27 October

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Outrageous Conduct by LINA and CIGNA in Denying Claims for Long Term Disability Benefits

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for Long Term Disability carriers to have their adjuster, nurse case reviewer, or their medical reviewer call your treating physician and attempt to get them to say that you are able to work. More often than not, Long Term Disability insurance companies, such as LINA/CIGNA’s medical reviewer will distort or misrepresent what your treating physicians had to say. As a result, Fort Myers, Naples, Sarasota Long Term Disability attorney Nancy Cavey routinely revokes the releases her Long Term Disability clients sign to give the Long Term Disability insurance companies such as CIGNA, the ability to speak...

27 October

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CIGNA Featured in ABC News Article About Claims Practices and Denying Long Term Disability Benefits

Posted by Nancy Cavey

in CIGNA Insurance Company

Florida based Long Term Disability ERISA lawyer Nancy Cavey, is aware of an industry wide Long Term Disability carriers practices of deliberately delaying benefits. CIGNA was recently featured in a Good Morning America “Gets Answered” story in April 2008 about CIGNA’s denial of Long Term Disability benefits of Susan Kristoff from West Palm Beach, Florida who had spent two years trying to get her benefits. During the course of ABC’s investigation CIGNA reversed their denial and paid her claim. More importantly, after the story, Good Morning America was “flooded with e-mails from viewers across the country, who said they too had...

27 October

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Signing a Medical Release in Your Long Term Disability Claim

Posted by Nancy Cavey

in Uncategorized

It is not uncommon that Long Term Disability carriers will ask that you sign medical releases letting them get your medical records. Unfortunately, all too often, this medical authorization is too broad. It will allow them to contact other insurance companies, the Medical Information Bureau, Disability Income Records System and Health Claims Index. These are databases of information shared by insurance companies and they will secure your records in an effort to deny your claim for disability benefits. At The Law Offices of Nancy L. Cavey we object to these over-broad releases and crack them, so they only allow the insurance...

27 October

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Your MetLife Long Term Disability Claim and Social Security Benefits

Posted by Nancy Cavey

in Met Life Insurance Company

MetLife has written an interesting article that has some basic overviews of Social Security questions and answers. While the information is helpful, you need to understand that MetLife requires you to apply for Social Security Disability benefits as part of your Long Term Disability claim. While they try to explain the benefits as to why you should apply for Social Security Disability benefits, they really don’t make is clear that your Long Term Disability benefits will be reduced by MetLife once you’ve received Social Security Disability benefits. They also recommend that you call MetLife to discuss hiring an attorney to represent you...

27 October

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Dr. Gerson and Your Long Term Disability Claim

Posted by Nancy Cavey

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Dr. Gerson is a well-known psychiatrist in the Long Term Disability world who makes millions doing part time reviews for companies like UDC. Dr. Gerson MO is clear, as revealed in an article “Doctors Paid to Aid Insurers in Disability Claim’s Denial” by Evan George. Mr. George noted that Prudential Claims uses Dr. Gerson to perform medical reviews as an independent contractor. According a Prudential Claims worker, Dr. Gerson tells them how to successfully deny claims including that of a woman with a brain tumor. Dr. Gerson will suggest surveillance and/or having neuropsychological examination among other tests. The Long Term Disability carrier...

27 October

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Multiple Sclerosis and Your Long Term Disability Claim

Posted by Nancy Cavey

in Uncategorized

In Multiple Sclerosis there are a number of mobility challenges you may experience because of weakness, spasticity and balance problems. Weakness is often accompanied by a stiff and heavy feeling in your legs. This weakness and spasticity in your trunk and legs can reduce your balance. It’s important that your medical records and physical therapy notes document the problems that you are having with weakness, spasticity, and balance problems, as those are important parts of your functionality....

27 October

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How Can the Surveillance Company Positively Identify the Long Term Disability Claimant?

Posted by Nancy Cavey

in Uncategorized

Long Term Disability carriers spend a lot of money to get pictures of Long Term Disability applicants or recipients so that they can ultimately deny Long Term Disability benefits. They have to make sure they have the right person! How do they do that? The Long Term Disability carrier may provide the surveillance company with a picture of you. The surveillance company will then attempt to match your photo and do at least six other things: 1. Overhear you state your name to someone. 2. Overhear someone else call you by name and you acknowledging your name being called. 3. Exiting a residence...

27 October

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How Long Will You Be Surveyed?

Posted by Nancy Cavey

in Uncategorized

Surveillance cases are normally scheduled for a ten hour work day, 6am to 4pm. Most Long Term Disability carriers require investigators to check in with police or law enforcement on a daily basis. Upon arrival, investigators normally take a time shot of your resident for at least 30 seconds. If it’s a gated community they’ll try to make special arrangements to gain access to your community on the pretext doing “work.” Thereafter, most Long Term Disability carriers require that the investigator take time shots of 15 seconds at the beginning of every hour and a final time shot of thirty seconds at...

27 October

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Depositions and Discovery in Wrongfully Denied Long Term Disability Claim

Posted by Nancy Cavey

in Uncategorized

The ability to take depositions in the long term disability cases is, unfortunately, limited. That allows of insurance companies like LINA to hide the conflict of interest in its reasons for denying disability benefits. For example, Medhav-Harahwaj is a repeat offender. Ms. Harahwaj has never seen a long term disability claim that she could pay. Fortunately, the court agreed that in Alleen V Lina Ms. Harahwaj could be deposed on topics including LINA’s internal growth procedures, or if LINA took steps to promote accuracy in its claim’s administration, the actual review of the claim filed, whether LINA had a history of large...

27 October

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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Claims and CIGNA

Posted by Nancy Cavey

in CIGNA Insurance Company

If you are a CIGNA disability policy holder, you should know that CIGNA has internal guidelines for chronic fatigue syndrome that CIGNA long term disability adjusters are supposed to follow in evaluating a claim. Unfortunately, more often than not, CIGNA ignores their own internal guidelines and makes a concerted effort to deny valid claims. If you are a CIGNA policy holder who has been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, contact Nancy Cavey prior to filing you claim for legal advice about how to be successful with your chronic fatigue syndrome claim; learn about the games that CIGNA will play in denying your...

Author: Nancy Cavey