If your claim for long term disability benefits has been denied, you may be wondering what happens next. If your claim is under a group policy governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), you’ll need to file an administrative appeal of this denial to the insurance company before you go any further. The strength of your claim file will dictate what you can do next – once your appeal is denied, your claim file has closed, which means that any subsequent lawsuit can’t raise issues that aren’t contained within this file. Below are the six steps to appeal your disability insurance denial.

Continue Reading How Do I Win My Disability Benefit Appeal?

Neck pain is one of the top five reasons that people claim disability benefits. It is also the type of medical condition that disability insurance companies dispute every day. How do you know if your neck pain or neck disorder is severe enough to qualify you for disability insurance benefits. Attorneys Gregory Dell & Cesar Gavidia discuss the most common issues associated with neck pain and obtaining long term disability insurance benefits.

Research more about neck pain and disability benefits on our website.

Although many working adults have life insurance policies designed to protect their families upon their untimely death, becoming disabled actually poses a far greater risk than dying early. The CDC estimates that around 1 in every 4 U.S. adults lives with a disability that impacts their major life activities. If you don’t have long term disability insurance, you could find yourself facing an extended period of time without a paycheck if you develop a medical condition that keeps you from working. Read on to learn more about the benefits that long term disability insurance can typically provide, as well as the major differences between individual and group disability policies. Continue Reading What is Disability Insurance and Do You Need It?

Disability insurance attorneys Gregory Dell and Stephen Jessup answer the question: Can You Sue UNUM? In this video and article learn what to expect in a group policy lawsuit with UNUM and advantages of suing UNUM with a group policy.

  • What To Expect in a Group Policy (ERISA) Lawsuit with UNUM
  • An Advantage of Suing UNUM With a Group Policy (ERISA)

Continue Reading Can You Sue UNUM?

In this video and article, Attorneys Gregory Dell and Stephen Jessup discuss how UNUM defines disability. UNUM‘s disability policy is very lengthy and every policy holder will have a better understanding of:

  • UNUM’s Definition of “Own Occupation”
  • How Can a Claimant Prove What Their “Own Occupation” Is?
  • What Is “Any Gainful Occupation”?

Continue Reading How Does UNUM Define Disability?

MetLife seems to be committed to finding a way to deny your claim even after you have received a letter telling you your claim has been approved and you will receive benefits for “x years” or “until you reach the age of 65.” The company leaves out the caveat that they will be frequently monitoring your medical condition, looking for a way to deny you further benefits.

At Dell & Schaefer, our disability insurance attorneys offer you tips about how to prevent the denial. This means providing strong medical documentation that you are still disabled, educating your doctors on how to document your limitations and restrictions, and when to attach additional information to the Physician Statement form. Continue Reading Tips to Prevent a MetLife Disability Benefit Denial After A Claim Approval

In this video and article disability insurance attorneys Gregory Dell and Stephen Jessup discuss: When should a disability insurance claimant hire an attorney? Learn the 4 times a disability insurance attorney can help claimants receive disability insurance benefits and the importance of hiring an ERISA trained attorney to represent disability income policy holders seeking benefits. Gain insight into:

While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact everyone (and, by extension, long term disability insurance companies), disability claimants may be wondering what to expect in 2021. Will telehealth appointments instead of in-person ones be enough to keep you on claim? Will the trend of an increase in insurance carrier denials continue? What should claimants do now to preserve their rights? Below, two of Dell & Schaefer’s experienced long term disability insurance attorneys discuss what to expect from disability insurance carriers in 2021 and beyond. Continue Reading What Can Claimants Expect from Disability Insurance Companies in 2021?

Receiving a letter denying your claim for long term disability benefits can be a huge blow, especially if your condition is preventing you from earning an income or taking part in hobbies and activities you once enjoyed. What options do you have if Principal Financial Group has denied your claim for long term disability insurance benefits, and where should you go from here? Read on to learn more about the factors to consider when deciding how to proceed, as well as how the legal team at Dell & Schaefer can help you obtain the long term disability income benefits you deserve. Continue Reading Options if Your Principal Disability Benefits Claim is Denied

New York Life recently acquired Cigna to become one of the biggest long term disability insurance carriers in the country, and unfortunately, this merger has only expanded some of the more frustrating parts of Cigna’s claims handling process and culture. It can be easy to become complacent after you’ve begun to receive benefits, but these benefits can be short-lived if you don’t take some proactive steps to preserve your entitlement to disability benefits. Your answers to the following three questions can put you in a better position to protect your long term disability benefits. Continue Reading Maintaining Your New York Life Long Term Disability Insurance Benefits