I am trying to locate a current phone number to followup on a life insurance policy of a deceased family member. The company is Equitable Life Assurance Society of US.

Answer:

Equitable Life appears to be "AXA Equitable Life" now.

Here's the information from the AXA Equitable website, regarding how to submit a claim for a death benefit:

To file a claim as the beneficiary for the loss of a loved one, you can call AXA'a  toll-free Life Insurance Information Line, 1-888-855-5100. You will be asked to enter the policy number and Personal Identification Number (PIN) from the policy. If you don't have that information or don't want to login, simply say the word "Operator" to be connected to a Customer Service Representative. Having the Social Security number and name of the Beneficiary available will help to have the claim settled in a timely manner.