Disability Insurance Law TV:
Mass Mutual Financial Disability Insurance Claims
In this episode disability insurance attorneys Gregory Dell and Cesar Gavidia of Attorneys Dell & Schaefer discuss Mass Mutual Disability Insurance Company and their handling of long term disability insurance claims.
FAQ (Lump Sum Buyout):
Is my disability insurance company required to offer me a lump sum buyout of my disability policy?
Disability Blog & Cases:
Aetna refuses video recording of IME and threatens to deny disability benefits unless claimant agrees to sign IME doctor’s authorization form
In my opinion Aetna’s handling of our client’s long term disability claim is egregious and unreasonable. We share this story with you in order to continuously educate the public about the conduct of many disability insurance companies.
Disability Blog & Cases:
Prudential ordered by Michigan Court to reconsider long term disability insurance denial
A Michigan Federal Judge recently ruled that Prudential Insurance Company Of America’s denial of long term disability benefits was arbitrary and capricious. The court found that Prudential ignored the claimant’s complaints of pain, failed to evaluate his occupational duties, ignored the opinions of his treating physicians, relied exclusively on a paper review of the medical records rather than examining the claimant, and failed to explain why the claimant could not work. Despite Prudential’s wrongful denial of disability insurance benefits, the court sent the case back to Prudential for further review instead of awarding disability benefits to the claimant. and told them to reevaluate the case. Hopefully this disability claimant will be awarded disability benefits after Prudential conducts another review of the file.
Disability Blog & Cases:
Sun Life disability insurance benefit denial is reversed after 8 years
Eight years of battling Sun Life for long-term benefits and the claimant finally prevails. Sun Life should be ashamed for their lack of respect for this disability claimant and their unreasonable claim handling. Sun Life’s attempt to use hired gun doctors was shot down by the court. This case is an example of a situation where a person could be disabled yet continue to be at work until the day they are fired. This case created challenging contractual issues for the claimant as she claimed that she was disabled at the time she was fired. The Sun Life disability policy and all ERISA governed disability policies require the claimant to be disabled while they are actively employed by their employer. In order to avoid this situation, a claimant should always try to stop working if they believe they will be fired due to their inability to perform their job.