§ 33-25-14. Unclaimed Life Insurance Benefits; Purpose; Definitions; Insurer Conduct

1. This Code section shall be known and may be cited as the “Unclaimed Life Insurance Benefits Act.”
2. This Code section shall require recognition of the escheat or unclaimed property statutes of this state and require the complete and proper disclosure, transparency, and accountability relating to any method of payment for life insurance death benefits regulated by the Department of Insurance; provided, however, that neither the Commissioner nor the State Treasurer shall promulgate regulations or issue bulletins that impose, or interpret this Code section to impose, additional duties and obligations on insurers, beyond those set forth in this Code section, or otherwise attempt to expand the requirements of this Code section.
3. As used in this Code section, the term:
   1. “Account owner” means the owner of a retained asset account who is a resident of this state.
   2. “Annuity” means an annuity contract issued in this state. The term “annuity” shall not include any annuity contract used to fund an employment-based retirement plan or program where the insurer takes direction from the plan sponsor and plan administrator.
   3. “Death Master File” means the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File or any other data base or service that is at least as comprehensive as the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File for determining that a person has reportedly died.
   4. “Death Master File match” means a search of the Death Master File that results in a match of a person’s name and social security number or the name and date of birth.
   5. “Insurer” means a life insurance company authorized to transact the class of insurance designated in Code Section 33-3-5 as Class (1).
   6. “Knowledge of death” means, for purposes of this chapter and Article 5 of Chapter 12 of Title 44:
      1. A receipt of an original or valid copy of a certified death certificate; or
      2. A Death Master File match validated by a secondary source by the insurer.
   7. “Person” means the policy owner, insured, annuity owner, annuitant, or account owner, as applicable under the policy, annuity, or retained asset account subject to this Code section.
   8. “Policy” means any policy or certificate of life insurance issued in this state. The term “policy” shall not include:
      1. Any policy or certificate of life insurance that provides a death benefit under an employee benefit plan subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, 29 U.S.C. Section 1002, as periodically amended, or under any federal employee benefit program;
      2. Any policy or certificate of life insurance that is used to fund a preneed funeral contract or prearrangement;
      3. Any policy or certificate of credit life or accidental death insurance; or
      4. Any policy issued to a group master policyholder for which the insurer does not provide record keeping services.
   9. “Record keeping services” means those circumstances under which the insurer has agreed with a group policyholder to be responsible for obtaining, maintaining, and administering in its own systems information about each individual insured under an insured’s group insurance contract, or a line of coverage thereunder, at least the following information:
      1. Social security number or name and date of birth;
      2. Beneficiary designation information;
      3. Coverage eligibility;
      4. Benefit amount; and
      5. Premium payment status.
4. 1. 1. An insurer shall perform a comparison of its in-force policies, annuities, and retained asset accounts issued in this state against a Death Master File, on at least a semiannual basis, to identify potential Death Master File matches.
      2. An insurer may comply with the requirements of this subsection by using the full Death Master File once and thereafter using the Death Master File update files for future comparisons.
      3. Nothing in this subsection shall limit the insurer from requesting a valid death certificate as part of any claims validation process.
   2. 1. If an insurer learns of the possible death of a person, through a Death Master File match or otherwise, then the insurer shall within 90 days:
         1. Complete a good faith effort, which shall be documented by the insurer, to confirm the death of the person against other available records and information;
         2. Review its records to determine whether the deceased person had purchased any other products with the insurer;
         3. Determine whether benefits may be due in accordance with any applicable policy, annuity, or retained asset account; and
         4. If the beneficiary or other authorized representative has not communicated with the insurer within the 90 day period, take reasonable steps, which shall be documented by the insurer, to locate and contact the beneficiary or beneficiaries or other authorized representative on any such policy, annuity, or retained asset account, including but not limited to sending the beneficiary information regarding the insurer’s claims process, including the need to provide an official death certificate if applicable under the policy, annuity, or retained asset account.
      2. In the event the insurer is unable to confirm the death of a person following a Death Master File match, an insurer may consider such policy, annuity, or retained asset account to be in-force in accordance with its terms.
   3. To the extent permitted by law, an insurer may disclose minimum necessary personal information about a person or beneficiary to a person who the insurer reasonably believes may be able to assist the insurer in locating the beneficiary or a person otherwise entitled to payment of the claims proceeds.
   4. An insurer or its service provider shall not charge any beneficiary or other authorized representative for any fees or costs associated with a Death Master File search or verification of a Death Master File match conducted pursuant to this subsection.
   5. The benefits from a life insurance policy, annuity, or retained asset account, plus any applicable accrued interest, shall be payable pursuant to the terms of the contract or, if applicable, in accordance with probate law. In the event the proper recipients cannot be found, the benefits shall escheat to the state as unclaimed property pursuant to Code Section 44-12-198. Interest payable under Code Section 33-25-10 shall not be payable as unclaimed property under Code Section 44-12-198.
   6. The Commissioner may adopt such rules and regulations as may be reasonably necessary to implement the provisions of this subsection.
   7. The Commissioner may, in his or her reasonable discretion, make an order:
      1. Limiting an insurer’s Death Master File comparisons required under paragraph (1) of this subsection to the insurer’s electronic searchable files or approving a plan and timeline for conversion of the insurer’s files to electronic searchable files;
      2. Exempting an insurer from the Death Master File comparisons required under paragraph (1) of this subsection or permitting an insurer to perform such comparisons less frequently than semiannually upon a demonstration of financial hardship by the insurer; or
      3. Phasing in compliance with this subsection according to a plan and timeline approved by the Commissioner.
   8. Failure to meet any requirement of this subsection with such frequency as to constitute a general business practice is a violation of Chapter 6 of this title. Nothing herein shall be construed to create or imply a private cause of action for a violation of this subsection.
5. In the event that an insurer:
   1. Has identified a person as deceased through a Death Master File match through a search described in paragraph (1) of subsection (d) of this Code section or other information source;
   2. Has validated such information through a secondary information source; and
   3. Is unable to locate a beneficiary located in this state under the policy, annuity, or retained asset account after conducting reasonable search efforts during the period of up to one year after the insurer’s validation of the Death Master File match, or if no beneficiary, if the person, as applicable for unclaimed reporting purposes, has a last known address in this state,

      then the insurer is authorized to report and remit the proceeds of such policy, annuity, or retained asset account due to this state on an early reporting basis, without further notice or consent by the state, after attempting to contact such beneficiary pursuant to Code Section 44-12-198. Once reported and proceeds remitted, the insurer shall be relieved and indemnified from any and all additional liability to any person relating to the proceeds reported and remitted, including but not limited to any liability under Code Section 44-12-214 for all proceeds reported and remitted to the state pursuant to this subsection. This indemnification from liability shall be in addition to any other protections provided by law.

History. Code 1981, § 33-25-14 , enacted by Ga. L. 2014, p. 233, § 1/HB 920; Ga. L. 2019, p. 337, § 1-93/SB 132.

The 2019 amendment, effective July 1, 2019, substituted “Department of Insurance” for “Insurance Department” in subsection (b).

Editor’s notes.

Ga. L. 2014, p. 233, § 2/HB 920, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: “This Act shall be applicable to policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2015.”