FEGLI Claim Denied? We Fight OFEGLI and OPM — Nationwide.
If MetLife's Office of Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (OFEGLI) or the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) denied or delayed your FEGLI life or accidental death benefits, Dorian Law's Brent Dorian Brehm — practicing under the FEGLI Lawyer™ brand — represents federal employees' families nationwide through reconsideration, OPM appeal, and federal court review.
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Did MetLife or OFEGLI deny or delay your FEGLI benefits? We represent federal employees' families and beneficiaries nationwide in FEGLI Life Insurance and FEGLI Accidental Death (AD&D) appeals, litigation, beneficiary disputes, and interpleader actions.
Why Dorian Law for FEGLI Claims
Narrow Focus
We handle life insurance and accidental death claims every day — including FEGLI specifically, not as a side practice.
Balanced Expertise
Life insurance and AD&D denials demand different proof. We build both cases correctly from the start, not as an afterthought.
Tens of Millions Recovered
From major insurers across more than 500 resolved disputes since 2006.
Nationwide Reach
Based in Calabasas, California, representing federal employees and their families across the U.S.
Litigation-Back Strategy
Every FEGLI appeal is built using the Litigation Back Approach — starting from what we'd need to prove in federal court, then working backward to the reconsideration request.
What Is FEGLI — and Who Runs It?
FEGLI (Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance) is a federal group life insurance program for civilian employees. The program is overseen by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and claims are processed by MetLife's Office of Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (OFEGLI).
Key Types of FEGLI Benefits We Handle
Basic & Optional Life
Option A, B, and C coverage disputes.
Accidental Death & Dismemberment
Often denied on causation or exclusion grounds.
Beneficiary Disputes
Competing claims and order-of-precedence questions.
Coverage & Conversion Disputes
Retirement, separation, lapse, and payroll administration issues.
Accidental Death Under FEGLI — What Makes It Different
Accidental Death benefits are not automatic just because a death was sudden. MetLife scrutinizes cause of death and applies exclusions. Common denial themes include:
- "Death was due to illness, not an accident."
- "Intoxication or drug involvement triggered an exclusion."
- "Event was foreseeable or not a 'covered accident.'"
- "Intervening medical treatment — not the accident — caused death."
- "Proof problems" — records, autopsy, police report, witness statements.
How We Build Accidental Death Claims
Reconstruct the Incident
Reports, scene evidence, and witness statements.
Medical Causation Analysis
Treating records, toxicology, ME/coroner findings, and independent experts.
Exclusion Rebuttals
Medical literature, timeline, alternative causation, and proximate-cause arguments.
A Tight Narrative
Accident → injury → death, closing the gaps insurers exploit.
Life Insurance Denials We See — and How We Answer Them
Beneficiary Challenges / Order of Precedence
We validate beneficiary forms and agency files against the statutory order and address competing claims.
"No Coverage in Force"
We audit payroll deductions, SF-2817/SF-2823 forms, conversion rights, and agency administrative errors.
Misstatement or Application Issues
We assess materiality, reliance, timing, and contestability windows.
Interpleader Actions
We step in to protect your share when benefits are deposited with the court. See our Winning Interpleader page.
Deadlines & the FEGLI Appeal Path
Know your clock. Three stages stand between a denial and final resolution, and each has its own deadline and standard of review.
MetLife / OFEGLI Reconsideration
Your denial letter controls the deadline to request reconsideration of the initial decision.
Commonly up to 90 daysOPM Appeal
If reconsideration is upheld, you can appeal to OPM for a Final Agency Decision.
Federal Court Review
After OPM's final decision, judicial review proceeds under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) — arguing the decision was arbitrary or capricious.
What to Do Right Now
Get the denial letter — all pages. Note the exact deadline and who issued it: OFEGLI or OPM.
Collect records — death certificate, autopsy/toxicology, EMS/hospital records, police or incident reports, photos or video, witness information, and prior medical history.
Gather beneficiary proof — FEGLI designation forms (SF-2823), employment/HR file, and any change forms.
Call us. We'll map the fastest path to preserve your appeal window and evidence.
How We Work
Contingency fee options are available for benefit recovery matters. You get plain-English updates and direct access to your attorney, while we handle the paperwork, evidence, and briefing so you can focus on your family.
FAQs About FEGLI Claims
Life pays when the insured passes away while covered, regardless of circumstances. Accidental Death pays an additional amount only if death was caused by a covered accident, and exclusions may apply — such as illness or certain intoxication scenarios. Proof standards and evidence needs differ between the two.
Yes. Many cases involve mixed medical and trauma factors. We develop medical causation, timeline, and expert analysis to show the accident was the proximate cause despite a coexisting illness.
Not necessarily. Exclusions have specific wording and require proof. We analyze levels, timing, alternative causes, and whether the exclusion actually applies to the facts of your case.
FEGLI uses a statutory order of precedence when no valid designation is on file. We verify agency records and protect your place in that order where disputes arise.
Initial denials typically come from OFEGLI, MetLife's office, and reconsideration goes there first. If denied again, the appeal proceeds to OPM, which issues the Final Agency Decision.
Your denial letter controls the deadline. Many letters allow up to 90 days for reconsideration, but don't assume — check your specific letter.
FEGLI is a federal benefits program. After OPM's final decision, court review is typically conducted under the APA, and the proper defendant is usually the agency rather than the contractor alone.
Yes. We're based in Calabasas, California, and handle FEGLI matters nationwide.
No. The FEGLI Lawyer™ is a Dorian Law P.C. brand. We are a private law firm and are not affiliated with any government agency or insurer.
The denial letter, death certificate, autopsy/toxicology report, EMS and ER records, police or incident reports, any photos or video, and the FEGLI beneficiary designation if one exists.
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Dorian Law P.C. is a private law firm. We are not affiliated with OPM, MetLife, OFEGLI, or any government agency. Past results don't guarantee future outcomes.