27 October

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Long Term Disability Carrier’s Use of Vocational Experts in Claims Denials

I am sure that you have never heard of a vocational evaluator. Unfortunately every Long Term Disability applicant is going to get an education about vocational evaluations and their impact on your Long Term Disability claim.A vocational evaluator will try to determine your residual functional capacity by reviewing your medical records. Your residual functional capacity is a disabled persons remaining physical and mental work potential even in spite of their disabling condition.It is very important that your doctor accurately fill out a residual functional capacity scale so there is no question in the vocational evaluators mind about your restrictions and...

27 October

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Surveillance Video and the Life of a Long Term Disability Applicant

Posted by Nancy Cavey

in Uncategorized

If you are applying for or receiving your Long Term Disability benefits, you should assume that you are being watched and video-taped by the Long Term Disability insurance company. Video surveillance is being done in an effort to catch you doing activities that could be used against you.The Long Term Disability carrier is going to ask you to complete Activity of Daily Living forms. Florida based Long Term Disability attorney Nancy Cavey has written the go to free book for Long Term Disability applicants and recipients about how to fill out Activity of Daily Living forms.You should be discussing with...

27 October

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Long Term Disability Claim’s Denied Video Tape and Your Treating Physician

Posted by Nancy Cavey

in Uncategorized

If the Long Term Disability carrier is thinking about denying your claim for disability benefits they may put surveillance on you. If you claim that you have difficulty bending, stooping and lifting and investigators obtain videotape of you washing your car, bending and polishing or wiping your car dry. You have a problem.You haven’t been truthful with either the Long Term Disability carrier or your physician.The Long Term Disability carrier will provide your doctor with a copy of the videotape and ask them to comment on whether or not your physician still feels that you are disabled.Needless to say, your...

27 October

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Long Term Disability Claim Denial Because “You May Be Able to Perform Your Past Prior Work or Other Work”

Posted by Nancy Cavey

in Uncategorized

Unfortunately, Long Term Disability insurance companies deny claims for all sorts of reasons, however, Nancy Cavey, ERISA Long Term Disability denied lawyer, often sees denial letters which contain the language that your claim was denied because “there is no evidence that demonstrates that a Long Term Disability applicant can perform at a certain exertional level and remains able to perform your past, prior work or other work as proposed.” What does that mean? Long Term Disability carriers routinely will determine, based on a review of your medical records, or an analysis of your medical records by an in house nurse...

27 October

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Is There a Statute of Limitations in ERISA Cases?

Posted by Nancy Cavey

in Uncategorized

ERISA doesn’t provide for a statue of limitations for suites under section 502(a)(1)(b) to recover benefits. The federal court looks at the most closely analogous statute of limitations, unless the Long Term Disability contract has a specific limitations.In otherwords, the ERISA plan is nothing more than a contract. Under Florida Law, if the policy language can be given more than one interpretation the insurance policy is consider to be confusing and ambiguous. There has to be interpretability in favor of the policy holder.So here’s a test? Lets say your Long Term Disability policy says that: no legal action of any...

27 October

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Functional Capacity Evaluations and Your Claim for Long Term Disability Benefits

Posted by Nancy Cavey

in Long Term Disability

If you have been scheduled for a functional capacity evaluation you be can sure it’s because the Long Term Disability carrier doesn’t agree with what your treating physician says about your restrictions and limitations.If you have been scheduled for a functional capacity evaluation call Nancy Cavey, an experienced Long Term Disability ERISA claims denied lawyer in Florida today at 727-894-3188....

27 October

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

Posted by Nancy Cavey

in Uncategorized

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...

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