A group life insurance policy shall contain in substance a provision that if a person insured under the group policy, or the insured dependent of a covered person, dies during the period within which he would have been entitled to have an individual policy issued to him in accordance with Sections 416 or 417 [59A-21-19 or 59A-21-20 NMSA 1978] above and before such an individual policy shall have become effective, the amount of life insurance which he would have been entitled to have issued to him under such individual policy shall be payable as a claim under the group policy, whether or not application for the individual policy or the payment of the first premium therefor has been made.
NMS § 59A-21-21