the annuitant had reached the required beginning date for RMDs, the beneficiary must also take annual RMDs before the year of required liquidation.
- Beneficiary Stretch — annual required minimum distributions; THIS OPTION MUST BE ELECTED WITHIN TWELVE MONTHS of the annuitant's death.
- Immediate Annuitization — also must be elected WITHIN TWELVE MONTHS of the annuitant's death.
- Lump Sum Distribution.
- Not all options are available on every contract — availability turns on the tax status of the contract, the date of death, and who the beneficiary is.
9
ANNUITY spousal continuation: per the prospectus, if the SOLE primary beneficiary is the surviving spouse of the owner and annuitant, and there is either no surviving owner or the surviving spouse is the sole surviving owner, the spouse may continue the contract as owner and annuitant instead of taking a settlement option. A spouse who is one of several beneficiaries does not get this election. No surrender charge is assessed on proceeds paid to a beneficiary, and a spouse who continues the contract is not charged one on the existing value — though a surrender charge does apply to any NEW purchase payments the spouse then makes.
10
If there are multiple annuity beneficiaries and the owner never selected a settlement option, ALL BENEFICIARIES MUST AGREE on one — otherwise the payout value is paid out in lump sums to all of them proportionally, and no one gets to stretch.
11
Mail the completed claim package to the address that matches the product:
- Life or disability claims: AuguStar Financial, P.O. Box 237, Cincinnati, OH 45201-0237 (fax 513.794.4521)
- Annuity claims: AuguStar Financial, P.O. Box 5308, Cincinnati, OH 45201-5308 (fax 513.794.4730)
Required Documents
- A claim form completed and signed by EACH beneficiary (issued by AuguStar after the claim is reported — not a public download)
- A certified copy of the death certificate for the insured, or other acceptable proof of death as defined in the contract
- Policy or contract number(s); or, if unavailable, the insured's full date of birth and the last four digits of their Social Security number
- Date and manner of death
- Contact information (mailing address and email) for the person filing or assisting with the claim
- Additional documentation where the named primary beneficiary predeceased the insured, or where an estate, trust, corporation, or other legal entity is the named beneficiary
- Trust documents and trustee identification where a trust is the beneficiary — AuguStar pays the trust as a whole, never an individual trustee
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
THE FACT THAT MATTERS MOST: the company printed on the policy is not the company you call. The Ohio National Life Insurance Company is now AuguStar Life Insurance Company (Constellation Insurance), ohionational.com no longer serves a homepage, and there is no working "Ohio National" claims number — the claim goes to AuguStar Financial. It does NOT go to Prudential. The $10 billion Prudential deal announced in May 2023 ran in the opposite direction from how it is usually described: a Constellation affiliate REINSURED a block of Pruco Life's Prudential Defined Income variable annuities. No Ohio National contract moved to Prudential. Second: AuguStar has THREE claims routes and TWO of them are annuity routes. Legacy Ohio National annuities are predominantly variable annuities (the ONcore family — Ohio National stopped selling annuities in 2018), and those go to 888.925.6446. The fixed and fixed indexed annuities AuguStar Retirement launched afterward go to 855.663.3901. Life goes to 877.446.3010; disability to 844.290.1790. Third, on the estate side: an annuity death benefit behaves nothing like a life death benefit. A life policy pays the named beneficiary a lump sum. An annuity pays proceeds under a settlement option, and two of the most valuable options — Beneficiary Stretch and Immediate Annuitization — expire twelve months after the annuitant's death. Where the owner never picked an option and there are several beneficiaries, they must ALL agree on one or everyone is cashed out in proportional lump sums. And spousal continuation of an annuity is available only to a surviving spouse who is the SOLE primary beneficiary and who is (or becomes) the sole surviving owner. Where the beneficiary is a trust or an estate, AuguStar states additional documentation may be required and that settlement options may be limited when the beneficiary is an entity rather than a natural person.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Ohio National
Ohio National asks for a letter of instruction alongside its claim form. We prepare a transmittal cover letter and the enclosure checklist Ohio National requires.
Build your letter of instructionHow long the process takes at Ohio National: AuguStar publishes no claim-payment service level. Two structural gates control the clock on an annuity: AuguStar must receive all required documentation and forms from ALL beneficiaries before proceeds are distributed, and the Beneficiary Stretch and Immediate Annuitization settlement options must be elected within TWELVE MONTHS of the annuitant's death. If AuguStar cannot locate a beneficiary, it sends written notice to the last known address, and if that person does not respond within 30 days, their portion of the proceeds reverts to the state as unclaimed property. The most common reason for delays is missing or incomplete documentation, so submitting everything upfront is the best way to keep things moving.
