A lot of the long-term care policies families bring us come from companies that left the business years ago. The parent company reorganized, the block was sold, the service number in the booklet rings somewhere unexpected. A Mutual of Omaha policy is different in one narrow way: this is a company that is still writing new long-term care coverage today.
That is worth less than families hope and more than they expect. Being in the market says nothing about what your mother's policy covers, and nothing about how a particular claim will be decided. What it does mean is that the administrative side is usually easier to navigate, because you are not tracing which successor company inherited the block.
Here is what the process generally looks like for a Phoenix family going from "we found a policy" to "the benefits are turned on."
What still being in the market does and does not tell you
Mutual of Omaha continues to sell individual long-term care insurance, underwritten by Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company. Its own product disclosure on that page also states plainly that premium rates may increase (Mutual of Omaha).
Practically, that usually means a current claims department, a customer service number that still connects, and in many cases online account access. Older policies and group certificates do not always come with all of that, so verify rather than assume.
What it does not tell you is anything about your parent's particular contract. A policy sold in 1994 and a policy sold in 2019 are different products carrying the same company name.
Confirming the policy is actually in force
Before anyone reads a benefit provision, the first thing to establish is whether the policy is still active. Premiums sometimes go unpaid during a hospital stay. Someone may have accepted a reduced-benefit offer years ago and forgotten it. A policy in a filing cabinet is not necessarily a policy in force.
The customer service number printed on the policy is the place to start, and three questions are worth asking in order. Is the policy in force today? Have all premiums been paid, and is anything past due? Has any reduced-benefit or paid-up election ever been made on this contract, and if so, what is the current benefit?
That third question is easy to miss. When premiums rise, carriers frequently offer a lower-benefit alternative to the higher payment. The NAIC's consumer guide describes these contingent nonforfeiture options and notes that some states require them once increases pass a set threshold, though whether that applies to a given policy depends on the state and the policy form (NAIC Shopper's Guide). If your father took that deal in 2016, his daily benefit or benefit period is smaller than the original booklet says.
It is also worth asking whether a third-party notice contact is on file. That provision lets a policyholder name someone the company must notify before coverage ends for nonpayment. The NAIC guide notes that without it, a person with cognitive impairment who forgets to pay can lose coverage at the point of greatest need.
Reading the actual contract
A complete copy of the contract, with all riders and amendments, is the document that governs. Four provisions carry most of the weight.
The benefit trigger. Federally tax-qualified policies sold on or after January 1, 1997 pay when a licensed health care practitioner certifies the person is chronically ill, meaning they are expected to need substantial help with at least two of six activities of daily living for at least 90 days, or need continual supervision because of severe cognitive impairment. The six activities are bathing, dressing, eating, transferring, toileting, and continence (NAIC Shopper's Guide; Mutual of Omaha claims guide). Policies issued before 1997 are not required to define it that way, and some use a medical necessity standard instead. The wording in your parent's contract is what counts.
The elimination period. This is the waiting period during which the policyholder covers the cost of care before benefits begin. Mutual of Omaha's claims guide describes elimination periods on its policies ranging from 0 to 365 days, and says the counting method matters. A 90 calendar-day period ends 90 days after covered services start. A 90 service-day period ends after 90 days on which services were actually received, so a parent using paid help three days a week takes considerably longer to satisfy it. Some policies apply a shorter or waived period to home care, and some require the period to be met only once in a lifetime while others apply it per episode of care.
Care coordination. Where a policy includes it, a licensed health care professional, often a registered nurse, becomes the point of contact and helps build the plan of care. Mutual of Omaha's guide notes there is usually no elimination period for care coordination, which means this piece may be available before any dollar benefit is.
Waiver of premium. The claims guide notes a policy may include a waiver of premium benefit, and it is explicit on one point: continue paying premium until the company notifies you that no further premium is due.
