We do not handle social security disability claims
Recent Post

EMPLOYEES DON’T ALWAYS GET TO CHOOSE – BUT YOU CAN BE PREPARED

WRITTEN BY:
Justin Frankel
June 4, 2010 | Disability Insurance Claims
Over $250 Million Recovered for Our Clients

Unlike a privately owned Long Term Care Disability Insurance Policy, where you get to choose the policy, the selection of various additional riders or policy enhancements, and the company you purchase it from, most employees have to accept the disability insurance company that their employers have selected. Unless you are high up on the corporate ladder, or directly involved in the selection of the policy, there’s little choice involved. What is purchased on your behalf is what you are left with.

However, that doesn’t mean that you should not educate yourself about the insurance company and the policy. There are critically important terms that one should pay attention to which could impact a claim. Examples are where policies provide for a limited pay period for conditions related to depression or anxiety, while a growing number of policies have chosen to contain limited pay periods for self reported illnesses, chronic fatigue syndrome and other disorders. Claimants may be unaware of these limitations in benefit periods prior to filing a claim, and may only learn of this during the claim process – when the time for planning has already passed.

Online research will get you to any number of websites that report on insurance companies from the business side – their earnings reports, how they are rated by companies like Dun & Bradstreet, A.M. Best, or Moody’s. It’s a pretty safe bet that a company with slim earnings is going to be a bit more aggressive about protecting their reserves by delaying or denying claims than one that is sitting on a big pile of cash.

One of the first things we ask claimants when they engage the Law Office of Justin Frankel is if they have a copy of the original policy. It’s a question that bears repeating because it could be critical to your situation. If you don’t have the policy, contact your HR department or the agent to get a copy of the original policy. That policy is the contract between your employer and the insurance company, and the language in the contract changes from policy to policy. The policy that you received as an employee in the 1980s may not be the same as the one that you will receive today. Times change – and so do insurance policies.

You may not have any control about which insurance company your employer chooses to do business with. But you can prepare – by educating yourself about the company, making sure you have a policy, and reaching out for help with your claim. The Law Office of Justin Frankel works with claimants before, during and after the claims process – and we can help you too, at any stage of the claims process.

Justin C Frankel

Written By Justin Frankel

Attorney

Justin C. Frankel is committed to fighting for the rights of clients when their long term disability insurance claims have been denied, delayed or terminated.


Client Testimonials

Rating stars 5.0 Average on Martindale & AVVO
  • We know how important our work is to the people we represent, and we’re pleased to share this recent note from a client. Dear Justin and Christina, I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere g…
  • Our 60-year-old client worked for the world’s largest out-of-home advertising company as a Senior Buyer and outdoor furniture supplier, doing everything necessary to manage a contract for twenty ye…
  • Successful ERISA Appeal of Cigna Denial for High-Ranking Aviation Executive from Florida A 61-year old woman with a prestigious role at a leading aviation company never imagined she would stop work…
  • ERISA Case Headed to Trial in Federal Court – Barber v. Sun Life & Health A Federal Judge in Connecticut has scheduled a trial with live witnesses in an ERISA case, to be decided under the arbi…
  • F&N Resolves a Four Year Delay in UNUM Lump Sum Settlement Matter We were contacted by a 56 year-old man from Maryland who had been trying to negotiate a lump sum settlement of his private disa…
  • Our client, a successful New York dentist, was on claim for a number of years with Trustmark Insurance, due to severe orthopedic issues, which did not permit him to safely and effectively practice …
  • “OK, now that I have had a chance to calmly review the documents, I just wanted to thank you for all of your help. I am certain that if I would have tried to do this myself, I would not have had th…
  • The Law Office of Justin Frankel Navigates Complex Issues, From Claim Preparation to Lifetime Management, for Chiropractor A New York chiropractor in his mid-50s was concerned about complex issues …