A Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Disability Claim Will Be Challenged

Disability insurance companies will often turn away claimants with chronic fatigue syndrome due to a supposed lack of evidence. Even if you submit valid medical testimony from your treating physician, your short or long term disability company could make a decision based upon its own in-house doctor… even though this doctor probably never met you. Chronic fatigue syndrome’s lack of objective medical tests and physical symptoms make it especially difficult for the claimant to support their claim.

Many disability companies have drafted two year limitation provisions in the long term disability policies in order to avoid paying CFS claims for more than two years. Our lawyers know all of the tactics that the disability companies rely upon in order to deny CFS claims. You need to be prepared in order to secure your disability benefits for the long term.

Our Disability Lawyers Understand CFS

As many of our resolved cases show, the law requires insurance companies to make their decisions based on reasonable grounds. They cannot ignore recommendations from your treating physicians just because it makes the most sense for their bottom lines. They also cannot limit your benefits to a shorter period for arbitrary reasons. We have helped hundreds of claimants with CFS and know what it takes to prove your claim. The symptoms of CFS can be similar to numerous other medical conditions and we like to make sure that our clients rule out all other medical conditions in order to make sure that CFS is the correct diagnosis. There is extensive medical literature discussing CFS and our lawyers are constantly keeping up to date in order to improve our client’s chances of getting approved for disability benefits.

Our disability insurance lawyers can help you receive the benefits you deserve, whether that involves helping you fill out the initial application, appealing a denied claim, or filing a lawsuit in state or federal court.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Disability Claims

We regularly review disability insurance court opinions around the country dealing with Chronic Fatigue. On this page you can read case summaries, our resolved cases, CFS articles and public comments from disability claimants dealing with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

To find out if we can help with your case, you can contact our disability insurance attorneys online or via phone. During a free consultation, you can learn about your best chances for receiving chronic fatigue syndrome disability benefits. We have helped claimants seek benefits since 1979.

What Are The Common Symptoms Of People Disabled By Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

Chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS or ME/CFS), is much more than just being tired all of the time. People with chronic fatigue syndrome become so run down that it interferes with every aspect of their lives and can make it hard to function at all. Most of our clients with CFS report that attempting to work aggravates their symptoms. There are eight official symptoms for chronic fatigue syndrome:

  • Fatigue
  • Memory loss, difficulty focusing
  • Sore throat
  • Enlarged lymph nodes in armpit and/or neck
  • Pain in muscles
  • Pain in joints (no redness or swelling)
  • New type of headache
  • Feeling unrested despite adequate sleep
  • Extreme exhaustion that lasts beyond 24 hours after exerting yourself mentally or physically

The condition is tentatively linked to Epstein-Barr virus, enteroviruses, human herpes virus 6 and Lyme disease. However, studies have not been able to link a specific virus as the primary cause of chronic fatigue syndrome. Chronic fatigue syndrome makes your body thinks it is fighting an infection, whether it is or not. That utilizes a lot of your body’s energy, resulting in most of the symptoms listed above.

Resources

Visit the following sites to learn more about chronic fatigue syndrome:

  • Centers For Disease Control & Prevention
  • Osler’s Web – by Hillary Johnson. A book dedicated to the pandemic disease that for a quarter century has been called “chronic fatigue syndrome,” and has recently been shown to have a strong statistical correlation with infection by the third human retrovirus, a gammaretrovirus called “xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus”.

Check back on this site for updated information and news stories about chronic fatigue syndrome disability claims.

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Disability Company Reviews
(641)
Showing 8 of 641 Reviews
New York Life

Keeps claiming they will not approve claim for pre existing conditions but my illness is not preexisting

Reviewed by M.T. on February 15th 2024   Verified Policyholder | May 2023 date of disability
I have been appealing a claim for LTD for 8 months! New York Life keeps claiming they will not approve claim for pre existing conditions but my illness is not preexisting ... read more >
Reliance Standard

Staff Lie

Reviewed by Tanya on February 12th 2024   Verified Policyholder | August 2021 date of disability
I had my disability cut off the day I was scheduled to find out whether I should have surgery. The claims examiner was aware that I had an appointment on that date and sai... read more >
Reply
Sent on February 12th 2024 by Attorney Gregory Dell

I am sorry to hear about your experience. It’s crazy that Reliance Standard would deny your disability benefits when you are suffering so badly that you need surgery.... read more >

Hartford

Former Hartford employee has had life insurance and accidental death policy's revoked for one late premium payment

Reviewed by Becky H. THOMAS on February 12th 2024   Verified Policyholder | February 2024 date of disability
Dislike how they are constantly interrupting the lives of their disabled EE's whom are entitled to benefit which they paid into out of there pay check every pay period onl... read more >
Reply
Sent on February 12th 2024 by Attorney Gregory Dell

Thank you for your review of Hartford and we appreciate you sharing.  It’s sad they don’t take care of their own employees.

