HR admin error, then forged docs -how to resolve?

No one on this forum is capable of assisting you.

A licensed lawyer in your county can very often be consulted initially for no cost or future obligation.

If you do HIRE a lawyer, expect to shell out about $10,000 as a working retainer.

If the amount in question isn't in excess of $100,000, I suggest you let this go and continue with mourning or grieving the loss of a loved one.

God bless.

 

Probably the only way you will find out if they have errors and omissions coverage is to initiate a lawsuit. I suggest a consultation with an attorney who can better answer your other questions as well. I wouldn't let it go. Somebody made a mistake and it's a big one(assuming you have all the facts).

 

I agree that I would not let it go so casually. However, you definitely need to consult an attorney who specializes in contract or insurance law (NOT the kind who advertises on daytime TV please). This is not a do it yourself.

The recourse the family has is to sue with the representation of a competent attorney. The defendant could be the HR individual or the Corporation, but probably only the Corporation has the assets to be worth going after. The answers to your other questions would come out in the discovery process. Find an attorney as soon as possible. Good luck to you.

 

You could speak with a LICENSED private investigator.

A PI "might" be able to use a handwriting analysis expert to see if the "suspect" did as your "spidey senses" are telling you.

That is something that could blow back on you, trapping in a nasty libel or slander lawsuit.

Talk to a PI (two or three) and see if anyone can work some investigative magic.

I've known a few PIs over the years, most former cops or feds, those folks knew how to get to the truth.

 

When the EE applied in November, did they keep a copy of the application? Did they receive anything from either HR, or more importantly, the insurance company that reflected the change? That is pretty standard. IT would be somewhat unsual not to receive anything that showed what the new coverages were that had been elected, or at least, materials on the new policy that had been selected, even if it didn't go into effect until January.

That aside, if the EE did apply in November, there would be no need to forge an application. There may or may not still be a fax confirmation it was sent during OE, but the application would still be there.

IT also isn't that uncommon for HR to help complete applications. Or even fill them out for an employee. It is a horrible, stupid practice, but I've had to shut it down pretty much everywhere I have worked. The reasons it is stupid, are for the ones your mention; it is too easy to get details wrong. The intentions were always honorable, an often it was the EE that asked if we couldn't fill it out for them as they were confused, didn't have time, or had limited language skills.

Even if the document was completed by someone in HR, that part doesn't appear to be the real problem. The problem seems to be that the IC is claiming the form didn't get to them in time. HR claims it was sent. IC claims it wasn't received. Both can be true. Either could be lying or mistaken. Papers do go missing, get lost, get destroyed by accident, end up misfiled, wind up in fax jail/cyberspace, etc. I'm slightly surprised the IC won't accept it with the signature date prior to the death. Not sure if the claim was denied because there was a waiting period before the policy would pay out (not uncommon to avoid those who know they are nearing the end from buying policies just ahead and the IC having to pay out before any or much premium has been paid), or something else, but nothing you shared seems to imply the application being filled out by someone else is the issue. As it isn't an illegal or even unusual practice, I do understand why the DOI is declining to act.

 

The bottom line seems to be that the form didn't get where it needed to go, before the death. It seems unlikely that the day after the death, the HR person would suddenly remember they "lost" EE's form, never sent it, fake an old one, and fax it over. Being perfectly blunt it would be a whole lot easier to insist they sent it and IC must have lost it (which does happen-humans are human and paper isn't a perfect system). Either way, even if you had the form that everyone and their brother was dead sure EE completed himself, start to finish, and submitted prior to the deadline, you'd be in the same boat. The IC wasn't going to accept it, because, reasons.

The purpose of sending a form on the 12th seems to be to get the benefits that the EE wanted to sign up for. Whether it was the form he completed, one the HR person completed for him in November, or one done some time later, the purpose was the same. (It also seems unlikely that both the form was not sent and that it was then lost after payroll processed the premium increase- especially since that generally only happens after confirmation of enrollment by the IC. It is also curious that the increased premium being sent wasn't a trigger to the IC that something was amiss, but perhaps the very short time frame made that impossible.)

The company is taking it seriously as they have outsourced the enrollment function or joined the 20th century and moved to online enrollment where employees are responsible for directly enrolling themselves. I'm not sure what other measures you think are necessary but tarring and feathering the HR person, even if they did miss sending a fax in November, isn't going to accomplish anything. It is unfortunate if it was that person's mistake and the IC isn't willing to correct it after the fact, but this happens and the timing is just rotten that it happened before any sort of audit or enrollment list would have been generated to catch it.