What to do when a Trustmark Voluntary Benefits account holder dies
Contact Trustmark Voluntary Benefits's Customer Care -- trust beneficiary designations (form A112-2520) and ILIT ownership transfers (form P684-4) — 5-step process, 9 required documents, and trustmark processes 98% of claims within the target timeframe. accident, wellness, and hospital claims are typically processed within 2-3 business days of receiving complete documentation. life insurance death claims are typically processed within 5 business days of having all necessary information to validate the claim. appeals are processed within 21 days.
Customer Care (policy service: beneficiary, trust, and ownership changes)
Trustmark, P.O. Box 7937, Lake Forest, IL 60045-7937
Customer Care -- trust beneficiary designations (form A112-2520) and ILIT ownership transfers (form P684-4)
Trustmark, P.O. Box 7937, Lake Forest, IL 60045-7937
Claims
Trustmark, PO Box 2906, Clinton, IA 52733-2906
Filing a death claim on a Trustmark Voluntary Benefits policy begins with notifying the Claims at 1-877-201-9373 x45750. 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.
Trustmark Voluntary Benefits 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
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Trustmark Voluntary Benefits requires:
Filing a claim
- Locate the Trustmark policy documents and note the policy number and coverage type
- Obtain certified copies of the death certificate from the local vital records office (must show cause of death)
- For group life insurance: notify the employer HR department, who will report the death to Trustmark
- For individual Universal Life policies: the beneficiary calls 1-877-201-9373 or files online
- File the claim online through the claims portal at vbclaims.trustmarkbenefits.com (fastest method)
- Or download the Life Death Benefit Claim form from the Trustmark website
- Or contact Claims at 1-877-201-9373 x45750 or email LifeClaimsVB@trustmarkbenefits.com
- Complete the claim form with policy information, deceased details, and date of death
- Complete the Statement of Beneficiary section identifying the person to whom insurance is payable
- Attending Physician Statement: this section is REQUIRED if the insured died within the first two years of the policy effective date. A worksite policy bought at last year's open enrollment will trigger it -- have the decedent's primary care physician complete it, or the claim stalls
- Disclosure Authorization: must be completed by the executor or administrator of the insured's estate; if there is no executor or administrator, by the next of kin
- Statement of Beneficiary: completed by the person the insurance is payable to. Multiple beneficiaries may join in one statement, or Trustmark will furnish a separate form for each
- If the policy was assigned (for example to an ILIT), the form says to call Trustmark for additional instructions rather than self-serving the section
- Certified death certificate for the insured -- Trustmark requires it to show BOTH cause AND manner of death, which a short-form certificate often omits. Order the long form
- A certified death certificate for any BENEFICIARY who predeceased the insured
- If the benefit is payable to the estate, executors, or administrators: appointment and qualification documentation (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration) for each executor or administrator
- If the benefit is payable to a minor or a person judged incompetent: the guardian's certificate of appointment and qualifications, and the guardian completes the Statement of Beneficiary
- If the death was caused by injury or accident: a copy of the police report and any newspaper articles about the circumstances
- If a trust is the beneficiary: trust documents and trustee identification
- Mail to Trustmark, PO Box 2906, Clinton, IA 52733-2906, fax to 508-853-0310, or email LifeClaimsVB@trustmarkbenefits.com
- Trustmark sends confirmation with contact information and an established follow-up date
- Track claim status through the policyholder portal or by contacting Claims
- EFT/ACH payment option available for faster processing
Required Documents
- Completed Death Benefit Claim form A112-2502 (Statement of Beneficiary + Disclosure Authorization sections)
- Certified copy of the death certificate showing both CAUSE and MANNER of death (the short-form certificate is usually not enough)
- Certified copy of the death certificate for any beneficiary who predeceased the insured
- Attending Physician Statement -- required only if death occurred within two years of the policy effective date
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration if the benefit is payable to the estate, an executor, or an administrator
- Guardian's certificate of appointment if the beneficiary is a minor or an incompetent person
- Police report and any newspaper coverage if death was by injury or accident
- Government-issued ID for the beneficiary
- Trust documents and trustee ID (if a trust is the beneficiary)
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
