Lupus Disability Insurance Benefits Claim
View Disability Cases Involving Lupus Disability Insurance Benefits Claim
Disability insurance carriers often claim that lupus is not a disabling condition. How can disability insurance attorneys Dell & Schaefer assist you?
Most disability carriers will challenge a lupus claim on the basis that there is no objective evidence to support the claimant’s subjective complaints. In order to combat this argument it is important to appropriately document all of the objective restrictions and limitations that occur on a daily basis. A pain and functional limitation diary is something that we regularly recommend to our clients.
A supportive treating physician must be skilled in appropriately documenting the restrictions and limitations associated with lupus. Each person with lupus suffers differently and since it is an autoimmune disorder it is generally recommended that disability claimants avoid any environment where sick people may be. As a result, individuals with lupus that attempt to work will continuously relapse and cannot work in any sheltered work environment with reasonable continuity.
As disability attorneys, Dell & Schaefer have represented numerous long term disability claimants that have been unable to work as a result of lupus. Disability Attorneys Dell & Schaefer have an expansive understanding of the significant restrictions and limitations that a person suffering with lupus must live with on a daily basis. We have worked closely with top physicians in order to sufficiently satisfy a disability carrier’s threshold of evidence necessary to prove that a client is disabled by lupus.
Not everyone suffering with lupus qualifies for long-term disability benefits; therefore the medical records of each client must be reviewed to determine the level of restrictions.
We welcome the opportunity to discuss your long-term disability claim.
You can contact us for a free initial consultation.
What is lupus?
Lupus is an autoimmune disease, which means that instead of just attacking foreign substances, such as bacteria and viruses, your immune system also turns against healthy tissue. This leads to inflammation and damage to various parts of the body, including the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels and brain.
Doctors don’t know what causes autoimmune diseases, such as lupus. It’s likely that lupus results from a combination of your genetics and your environment. Doctors believe that you may inherit a predisposition to lupus, but not lupus itself. Instead, people with an inherited predisposition for lupus may only develop the disease when they come into contact with something in the environment that can trigger lupus, such as a medication or a virus.
Lupus occurs more frequently in women, though it isn’t clear why. Four types of lupus exist, they are; systemic lupus erythematosus, discoid lupus erythematosus, drug-induced lupus erythematosus and neonatal lupus. Of these, systemic lupus erythematosus is the most common and serious form of lupus.
Systemic lupus erythematosus can affect nearly any part of your body. Body systems most commonly involved include the skin, joints, lungs, kidneys and blood. When people talk about lupus, they’re usually referring to systemic lupus erythematosus.
Discoid lupus erythematosus affects only the skin. People with discoid lupus, also called cutaneous lupus, experience a circular rash on the face, neck and scalp. A small number of people with discoid lupus may develop systemic lupus erythematosus, though it isn’t possible to predict who will develop the more serious form of lupus.
Drug-induced lupus erythematosus occurs after you take certain prescription medications. Not everyone who takes these medications develops lupus. Drug-induced lupus affects a wide variety of body systems. Signs and symptoms usually go away when you stop taking the medication that caused your lupus.
Neonatal lupus is a rare form of lupus that affects newborn babies. A mother with certain antibodies that are linked to autoimmune diseases can pass them to the developing fetus even if the mother has no signs or symptoms of an autoimmune disease. The antibodies can cause neonatal lupus. A baby with neonatal lupus may experience a rash in the weeks following birth. Neonatal lupus may last several months before disappearing. More-serious cases can cause a problem with the electrical system of the heart (congenital heart block).
How the symptoms of lupus can affect you
No two cases of lupus are exactly alike. Signs and symptoms may come on suddenly or develop slowly, may be mild or severe, and may be temporary or permanent. The signs and symptoms of lupus that an individual experiences will depend on which body systems are affected by the disease. Generally, lupus signs and symptoms may include: fatigue, fever, weight loss or weight gain, a butterfly shaped rash on the face that covers the cheeks and bridge of the nose, skin lesions that appear or worsen with sun exposure, mouth sore, hair loss, fingers and toes that turn white or blue when exposed to cold or during a stressful period (Raynaud’s phenomenon), shortness of breath, chest pain, dry eyes, you may bruise easily, anxiety, depression and memory loss.
Three types of drugs are commonly used to treat lupus when the signs and symptoms are mild or moderate. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (aspirin, naproxen sodium, and ibuprofen) may be used to treat a variety of signs and symptoms associated with lupus. While there is no link between lupus and malaria, anti-malarial drugs such as Plaquenil have proved useful in treating the symptoms of lupus as well as preventing flare ups of the disease.
Corticosteroids help counter the inflammation of lupus but have also shown to have serious side effects on the patient such as weight gain, easy bruising, thinning bones (osteoporosis), high blood pressure, diabetes and increased risk of infection.
Life-threatening cases of lupus such as those including kidney problems, inflammation in the blood vessels, and central nervous system problems, such as seizures may require more aggressive treatment. In these cases, you and your doctor may consider higher doses of corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs. Immunosuppressive drugs such as cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) and azathioprine (Imuran, Azasan) are used. Less commonly used are the immune protein gamma globulin and the disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug methotrexate, which is normally used to treat rheumatic arthritis, may be used to control severe, treatment-resistant symptoms. The drug mycophenolate (CellCept), another immunosuppressant drug, can be used to treat lupus-related kidney problems.
High-dose corticosteroids can be combined with immunosuppressive drugs to reduce the dosage of each drug, which may reduce the risk of side effects.
Living with lupus can be a difficult transition to make as a person begins to realize they are dealing with a chronic illness with no absolute causes or cures with symptoms that can range from mild, to debilitating and life threatening.
Resources
There are many valuable sources of lupus information available. You can also access resources over the internet such as:
There are numerous charities dedicated to lupus research, detection and treatment including:
Not everyone suffering with lupus qualifies for long-term disability benefits; therefore the medical records of each client must be reviewed to determine the level of restrictions.
We welcome the opportunity to discuss your long-term disability claim.
You can contact us for a free initial consultation.
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We respond the same day. We represent disability insurance claimants all over the United States.
- Wells Fargo disability claimants in Alabama and Florida file lawsuits against Liberty Life Assurance Company of Boston for unpaid long term disability benefits
- At least five lawsuits were recently filed in Florida District Courts against Prudential for non-payment of disability benefits to deserving claimants
- Five lawsuits recently filed in Florida Courts against Prudential for non-payment of disability benefits to deserving claimants
- Shaw Industries Group employee suffering with fibromyalgia and lupus sues Unum Life Insurance Company for denial of disability benefits
- Law office bookkeeper with lupus and fibromyalgia denied disability benefits by Unum Life Insurance Company of America in Indiana
- Teacher suffering from Sjorgen’s syndrome, fibromyalgia and other conditions receives lump-sum buyout following denial of long-term disability benefits
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