Attorney Jay Symonds

Jay P. Symonds is a Partner in the Disability Income Division of Dell & Schaefer, Chartered. Jay focuses his legal practice in representing claimants at all stages of a disability insurance claim with a large percentage of his work dedicated to ERISA based administrative appeals and litigation.

Jay is a 1997 cum laude graduate from New England Law and received his undergraduate degree in 1991 from Bentley University, where he received a B.S. in Finance. Jay spent the first part of his career gaining invaluable experience serving as in-house and outside counsel for several prominent U.S. Disability Insurance carriers. As legal counsel for insurance carriers he managed lawsuits nationwide involving insured and reinsured group life and disability plans under ERISA. Jay’s expertise with disability insurance matters was used to provide training and risk assessment to disability claims and appeals units regarding administrative services and proper claims practices, procedures and investigations. Today, Jay uses his experience to help claimants who are unfairly denied employee benefits from insurance carriers including disability and life insurance benefits under the federal ERISA statute.

Attorney Jay Symonds

Get to Know Attorney Jay Symonds

Jay's Client Reviews
(31)

Jay's Resolved Cases
(39)
Showing 8 of 39 Disability Cases

Lincoln overturned its previous denial of LTD benefits for Escalation Engineer

Our client, Mr. E, formerly worked as an Escalation Engineer for a national data services and data management company. For many years Mr. E ... Read More >

Aetna Overturns Denial of Long Term Disability Benefits for Quality Control Manager

Our client, Mr. J, formerly worked as a Quality Control Manager for a large home furnishings store. For many years Mr. J suffered from the deb... Read More >

After Appeal, Lincoln Overturns Denial of LTD benefits for Trucking Supervisor

Our client, Mr. D, formerly worked as a Trucking Supervisor for a large steel distribution center. For many years Mr. D suffered from chronic ... Read More >

Sun Life Overturns Its Previous Denial of LTD Benefits for Massachusetts Teacher

Our client, Ms. L, formerly worked as a Technology Teacher for a public high school in Massachusetts. For many years Ms. L suffered from chron... Read More >

CIGNA Overturned Their Denial of LTD Benefits for Nevada Healthcare Coordinator

Our client, Ms. G, formerly worked as a Healthcare Coordinator for a large regional healthcare provider. For many years Ms. G suffered from ch... Read More >

CIGNA Denies Technology Manager under the Own Occupation Provision & Dell Disability Lawyers Wins Appeal

Our client, Mr. N, formerly worked as a Technology Manager / Vice President for a large bank. For many years Mr. N suffered from chronic debil... Read More >

Reliance Standard overturned its previous denial of long term disability benefits for Texas Retail Store Manager

Our client, Mr. S, formerly worked as a Store Manager for a large national retail chain. In August 2016 Mr. S suffered from multiple Transient... Read More >

Reliance Standard overturned LTD denial for Tennessee Technology Sales Consultant

Our client, Mr. L, formerly worked as a Sales Consultant for a global technology company. In September 2014 a number of medical issues followi... Read More >
Jay's Answered Questions
(42)
Showing 8 of 42 Answered Questions

Q: I need help understanding what MMI means in my case. I also need help because I have also been diagnosed with PTSD related to my head injury from the same accident.

Answered on February 15th 2024 by Attorney Jay Symonds
A: Rhonda, you have a complicated situation and we would need to review your STD/LTD coverage certificates before... Read More >

Q: Would I qualify for disability or other program following a planned layoff?

Answered on February 15th 2024 by Attorney Jay Symonds
A: Robert, you can apply for and receive disability benefits under your employer’s group plan prior to your sch... Read More >

Q: Short term vs long term

Answered on February 14th 2024 by Attorney Jay Symonds
A: Nightwatcher, you and your treatment providers will be required to submit additional records and information a... Read More >

Q: Does the insurance company have to use your income from the time of a promotion/raise until the date of injury, or can they go back 9 mos. if that’s in the policy?

Answered on February 14th 2024 by Attorney Jay Symonds
A: The Group Policy/Certificate will define how your pre-disability income is calculated for purposes of your dis... Read More >

Q: Orthopedic surgeon refuses to complete physicians statement form for my long term disability.

Answered on November 10th 2023 by Attorney Jay Symonds
A: Diana: This is a common problem with treatment providers. There are some steps you can take, including having ... Read More >

Q: What type of occupational related documentation is requested by the individual carriers when a salesperson files a claim?

