NIPSCO Cheats Widow

What Do I Have to Do?

My Dear Husband, David Letts, a retired NIPSCO employee, passed away on June 14, 2006. The following week I called the Benefits office in Orlando, Florida to see what I must do to have the $10,000 life insurance policy dispersed to his 5 children. David told me that he had changed the beneficiary listing to the five children after his divorce.

A nice gentleman, by the name of Steve, said that I would have to supply them with a death certificate and a listing of the children’s names, addresses and Social Security numbers. Within several days I received copies of his death certificate and typed up a listing of his children and all of their information, and sent it to Orlando.

Now, after over seven months since my husband’s death, I still can’t get any information as to why these claims have not been paid. I gave up writing down the dates and times of phone calls made to the Benefits office after the number reached ten. All I hear from them is that they are “waiting for approval from Corporate”.

However, I had been told by the Insurance Committee Chairperson for USW local 13796, that I should call Prudential since the policies were through Prudential. Through the number that I was given, I called Prudential and they said that they never heard anything about a policy concerning my husband.

Alas, I am no farther along than when David passed away. So, remembering that I am a member of the Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees, perhaps I needed to turn to other resources. Charlie Averill, president of my SOAR chapter, has come to my rescue, or at least he is trying to. He gave me the name and phone number for the Insurance Committee Chairman for USW Local 12775, who in turn gave me the name of Lois Olson, from NIPSCO, whom I have contacted and still am getting no results.

My husband has been gone over seven months and NIPSCO is refusing to acknowledge it and pay the rightful insurance claim to his children. David spent 35 years at NIPSCO, and they can’t find approval for issuance of the insurance proceeds? Do I need to send someone a copy of his ID card to prove that he truly did work for NIPSCO?

David had been receiving his pension payments without a problem. But now NIPSCO can’t find approval for his final insurance payout. How much more money do they have to cheat their employees and retirees out of before they are really, truly happy?

It is bad enough to have lost my husband, David, but now his children are being cheated out of what is rightfully theirs.

Marlys Letts, irate widow of NIPSCO retiree