Living Death Benefits

Definition of "Living death benefits"

Barbara Absalom, TRC , GRI real estate agent

Barbara Absalom, TRC , GRI Fillmore Real Estate

Early payout of anticipated death benefits from a rider attached to an existing policy or from a separate policy. The purpose is to allow the terminally ill insured an additional source of finance to pay medical bills and/or nice-to-have items. There are basically two methods for paying out these benefits: the policy-holder gains access to the benefits when the policyholder contracts an illness that has been diagnosed as terminal with a life expectancy usually of less than two years; the policyholder gains access to the benefits when the policyholder is confined to a nursing home or a long-term care facility and can be expected to remain in this facility until death. Generally, as long as the policyholder is expected to die within 12 months of the date of the payment of the living death benefit, and that benefit is discounted only by an amount that is consistent with a life expectancy no greater than one year in duration, the beneficiary (s) is not taxed on the life insurance proceeds.