THE BRIDGE TO
YOUR BENEFITS

Newsletter: Ending Carrier Harassment

Long Term Disability

11

Are You the Star in a Long Term Disability Movie? How Long Term Disability Carrier’s Use Surveillance to Sabotage Your Case

Video surveillance, under the right circumstances, can provide an overwhelming reason for the Long Term Disability carrier to deny your Long Term Disability claim. It can also capture a mere snapshot in your life and fail to reveal the complete picture of your disability. For example, surveillance may show you at a family gathering, but

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11

Why isn’t an Award of Social Security Disability Benefits Acceptable to prove that I am Disabled Under My Long Term Disability Policy?

The problem with disability under the Social Security program does not imply that you are disabled under your Long Term Disability policy, why? The Social Security Administration uses a five step sequential evaluation including listed impairments and an age/education grouping which was designed to manage the high number Social Security Disability claims. The Social Security

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11

My Long Term Disability Claim was denied because I Can Be a Video Surveillance Monitor: What Does That Have to Do With My Claim?

Long Term Disability policies normally say that after the payment of two years of benefits, you must prove that you are unable to do the material and substantial duties of any occupation by which you are experienced as a result of your age, education and transferable skills. One the most common tricks is for Long

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11

Closely Reading Guidelines and Your Claim for Long Term Disability Benefits

Closely read, “return to work guidelines.” Long Term Disability carriers will routinely use these to deny Long Term Disability claims. What are the guidelines? Quite frankly, these guidelines are at best estimated return to work dates created by a former Long Term Disability medical claims consultant, obviously you can tell that any of these guidelines

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11

Have Predictions by Your Doctor of Improvement Led to the Long Term Disability Carrier Denying Your Benefits?

Long Term Disability insurance companies, including UNUM, have a habit of selectively reviewing medical records looking for statements to take out of context to justify a claims denial. For example in Pelchat v. UNUM Life Insurance Company of America, 2003 US District Lexis 8095 (N.D. March 2003), the Long Term Disability policy holders physician initially

Have Predictions by Your Doctor of Improvement Led to the Long Term Disability Carrier Denying Your Benefits? Read More »

11

Your Doctor Tells You to Avoid Stress But Long Term Disability Carrier Denied Your Claim on the Basis that You Can Work: What Should You Do?

In case of Watson v. UNUM Provident, 185.fsupp.2d579 (N.D. 2002), the Long Term Disability claimant had heart disease and had suffered from cardiac arrest. His treating physician said that he was “at risk for sudden death on the job.” UNUM denied the Long Term Disability benefits and Watson appealed. According to the court “UNUM argument

Your Doctor Tells You to Avoid Stress But Long Term Disability Carrier Denied Your Claim on the Basis that You Can Work: What Should You Do? Read More »

11

What Does the Phrase Regular Occupation Mean in My Long Term Disability Policy?

Many Long Term Disability policies say that you if are unable to perform your regular occupation you may be entitled to Long Term Disability benefits. But what does regular occupation mean? Regular occupation means the occupation you are in at the time that you became disabled. In Dionida v. Reliance Standard Life Insurance 50.fsupp2d.934 (N.D.

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