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Prepare the letter of instruction Erie Insurance requests during estate or death-claim processing — addressed to its verified claims department with the required enclosures. PDF.
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Which institution holds the account, and the capacity you are writing in.
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Send it to Erie Insurance's estate/claims department: Erie Family Life Insurance Company, 100 Erie Insurance Place, Erie, PA 16530. You can reach the department at 1-800-458-0811.
Erie Insurance lists these among its required documents: Completed claimant statement form (provided by Erie after claim is initiated); Certified copy of the death certificate; Notarized signature on claim form or clear copy of driver's license or state-issued ID; Insured's full name, state of residence, date of birth, and date of death. The prepared letter includes an enclosure checklist drawn from Erie Insurance's recorded requirements.
After a claim is submitted, a Life Claims Examiner reviews the information provided and is in touch within 3 business days. Claims are typically processed within 30 to 60 days from receipt of all required documentation. Delays may occur if documentation is incomplete, the policy is within the two-year contestability period, or if the circumstances of death require further investigation.
Erie Insurance provides its own letter-of-instruction/claim form. We prepare a transmittal cover letter and an enclosure checklist to accompany that form.
It depends on the capacity you are acting in. An executor or administrator encloses Letters Testamentary (when there is a will) or Letters of Administration (when there is not); a successor trustee encloses a certificate of trust; a successor under a small estate encloses that state’s small estate affidavit. The prepared letter lists the proof-of-authority document for your role alongside the institution’s required documents.
A letter of instruction is the written request an institution asks for when settling a deceased customer’s account. It identifies the decedent and the account, states the capacity you are acting in, and tells the institution what to do with the account.