Trustmark splits its contacts by function, and using the wrong one costs weeks. LIFE DEATH CLAIMS go to the Clinton, Iowa claims operation: Trustmark, PO Box 2906, Clinton, IA 52733-2906, phone 1-877-201-9373 x45750, fax 508-853-0310, email LifeClaimsVB@trustmarkbenefits.com. POLICY SERVICE (beneficiary designations, trust designations, ownership changes) goes to the Lake Forest, Illinois home office: P.O. Box 7937, Lake Forest, IL 60045-7937, phone 1-800-918-8877, fax 847-615-4943, email CustomerCare@trustmarkbenefits.com. Online filing at vbclaims.trustmarkbenefits.com is the fastest route and EFT/ACH payment is available. Two Trustmark-specific traps: the death certificate must show cause AND manner of death, and an Attending Physician Statement is required whenever the insured died within two years of the policy effective date -- common with worksite coverage bought at a recent open enrollment. For group coverage the employer HR department typically opens the claim; for individually owned Universal LifeEvents and Universal Life Choices the beneficiary files directly.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Trustmark Voluntary Benefits
Trustmark Voluntary Benefits 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 Trustmark Voluntary Benefits: Trustmark processes 98% of claims within the target timeframe. Accident, wellness, and hospital claims are typically processed within 2-3 business days of receiving complete documentation. Life insurance death claims are typically processed within 5 business days of having all necessary information to validate the claim. Appeals are processed within 21 days. 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 Trustmark Voluntary Benefits includes Completed Death Benefit Claim form A112-2502 (Statement of Beneficiary + Disclosure Authorization sections), Certified copy of the death certificate showing both CAUSE and MANNER of death (the short-form certificate is usually not enough), and Certified copy of the death certificate for any beneficiary who predeceased the insured, along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Trustmark uses a separate form for trusts: the Trust Beneficiary Designation Form A112-2520 (https://www.trustmarkbenefits.com/Trustmark-Benefits-Web/media/Files/VB/A112-2520-(9-19)_trust-beneficiary.pdf), not the standard Beneficiary Designation Form P684-19 used for people. It asks for the trustee, the date of the trust agreement, and the trust name, and it designates the trustee "or its successors in trust" -- so replacing your trustee later does not require refiling. Two clauses matter for planning. Trustmark states it assumes no responsibility for carrying out the terms of the trust and that payment to the trustee discharges it, so the trust document alone controls where the money goes. And if the trust has terminated by the time of death, the form sends the proceeds to the insured's estate, which means probate. Mail the form to Trustmark, P.O. Box 7937, Lake Forest, IL 60045-7937, or fax 847-615-4943.
Because the insured died within two years of the policy effective date. Death Benefit Claim form A112-2502 requires an Attending Physician Statement, completed by the decedent's primary care physician, whenever death occurs inside that first two-year window -- the contestability period. Worksite coverage bought at a recent open enrollment routinely lands inside it. Two other Trustmark-specific requirements catch claimants out: the certified death certificate must show both the cause AND the manner of death (a short-form certificate often shows neither, so order the long form), and if the benefit is payable to the estate rather than to a named person, each executor or administrator must send appointment and qualification documentation -- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
No, and it matters when you are settling an estate. Trustmark Insurance Company, doing business as Trustmark Voluntary Benefits, is a Lake Forest, Illinois insurer selling worksite life, accident, critical illness, hospital, and disability coverage; its parent is Trustmark Mutual Holding Company. Trustmark National Bank is an unrelated regional bank headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi. They share a name only. Do not send a life insurance death claim to the bank or a deposit account claim to the insurer. Trustmark insurance life claims go to Trustmark, PO Box 2906, Clinton, IA 52733-2906, phone 1-877-201-9373 x45750.
Trustmark Voluntary Benefits's Claims can be reached by phone at 1-877-201-9373, email at LifeClaimsVB@trustmarkbenefits.com, and fax at 508-853-0310 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple Trustmark Voluntary Benefits policies, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Claims can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from Trustmark Voluntary Benefits primary sources (19 pages reviewed). How we research.
Customer Care (policy service: beneficiary, trust, and ownership changes)
Trustmark, P.O. Box 7937, Lake Forest, IL 60045-7937
Customer Care -- trust beneficiary designations (form A112-2520) and ILIT ownership transfers (form P684-4)
Trustmark, P.O. Box 7937, Lake Forest, IL 60045-7937
Claims
Trustmark, PO Box 2906, Clinton, IA 52733-2906
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