How do I find out who the beneficiary is on my Fathers OPM life ins policy?

Question

When my father passed away, I was distressed, cried for a few weeks, I'm doing ok now. He wanted to be moved to MD where his mother and father are buried. My sister lives in MD so I told the funeral home they should send any estate info to my sister although he lived with me and I quit my job to take care of him through the duration of his cancer. She is now keeping me in the dark. The day he passed she called OPM (while I was mourning my father) and they said they would send her a package naming the beneficiaries since she was the one who called. He also didn't leave anyone in charge of his estate as my sister insisted on being here when we talked to a lawyer but we had to wait for her to get off vacation and by the time she got here he was too out of it and passed a couple days later. Now she is keeping me in the dark and has hired a lawyer, here in MI... hmmm... the selfishness that comes with death is very, very sad. Any info on these matters would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Answer 1

You have to ask the executor/administrator of his estate.



The information is private, protected by the privacy laws.



No, they don't send the package with the information to "anyone who calls". They'll send CLAIM FORMS to anyone, but the INFORMATION can only go to the estate administrator/executor. The beneficiary checks go DIRECTLY to the beneficiaries - so they can't get intercepted.



If he didn't name an executor, then someone - probably your sister - will have to go to court and be named administrator. Everything that gets filed with court, is a matter of public record - so you can go look at everything that gets filed.

Answer 2

If you think that you might be the beneficiary, then you file a claim for the benefits.



If they send you the money, then you are the beneficiary.



If they deny your claim on the grounds that you are not the beneficiary, that means that (1) the beneficiary is not you, and (2) you cannot find out without going to court.



If you still want to know who it is, even though you know it is not you, then you have to go to probate court and get yourself appointed as the executor of his "estate". This means doing a lot of work, and dealing with a lot of legal stuff and paperwork, some as trivial as making sure that his last phone bill gets paid, and you can be personally on the hook for any money that you pay to one person when it should have been paid to another. And she's going to fight it, so you are going to have to convince a judge that the executor should be you and not her, and that's going to mean more legal bills, more fighting with your sister, and more reasons to regret taking on this pointless struggle.



If you really still think it's worth it, then talk to a lawyer before you start the process.

Answer 3

The life insurance benefits will be paid directly to the named beneficiaries and will not be included in the estate which should be handled through probate court unless your father had a trust. I suggest you contact the attorney handling the estate as he should be able to clarify your questions. Perhaps your sister is not being as secretive as you think, she just may not know any more than you do. Good Luck