The cheap little, mean, ways that insurance companies use to get out of paying benefits would be astonishing if they were not quite so sad. Of course, the insurance company started out by writing an insurance policy which is just a minefield of reasons to deny the deserving claimant. If that does not work, then the benefit amount is reduced due to unforeseen offsets.
Will Your Long Term Disability Insurance Policy Protect Your Income?
Now, these tricks were ones played even before you became insured. You were led to believe that you had a policy that would protect your income stream if you become medically disabled. Unfortunately, considering the manner in which most of these policies are drafted, it is almost impossible to find the clause by which any agreement to pay benefits is made. The entire policy is a recitation of what all the claimant must do with very little burden on the insurance company which has been collecting premiums all these years.
Tactics Your Insurer Uses to Avoid Paying Out A Claim
There are also tactics employed during the process of handling the claim which causes untoward results. One tactic is the constant hectoring of treating physicians to the point at which those doctors do not want to cooperate anymore. One favorite trick is for the claims representative to claim he or she never received items sent by your doctor. When you follow up on this, you might find that suddenly these issues are having an impact on your ability to get treatment because the doctor (or staff) does not want to be put in the middle anymore.
Another tactic is the denial of a short period of benefits either right before a return to work or before the end of the period called for in the
policy. It is difficult to get representation on these smaller cases because of attorney’s fees. Generally, in a claim governed by the federal statute commonly referred to as “ERISA” (Employee Retirement Income Security Act), there is no basis for an award of attorney’s fee against the insurance company unless the claim goes all the way through a lawsuit. The insurance companies know this and expect claimants in such circumstances to just go away (and I am sure many of them do).
Finally, to the topic- Goodwill. Goodwill is the most important asset of this law firm. While you understand our need to be paid in order to keep our law office open, we simply do not focus on that subject as much as others. In the right circumstance, we walk claimants through these issues without remuneration. In part, it is giving; in part, it is an effort to prevent these tactics by the insurance companies. Any point in time, we usually have at least one client we are helping this way. Now, of course, this will likely result in our getting some favorable notoriety in the community which might lead to other business coming our way.
Do You Need Representation for Your Short Term or Long Term Disability Claim?
So, give us a call if you have concerns about your Short Term Disability or Long Term Disability claim. We are available at 407-839-0005 or, toll free, 844-454-5995.
Herbert M. Hill, P.A. is a law firm with its primary office located in Orlando, Florida. Our practice extends throughout the state of Florida and the southeastern United States.