Documentation required by Ohio National includes A claim form completed and signed by EACH beneficiary (issued by AuguStar after the claim is reported — not a public download), A certified copy of the death certificate for the insured, or other acceptable proof of death as defined in the contract, and Policy or contract number(s); or, if unavailable, the insured's full date of birth and the last four digits of their Social Security number, along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
AuguStar Financial. The Ohio National Life Insurance Company was renamed AuguStar Life Insurance Company after Constellation Insurance Holdings completed its sponsored demutualization acquisition (March 2022) and rebranded the life business as AuguStar (announced July 17, 2023, with the legal name change effective in the fourth quarter of 2023). The policy stays in force under the same legal entity with the same contract terms — only the name on the door changed. As of July 2026, ohionational.com no longer serves a homepage; it redirects to Constellation's welcometoaugustar.com. File the claim by calling AuguStar: life insurance claims at 877.446.3010, or start online at augustarfinancial.com/filing-a-death-claim/. You are not calling Prudential — see the annuity question below.
No. That transaction is routinely described backwards. In May 2023, a Constellation affiliate agreed to REINSURE roughly $10 billion of Pruco Life's Prudential Defined Income variable annuities — money and risk moved TOWARD Constellation, not away from it. No Ohio National annuity contract was transferred to Prudential, and a beneficiary of an Ohio National annuity does not contact Prudential. What did happen to the Ohio National annuity block is simpler: Ohio National stopped selling annuities in 2018, so most in-force Ohio National annuities are variable annuities in the ONcore family, and AuguStar Life Insurance Company still issues and services them (its Variable Account A registration statement, effective May 1, 2026, names AuguStar as depositor and the ONcore contracts as current). File an ONcore annuity claim with AuguStar at 888.925.6446. If the contract is instead a FIXED or fixed indexed annuity from AuguStar Retirement, that is a different claims line: 855.663.3901.
Yes, and two of the options expire in twelve months. Per the AuguStar variable annuity prospectus, proceeds are paid in a single sum unless a settlement option is elected. The options are a Five Year Continuance (all proceeds liquidated within five years of the annuitant's death), a Ten Year Continuance, a Beneficiary Stretch (annual required minimum distributions), Immediate Annuitization, or a Lump Sum. THE BENEFICIARY STRETCH AND IMMEDIATE ANNUITIZATION MUST BE ELECTED WITHIN TWELVE MONTHS OF THE ANNUITANT'S DEATH. There is a second trap where the owner never selected an option and there are multiple beneficiaries: all of them must agree on a single settlement option, or the payout value is paid out in proportional lump sums to everyone — one uncooperative co-beneficiary can cash out the whole contract. AuguStar also will not distribute proceeds until it has received all required documents and forms from ALL beneficiaries. Call 888.925.6446 (variable) or 855.663.3901 (fixed / fixed indexed) before the clock runs.
Ohio National's AuguStar Financial Claims (formerly Ohio National) can be reached by phone at 877.446.3010, email at Claims@augustarfinancial.com, and fax at 513.794.4521 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple Ohio National policies, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The AuguStar Financial Claims (formerly Ohio National) can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
- ohionational.com
- augustarfinancial.com
- constellationinsurance.com
- news.prudential.com
- prnewswire.com
- sec.gov
Data sourced from Ohio National primary sources (19 pages reviewed). How we research.
AuguStar Financial — Life and Disability Income Insurance Customer Service
Phone800.366.6654
Mailing Address
Life / disability income: AuguStar Financial, P.O. Box 237, Cincinnati, OH 45201-0237. Annuities: AuguStar Financial, P.O. Box 5308, Cincinnati, OH 45201-5308 (overnight: 4526 Cornell Rd, Blue Ash, OH 45241). Retirement plans: P.O. Box 5358, Cincinnati, OH 45201-5358. Corporate headquarters: AuguStar Financial, One Financial Way, Cincinnati, OH 45242.
Annuity Customer Service
Retirement Plans
Corporate
WebsiteLearn more→
AuguStar Financial — Life and Disability Income Insurance Customer Service
Phone800.366.6654
Mailing Address
Life / disability income: AuguStar Financial, P.O. Box 237, Cincinnati, OH 45201-0237. Annuities: AuguStar Financial, P.O. Box 5308, Cincinnati, OH 45201-5308 (overnight: 4526 Cornell Rd, Blue Ash, OH 45241). Retirement plans: P.O. Box 5358, Cincinnati, OH 45201-5358. Corporate headquarters: AuguStar Financial, One Financial Way, Cincinnati, OH 45242.
Annuity Customer Service
Retirement Plans
Corporate
WebsiteLearn more→
AuguStar Financial Claims (formerly Ohio National)
Phone877.446.3010
Fax513.794.4521
Mailing Address
Life and disability claims: AuguStar Financial, P.O. Box 237, Cincinnati, OH 45201-0237. Annuity claims: AuguStar Financial, P.O. Box 5308, Cincinnati, OH 45201-5308.
Life Insurance Claims
Variable Annuity Claims (legacy Ohio National ONcore block)
Fixed and Fixed Indexed Annuity Claims
Disability Insurance Claims
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Ohio National accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
