trustee making a claim

[rghjudi]

What is the name of your state?New York
Do all life insurance policies have a benificiary? Let's say there is a life insurance policey with 2 benificiaries, one of them being the trustee. Another policey to be paid upon death, is there anyway using a POA that the trustee can somehow make a claim on said policies or change them in any way?
I hope I explained that clearly,

 

[ALawyer]

There is no requirement that the owner name a beneficiary on an individual or group policy although 90% of people do. If there is a beneficiary named, and the beneficiary is alive at the insured's death (unless the beneficiary kiled the insured) the beneficiary gets the proceeds. Ditto with 2 beneficiaries -- they share proceeds.

At the insured's death the beneficiary is locked in -- a trustee can not change the beneficiary -- although depending on the insurance company and its policy wording, a "new" signed but not yet filed beneficiary designation may be able to "update" beneficiaries even if not on file at date of death. (These provisions are intended to permit a critically ill insured to change it and not worry if it will get to the company on time -- in the old days it had to be attached to the policy in some cases before his or her death.)