Lincoln Financial

Never received benefits my entire leave - or help with them

Reviewed by Anna on December 19th 2023   Verified Policyholder | November 2023 date of disability
I used my short term disability insurance for maternity leave and started the process beforehand knowing when I would be out (scheduled induction.) It took a little over a... read more >
Sun Life

Unscrupulous Tactics

Reviewed by Misseekayy on December 19th 2023   Verified Policyholder | May 2023 date of disability
Sunlife uses unscrupulous tactics in order to prevent payment of claims. They wait until it is close to the 30 day mark and then they ask for another form of information o... read more >
Sedgwick

Lame

Reviewed by Dennis T. on December 11th 2023   Verified Policyholder | March 2022 date of disability
My experience with Sedgwick and personell is as follows: Unhelpful, unprofessional and an overall unpleasant experience.
Unum

Low payments

Reviewed by Dorothy on November 30th 2023   Verified Policyholder | November 2023 date of disability
I was injured at work. I did house keeping in a hospital. I tore just about everything imaginable in my knee. I was let go from my job, because I was no longer able to do ... read more >
Hartford

Hartford rep felt so guilty over how the company treated me that she quit

Reviewed by Delton on April 8th 2020   Verified Policyholder
It’s been since 1998 but they really screwed me over big time and caused my family and I much distress ~ first they required me to go to a psychiatric doctor before they... read more >
Reply
Sent on April 8th 2020 by Attorney Rachel Alters

Delton, I’m sorry to hear about the experience you had with Hartford. Unfortunately since your claim dates back to 1998 it would be too late to file suit as the statu... read more >

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The Institute of Medicine (IOM) Proposes New Diagnostic Criteria and name for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Between 836,000 and 2.5 million people suffer from what is now known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). The actua... Read More >

Disability Benefit Denial Reason #5 – Your Medical Evidence is Weak

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Disability Benefit Denial Reason #4 - Your Doctor Is Misled By the Disability Company

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Dell Disability Cases
(372)
Showing 8 of 372 Dell Disability Cases

Research Epidemiologist with chronic fatigue / ME wins LTD appeal against Prudential

Our client is a former Mental Health Epidemiologist who unfortunately suffered the progressive onset of perv... Read More >

CIGNA overturned previous denial of waiver of life insurance premiums

Our client was the husband and beneficiary of Ms. S, who formerly worked as a registered nurse for a regional Healthcare System. In January 20... Read More >

Lincoln National Life Insurance Company overturned previous denial of long term disability benefits for Wyoming Professor

Our client, Ms. D, formerly worked as a professor for at a college. In January 2016 a number of co-morbid physical conditions and ailments for... Read More >

Dell Disability Lawyers Administrative Appeal for Cafeteria Manager Forces Lincoln to Re-Approve Disability Claim

On August 26, 1988, our now client was hired by the Worth County School District. She worked as the School Nutrition Manager, essentially a Ca... Read More >

After appeal filed by Attorney Jay Symonds, Sun Life overturned its previous denial of long term disability benefits for Florida ICU Nurse

Our client, Ms. A, formerly worked as a Nurse in the Intensive Care Unit. In September 2014 a number of medical issues, including chronic pain... Read More >

After appeal filed by Attorney Jay Symonds, Mutual of Omaha overturned its previous denial of short term disability benefits for Colorado Senior Manager

Our client, Ms. J, formerly worked as a Senior Manager of a treatment facility. In October 2016 a number of medical issues, including fibromya... Read More >

Administrative Appeal by Dell Disability Lawyers forces Principal to Reinstate ERISA Long Term Disability Claim of Former Healthways, Inc. Employee

After being forced to stop working in 2007 due to various disabling conditions, an employee of Healthways, Inc., who was employed as a Member ... Read More >

Appeal filed by Dell Disability Lawyers proves to MetLife that former Morgan Stanley Employee Should Continue to Receive ERISA Long Term Disability Benefits

This former employee of Morgan Stanley came to us after being denied continued Long Term Disability (LTD) benefits by MetLife. Our now client ... Read More >
Disability Lawsuit Stories
(765)
Showing 8 of 765 Lawsuit Stories

Court Orders Aetna to Pay LTD Benefits to Plaintiff Suffering from CFS

In Nancy Devries v. Aetna Life Insurance Company (Aetna) plaintiff worked as First American as a Senior Business Analyst u... Read More >

A Judge’s 8 Reasons that Aetna Reasonably Denied Disability Benefits to Bank of America Employee

In Claire Refaey v. Aetna Life Insurance Company, in late September 2015, Plaintiff suffered from a viral disease cau... Read More >

Hartford Admits to Improper Offset, Agrees to Reimburse 10 Years of Wrongfully Withheld Money

In August of 2019, the next of kin for a man currently incarcerated in Florida State Prison reached out to our firm as his relative had been d... Read More >

Court Upholds Sedgwick's Denial of Benefits for Claimant with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

In Griffin v. AT&T Umbrella Benefit Plan No. 3, Plaintiff worked for a few years for Wisconsin Bell, Inc. (Wisconsin Bell) as a premi... Read More >

MetLife Denies Third Claim for Disability Benefits After Approving Two Separate Prior Claims for Disability Benefits for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Sufferer

In Bosley v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife), plaintiff Robert Bosley, a registered nurse, has his 2009 claim for long term disa... Read More >

Court rules Cigna cannot use 24 month mental health limitation to deny disability benefits

Too many disability companies try to wrongfully use the 24 month mental nervous disorder limitation to deny long term disability insurance cla... Read More >

Sedgwick Terminates PNC Compliance Specialist's Long Term Disability Benefits

Recently, a former Compliance Specialist for PNC Financial Services Group was unsuccessful in her lawsuit against her former employer and Sedg... Read More >

Tempur employee suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome sues Union Central Life for denial of disability benefits

A federal lawsuit was recently filed in the U.S. District Court in Pennsylvania against the Union Central Life Insurance Company (Union) by a ... Read More >

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