Answered on June 21st 2023 by Attorney Jay Symonds
A: Dave, it varies from one carrier to the next and is based on the specific facts and circumstances of each indi... Read More >

Q: Phi violation

Answered on June 21st 2023 by Attorney Jay Symonds
A: Jen, I’m not sure how they would have your information but in some cases an employer will submit a claim on ... Read More >

Q: Am I required to file for Social Security family/dependent benefits if I don't want to?

Answered on June 21st 2023 by Attorney Jay Symonds
A: The carrier cannot make you file but they are entitled to estimate an offset if you don’t and reduce your mo... Read More >
Jay's Disability Videos
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Showing 1 of 1 Videos
Jay's Disability Benefit Tips
(2)
Showing 2 of 2 Benefit Tips

If I Have Physical and Mental Disabling Conditions Will My Disability Benefit Be Subject to a Limited Pay Period?

The answer to this question is very fact specific in each case. Not every disability policy h... Read More >

Can my severance agreement eliminate my right to claim disability insurance benefits?

It is a common occurrence for a disabled employee to be offered a severance agreement when they can no longer work due to a disabling medical ... Read More >
Jay's Disability Lawsuit Stories
(24)
Showing 8 of 24 Lawsuit Stories

Court Rules Plaintiff's Medical Records Was Replete With Evidence Supporting Claim of MS & Was Not A Pre-Existing Condition

BackgroundIn Bayer v. Unum Life Insurance Company of America, C.A. No. 18-9702 (E.D. LA 2020), Plaintiff began working as a seni... Read More >

Court Rules That Aetna’s Failure To Consider Plaintiff’s Actual Job Duties Was Arbitrary And Capricious

Aetna’s Rationale for DenialIn Patterson v. Aetna Life Insurance Company, C.A. No. 17-3566 (3rd Cir. 2019) through his&nb... Read More >

Court Rules That MetLife Improperly Limited Proof Of Claim To Only Objective Data

In Roberts v. Metro. Life Ins. Co., C.A. No. 6:18-cv-725-TMC (D. S.C. Sept. 3, 2019), Plaintiff worked for IBM for more th... Read More >

Court Rules That MetLife Did Not Consider The Material Duties Of Claimants Occupation

In Monroe v. Metro. Life Ins. Co., 2020 WL 143005 (E.D. Cal. March 24, 2020), Plaintiff worked for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. (“Kai... Read More >

1st Circuit Affirms Holding That Claim Is Not Subject To Pre-Existing Condition Provision

In Lavery v. Restoration Hardware Long Term Disability Benefits Plan, 2019 WL 4155038 (1st Cir. September 3, 2019), Plaintiff John Lavery ("La... Read More >

District Court Holds That Reliance Standard Did Not Properly Consider Whether Traveling Nurse Could Perform The Material Duties Of Her Regular Occupation

In Sue Ray v. Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, W.D. Washington, July 31, 2018, Plaintiff filed suit under the Employee Retirement Inc... Read More >

9th Circuit Holds That Release In Plaintiff's Wrongful Termination Lawsuit Bars Subsequent ERISA Benefits Claim

In Thomas A. Gonda, Jr., M.D. v Permanente Medical Group, Inc., et. al., plaintiff Thomas Gonda, a thoracic surgeon for The Permanente Me... Read More >

District Court Affords Greater Weight To SSDI Award Than Surveillance Footage

In Rouleau v. Liberty Life Assurance Company of Boston, plaintiff Michelle Rouleau, a Registered Nurse (RN) for a Hospital, had a history... Read More >

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5 Ways We Help Get Your Benefits Paid

Get Your Disability Application Approved

Our goal is to get your application for disability income benefits approved. Applying for disability benefits can be a difficult process and the information you provide is critical. Most disability insurance companies look at your application in hopes of finding a reason to deny your claim. Your disability company will ask you to complete numerous forms, interview you, request lots of information, speak with your doctors and possibly request to have you examined by their "hired gun" doctor.

Through our experience of having helped thousands of disability insurance claimants, our lawyers will guide you through the entire application process and give you the best chance to get your disability claim approved the first time.

Submit A Strong Appeal Package

If your disability insurance benefits have been wrongfully denied, then our lawyers know exactly what it takes to get your disability claim approved. You only get once chance to submit an Appeal, therefore every piece of evidence that will support your disability claim must be included. The goal is to win your disability benefits at the Appeal level, but while preparing your Appeal you must consider how a federal judge will review your disability claim if your benefit denial is upheld.