When a rate increase letter arrives
Being even-handed about this matters. Regulators have approved substantial increases on this carrier's older long-term care blocks. The California Department of Insurance publishes a rate increase history for Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company showing approvals on policy forms from the late 1990s and early 2000s at levels including 24, 25, 30, and 40 percent (California Department of Insurance). That is California data, and rate filings are approved state by state, so it does not describe what has been approved in Arizona. It does show the pattern is real.
A rate increase letter is not a cancellation notice. It will set out the choices available on that specific policy, which commonly include paying the higher premium, accepting reduced benefits to hold the premium closer to where it was, or in some cases a paid-up policy with a shortened benefit period. The deadline in the letter is what determines which of those stay open, so it is worth reading to the last page.
What filing generally involves
The process starts with a phone call rather than a form. Mutual of Omaha's guide says that once the company is notified, a representative gathers information and sends the paperwork along with a list of required documentation, which may include medical records and provider bills. The guide says it typically takes about 10 business days to determine eligibility once the company has everything it needs, which is a description of general practice rather than a guarantee.
In our experience the slow part is usually assembling the physician's plan of care and getting records released, so those requests are worth starting early. If care is already being paid for out of pocket, keep the invoices. The guide says the company asks for bills on expenses already incurred to determine whether those services are covered, though policies do carry notice and proof of loss deadlines.
If the answer is no
Mutual of Omaha's guide says someone found ineligible receives a letter explaining the decision, and that a claim can be re-evaluated if the condition worsens, assuming the policy remains in force. An older adult who missed the two-activity threshold in March may clearly meet it by July.
If the concern is how the claim was handled rather than the outcome on the facts, Arizona has a regulator. The Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions investigates claim-handling delays, denials, and unsatisfactory settlements. Complaints are filed online, the main number is (602) 364-3100, and insurance complaints go to insurance.consumers@difi.az.gov. Three things are worth knowing before filing. DIFI says it cannot give legal advice or resolve disputes that require a judge or jury to decide, so it is not a substitute for a lawyer where the disagreement is about the contract itself. Filing does not extend any deadline in the policy. And filing on behalf of a parent requires their third-party consent form (Arizona DIFI).
What the numbers usually look like here
A long-term care policy is rarely a complete solution in this market. In our experience placing families across the Valley, assisted living in the Phoenix area generally runs about $5,000 to $10,000 a month depending on the community and how much hands-on care someone needs, and memory care sits higher. A policy written in the late 1990s with a modest daily benefit and no inflation rider covers a real portion of that and not the whole thing.
That is not a reason to be discouraged, but it is a reason to pin the number down before touring anywhere. Knowing the benefit is, say, $4,500 a month changes which communities are worth visiting. It also tells you whether in-home care for seniors stretches the benefit further than a community would, which for some families it does.
For more on the mechanics, we have written about how to put a long-term care policy to work, the questions to ask when filing a long-term care claim, and who can file the claim when a parent has dementia.
How Integrity helps
We sit with Phoenix and Scottsdale families, help them read what they have, and help them find care that fits the combination of benefit and budget in front of them. The service is free to families. When you are ready, talk with a placement advisor and bring the policy with you.
Sources: Mutual of Omaha, Long-Term Care Insurance; Mutual of Omaha, How Your Policy Works: Your claims questions answered; National Association of Insurance Commissioners, A Shopper's Guide to Long-Term Care Insurance; California Department of Insurance, Mutual of Omaha Ins Co (NAIC 71412) Rate Increase History; Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions, File a Complaint.
This article is general information, not medical, legal, tax, or insurance advice. Long-term care policy terms vary significantly by policy form and year of issue, so your parent's actual contract governs. Confirm directly with the insurer that the policy has not lapsed and that no reduced-benefit election has been taken.
Integrity Senior Placement is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or compensated by Mutual of Omaha or any insurance company. We do not sell insurance and we are not an insurance agency.
Published September 9, 2026. The facts in this article were verified against the sources listed above on that date.
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