Short Description
A life insurance policy rider that allows the insured to receive the proceeds of a life insurance policy before death under certain conditions, such as terminal or catastrophic illness, the need for long-term care, or confinement in a nursing home.
Long Description
Death benefits are typically paid to an insured’s beneficiaries upon death. The accelerated death benefit is a life insurance policy option that provides funds to an insured individual while that person is still alive, but during what is medically believed to be the insured’s final year or two of life. The purpose of the option, which first appeared in the 1980s, is to provide money to the insured to cover medical and medically related expenses. Prior to death, up to 80% of the value of the death benefit can be withdrawn and used for any purpose by the policyholder. In addition to medical expenses, the funds can be used for a vacation, home improvements, hiring medical home-care personnel, or experimental care. Although a specific life insurance policy may not explicitly mention an accelerated death benefit, many companies pay it as a matter of practise. The benefit payments made to the policyholder while the insured is alive are deducted from the death benefits, and the beneficiaries receive only the balance that is left when the insured dies. The accelerated death benefit is handled differently by each insurance company. While some people deduct the amount directly from the death benefit, others consider the payments to be loans and charge interest on them. As a result, upon the death of the insured, the loan and any accrued interest will be deducted from the amount paid to the beneficiaries.
Also known as Living Benefits and Accelerated Death Benefit