Preparing a strong disability appeal package is an art that requires you to understand how the courts interpret your disability policy language, ERISA regulations / laws, and how to strategically present evidence in support of your definition of "disability". We encourage you to contact any of our lawyers for a free immediate review of your disability denial.

Sue Your Disability Company

98% of the disability insurance lawsuits filed by our law firm have resulted in either the payment of benefits or a lump-sum settlement agreement. Our disability lawyers have filed ERISA governed and private policy long term disability insurance lawsuits against every major disability insurance company in state and federal courts nationwide and we love fighting for the "little guy" against the multi-billion dollar insurance company giants.

We have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients and we would like the opportunity to provide you with a free review of your disability benefit denial. There are many complex factors in a disability benefit lawsuit and the legal battle to win long term disability benefits can be fierce.

Prevent A Disability Benefit Denial

Approval of long-term disability is a continuous process as every disability insurance company will evaluate your eligibility for benefits on a monthly basis. You can never let your guard down and assume that your disability company will continue to pay your benefits for as long as you think you need them.

Our law firm offers a reasonable flat fee monthly claim handling service in which we handle every aspect of your long-term disability claim and do whatever it takes to make sure you are paid every month.

Negotiate a Lump-Sum Settlement

Let's discuss if a lump-sum settlement or buyout of your disability insurance claim is both available and makes financial sense for you. Our lawyers have negotiated more than five-hundred million dollars in disability insurance buyouts and we know how to get you a maximum settlement. A disability insurance company is not required to offer a buyout and not every disability company offers them.

Questions About Hiring Us

Who are Dell Disability Lawyers?

We are disability insurance lawyers that know how to get your short or long term disability benefits paid. As a nationwide law firm we have helped thousands of disability insurance claimants throughout the United States to collect hundreds of millions of dollars of disability insurance benefits from every major disability insurance company.

In more than 98% of our cases, our lawyers have been able to either get our clients paid monthly disability benefits or obtain a one-time lump-sum settlement. Our lawyers have seen it all when it comes to disability insurance claims and we know exactly what it takes for your disability claim to be approved.

We welcome you to contact any of our attorneys for a free immediate review of your disability claim. We also invite you to visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel where we have more than 700 videos and regularly provide tips to help protect your disability benefits.

Who do you help?

Our lawyers help individuals that have either purchased a long term disability insurance policy from an insurance company or obtained short or long term disability insurance coverage as a benefit from their employer. We have helped individuals in almost every type of occupation with monthly disability benefit payments ranging from $1,500 to $50,000.

Our clients include all types of employees ranging from retail associates, sales representatives, government employees, police officers, teachers, janitors, nurses, pilots, truck drivers, financial advisors, doctors, dentists, veterinarians, lawyers, consultants, IT professionals, engineers, professional athletes, business owners, and high level executives.

A strong understanding and presentation of the duties of your occupation is essential for securing disability insurance benefits.

Do you work in my state?

Yes. We are a national disability insurance law firm that is available to represent you regardless of where you live in the United States. We have partner lawyers in every state and we have filed lawsuits in most federal courts nationwide. Our disability lawyers represent disability claimants at all stages of a claim for disability insurance benefits. There is nothing that our lawyers have not seen in the disability insurance world.

What are your fees?

Since we represent disability insurance claimants at different stages of a disability insurance claim we offer a variety of different fee options. We understand that claimants living on disability insurance benefits have a limited source of income; therefore we always try to work with the claimant to make our attorney fees as affordable as possible.

The three available fee options are a contingency fee agreement (no attorney fee or cost unless we make a recovery), hourly fee or fixed flat rate.

In every case we provide each client with a written fee agreement detailing the terms and conditions. We always offer a free initial phone consultation and we appreciate the opportunity to work with you in obtaining payment of your disability insurance benefits.

Do I have to come to your office to work with your law firm?

No. For purposes of efficiency and to reduce expenses for our clients we have found that 99% of our clients prefer to communicate via phone, email, fax, GoToMeeting sessions, or Skype. If you prefer an initial in-person meeting please let us know. A disability company will never require you to come to their office and similarly we are set up so that we handle your entire claim without the need for you to come to our office.

How can I contact you?

When you call us during normal business hours you will immediately speak with a disability attorney. We can be reached at 800-698-9159 or by email. Lawyers and staff must return all client calls same day. Client emails are usually replied to within the same business day and seem to be the preferred and most efficient method of communication for most clients.