Publications

• Cancer and Critical Illness Insurance Claims – Getting All You’re Owed
• Beneficiary Disputes - Life Insurance

Proven Life Insurance Claim Expert

Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness

Additional Information

Steve C. Burgess: I am uniquely qualified to opine on standards and practices within the life insurance industry especially as it applies to the approval and denial of claims, the process of investigation of claims and the standard practices of life insurance companies as they apply to death claims handling. Since 2006, as the president of The Center for Life Insurance Disputes, I've independently represented claimants in the recovery of numerous death claims. This work includes obtaining records from medical institutions, police reports, death certificates, medical examiners, trust documents, financial records, phone transcriptions and other relevant documents. I work with insurance company’s internal and external investigators, legal advisors and claims underwriters to resolve these matters. This work, in addition to acting as an expert witness in several death claim lawsuits, has given me access to multiple insurers claims manuals, claims processes and procedures. I have personally worked with the claims and/or legal departments in the investigation and/or settlement of death claims totaling over $250 million dollars from companies such as Penn Mutual, Prudential, MET Life, American General, HSBC, Globe Life, National Life of Vermont, Sears Life, ING, Central States, Farmers Insurance, Amalgamated Life, Western & Southern Life, Forester’s Life, Starmount Life, John Hancock, Fitzpatrick Life, AAA Life and State Farm. As a Regional Director and Sales Manager for Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, from 1995 to 2008, one of my responsibilities was that of underwriting for the Regional office. In this role, my region underwrote over 200 life insurance applications each year, which included applications from persons with adverse medical histories. I personally worked with corporate underwriting teams daily to complete the underwriting process and obtain favorable offers. In addition to Penn Mutual, my regional office also worked with other major insurers, including American General, Transamerica and West Coast Life, to name a few. The life insurance industry follows certain standard processes and procedures in the task of underwriting applications and I'm well-versed in said processes and procedures which, of course, go hand-in-hand with death claim examinations. As an expert witness I have been retained in over 200 cases, some specific to death claims involving National Life of Vermont, UNUM, TransGuard, ReAssure America, Principal Life, Fidelity Security, Farmers, Sears Life, Guardian, Jackson National, MET Life, New York Life, Five Star Life, Liberty Life and State Farm. In the scope of this work I've seen the standards and practices of insurance company’s claims departments as well as their legal department’s treatment of claims decisions.