We successfully recovered a $30,000 life insurance payout after Senior Life initially denied the claim during the contestability period. The insurer alleged misrepresentation on the policy application and attempted to void coverage after the insured’s death.
At LifeInsuranceAttorney.com, we regularly overturn contestability based denials involving Senior Life, Globe Life, Corebridge Financial, SGLI, VGLI, and other national carriers. These denials are among the most common and most aggressively pursued by insurers, but they are also frequently wrong.
Life insurance is intended to protect families, not to create technical traps. When insurers misuse the contestability clause to deny valid claims, we step in and force accountability.
How the Contestability Period Is Used to Deny Claims
Most life insurance policies contain a two year contestability provision. If the insured dies within that period, the insurer is allowed to reexamine the application for inaccuracies or omissions. If the insurer claims a misstatement was material, it may attempt to:
• Deny the claim outright
• Rescind the policy retroactively
• Reduce the death benefit
• Reclassify the policy at a higher premium
The original purpose of contestability was to prevent intentional fraud. In practice, insurers often use it to comb through medical records looking for anything that can be framed as nondisclosure, even when the insured had no diagnosis, no intent to mislead, or no reason to believe disclosure was required.
Why Contestability Denials Are Often Improper
Insurers frequently assume that the presence of medical records, specialist visits, or prescription history proves that the insured knowingly misrepresented their health. That assumption is often wrong.
Common problems we see include:
• Conditions that were undiagnosed at the time of application
• Symptoms that were vague or unexplained
• Medical testing that had not produced conclusions
• Chronic conditions that were stable and well managed
• Application questions that were unclear or overly broad
A misstatement is not automatically material, and an omission is not automatically fraud.
Examples of Contestability Denials We Have Resolved
In one case, an insured stated he had no known heart disease when applying for coverage. After his death, the insurer uncovered a rare genetic condition associated with cardiac risk and denied the claim. We demonstrated that the policy language did not require disclosure in the manner claimed and that the condition was not material to underwriting as applied. The beneficiary received a settlement.
In another matter, an insured applied for coverage while undergoing medical evaluations but without a formal diagnosis. After death, the insurer argued that medical visits alone proved concealment of a serious illness. We established that no diagnosis existed at the time of application and that the insured had no knowledge of the eventual cause of death. The claim was paid.
We have handled similar denials involving rare neurological disorders, inherited blood conditions, autoimmune disease, and cardiac events. In many cases, insurers relied on hindsight rather than facts available at the time of application.
How We Challenged the Senior Life Denial
In the Senior Life case, the insurer relied on post claim medical review to allege misrepresentation. Our firm conducted a comprehensive analysis and showed that:
• The application questions did not clearly require the disclosure claimed
• The insured did not have a confirmed diagnosis at the time of application
• There was no evidence of intent to mislead
• The alleged omission was not material to the underwriting decision
• The condition cited was unrelated to the cause of death
After legal briefing and negotiation, Senior Life reversed its position and paid the full $30,000 benefit.
Our Approach to Contestability Based Denials
When a claim is denied under the contestability clause, we focus on five core issues:
Policy language
Whether the application and policy actually required the disclosure alleged.
Medical timing
What the insured knew, and when they knew it.
Materiality
Whether the information would truly have changed the underwriting decision.
Intent
Whether there is any evidence of deception rather than misunderstanding.
Causation
Whether the alleged condition had any relationship to the death.
Insurers often fail on more than one of these points.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the contestability period
It is usually the first two years after a policy is issued, during which the insurer can investigate for misrepresentation.
Does any mistake justify denial
No. The misstatement must be material and not the result of honest misunderstanding.
Can a claim be denied if there was no diagnosis
Insurers try, but we regularly defeat those denials.
Does cause of death matter
Yes. If the alleged omission had nothing to do with the death, the denial is often improper.
Is fraud required for denial
After two years, yes. During contestability, intent still matters.
Do you handle smaller policies
Yes. We handle denied claims of all sizes.
Final Perspective
Contestability does not give insurers unlimited power to rewrite history after a death. It does not allow them to deny claims based on speculation, hindsight, or medical ambiguity.
Denied contestability claims are often recoverable with focused legal analysis and early intervention. When insurers overreach, we push back and force payment.