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1.7 What happens if a victim passes away after filing a personal injury claim?

Question
1.7 What happens if a victim passes away after filing a personal injury claim?
Effective Date
Answer

When a claimant who has filed a personal injury claim dies, the VCF will stop processing the claim and/or payment of that claim until a Personal Representative of the deceased claimant (“decedent”) is appointed and validated by the VCF.  This protects the decedent’s personal information and ensures details about the claim are shared only with those who are authorized to access the information. 

When the VCF learns that a claimant has passed away, we will send a letter to the decedent’s last known address that explains the current status of the personal injury claim, and the steps that need to be taken in order for the VCF to continue processing a claim for the decedent.  Each claim has unique circumstances, so please review the correspondence you receive from the VCF and contact the VCF Helpline if you are uncertain how to proceed with the claim.

The VCF website includes detailed information about the processing of these claims.

Question Number
7