Attorney Stephen Jessup

Stephen Jessup is a Partner in the Disability Income Division of Dell Disability Lawyers. Stephen’s practice is comprised solely of representing disabled claimants throughout all stages of a disability insurance claim with a large percentage of his work dedicated to ERISA based administrative appeals and litigation. Stephen has been instrumental in assisting thousands of claimants to recover both short and long term disability benefits.

Stephen takes great pride in his work and is always willing to go the extra mile for all of his clients. The testimonials on our website from some of his clients will give you a good understanding of the high level of service you get when Stephen is handling your claim. Stephen has handled disability claims against every major disability insurance company and has obtained a great understanding of the different claims handling practices of each company. This knowledge is essential in order to for a claimant to have the best possible chance of securing disability insurance benefits.

Stephen received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Miami and his J.D. from St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami, Florida. Following law school, Stephen obtained his initial courtroom and trial skills by working as an Assistant Public Defender in Broward County, Florida where he handled thousands of cases. After several years of working for the government, Stephen joined the disability income division of our firm. Within a few years of joining our firm, it was obvious that Stephen was a superstar and someone that we wanted to be a Partner. Stephen shares our firm’s commitment to provide five star customer service and do whatever it takes to help our clients obtain disability insurance benefits.

Stephen is admitted to the Florida bar as well as multiple federal district courts. Stephen is a member of the American Bar Association Health and Disability Insurance Law Committee. Stephen represents claimants throughout the nation and is available for a free phone consultation regardless of where you live.

Attorney Stephen Jessup

Get to Know Attorney Stephen Jessup

Stephen's Client Reviews
(92)

Stephen's Resolved Cases
(96)
Showing 8 of 96 Disability Cases

ERG International Customer Service Rep Wins Two MetLife Disability Appeals

MetLife denied our client's long-term disability claim twice in less than two years — both times by relying on a non-examining psychiatrist who never laid eyes on her, and both times by ignoring the lupus, connective-tissue disease, and joint hypermobility that were independently destroying her ability to work.Our client is a Texas customer service represe...

Veradigm Salesperson With PTSD Wins New York Life Disability Appeal

New York Life denied long-term disability benefits to an Arizona-based Veradigm Expert Solutions Specialist — a highly skilled IT professional responsible for delivering complex technical presentations to healthcare executives — based almost entirely on a paper review by a physician who never examined her, never spoke to her, and never evaluated the cognitiv...

Lincoln Reverses Disability Benefit Denial For Patient Care Coordinator

Our client, a former Coordinator of Rehabilitation Services suffering from a multitude of chronic pain conditions, was denied long term disability benefits by Lincoln during her transition from short term to long term disability. Despite having determined our client to be disabled during the short-term disability period, in denying long term disability benefits ...

New York Life Approves Disability Benefits for School Teacher With Multiple Sclerosis

Our client, a former elementary school teacher suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, contacted our office after New York Life terminated her claim for short term disability benefits and spoke with Attorney Stephen Jessup. New York Life had initially approved her claim for short term disability benefits, but in doing so awarded benefits only on account of a mental health condition, even though our client had filed...

Dell Disability Lawyers Win Disability Insurance Appeal Against Prudential for KPMG Employee

Our client, a former Managing Director - Tax Consultant for KPMG contacted our office after his claim for short term disability benefits was denied by Prudential. He spoke with Attorney Stephen Jessup, who has handled multiple cases for KPMG employees whose disability benefits had been denied by Prudential. In this case our client had filed for disability due to...

Lawyer Wins 24 Month Mental Nervous Prudential Disability Denial

Our client, a former law partner of a large national law firm, filed for disability with Prudential due to severe mental health conditions that resulted in hospitalization. Prudential approved her claim for short and then long term disability benefits and in doing so asserted the 24 month limitation on benefits due to mental health conditions that was contained ...

Anesthesiologist Approved for Long Term Disability Benfits Plus an Extra 9 Months of Benefits

Our client, an Anesthesiologist, suffered a fall at his home which resulted in rupturing his left quadriceps tendon requiring him to undergo surgery the following day. For the next month and a half, he underwent extensive recovery and rehab in his attempt to return to work. Believing he had sufficiently recovered; he made a return to work on a reduced schedule b...

Lincoln Approves Long Term Disability Benefits After Four Year Fight

With financial protections afforded to disability insurance companies under ERISA that insulate them from extra contractual damages there is very little financial disincentive to deny long term disability benefits to an insured. This is especially true of disability applicants who are high wage earners whose resulting monthly disability benefits are extremely high. In our experience, insurance companies will g...
Stephen's Answered Questions
(268)
Showing 8 of 268 Answered Questions

Q: What do I do if not necessarily the insurance company denied my claim but employer?

Answered on December 17th 2025 by Attorney Stephen Jessup
A: Thank you for reaching out to our firm. From what I can gather, it sounds like your short term disability poli...

Q: How much can Guardian Life ltd take back once you get social security disability?

Answered on August 6th 2025 by Attorney Stephen Jessup
A: Guardian will be entitled to a repayment of any period of disability in which they paid the full benefit amoun...

Q: Family member, 63 years old, disabled, receives ssdi and Unum

Answered on August 4th 2025 by Attorney Stephen Jessup
A: It could be an offset under the policy. It the IRA represents funds that were rolled over from an employer pro...

Q: If reasonable accommodation was denied can this play apart in long term appeal letter?

Answered on August 4th 2025 by Attorney Stephen Jessup
A: When you refer to a reasonable accommodation I assume you mean a workplace accommodation request to your emplo...

Q: My mother has a John Hancock Long Term Care policy. She is in an assisted living facility in the memory care unit. Her claim has been denied.

Answered on January 9th 2024 by Attorney Stephen Jessup
A: We have handled cases against John Hancock as it relates to their Long Term Care policies. Please contact our ...

Q: When can I give notice to leave the company while on STD?

Answered on January 9th 2024 by Attorney Stephen Jessup
A: To avoid any potential overpayment of benefits you would want to advise the administrator of your STD claim as...

Q: Can I sue Metlife for non payment of approved claim?

Answered on December 28th 2023 by Attorney Stephen Jessup
A: Unfortunately, the answer is "not liklely." I would assume your MetLife policy is an employer provided policy ...

Q: What is the best LTD policy to get?

Answered on December 28th 2023 by Attorney Stephen Jessup
A: We would recommend you speak with agents for Northwestern Mutual, Guardian, Mass Mutual and Principal or Stand...
Stephen's Disability Videos
(323)
Showing 12 of 323 Videos
Stephen's Disability Benefit Tips
(57)
Showing 8 of 57 Benefit Tips

Disability Denial Reason #2 - Change of Disability Definition & Vocational Review

One of the top reasons for terminating a claimant's long term disability benefits involves the change in the disability insurance policy's definition of "disability." This definition change often happens in conjunction with a vocational review, or an analysis of a claimant's medical records that tells the insurance company which jobs the claimant should be able ...

Applying for Standard Disability Benefits? Top 5 Claim Denial Reasons

At Dell Disability Lawyers, we've helped hundreds of clients recover long term disability benefits from Standard Disability.What should you know about getting your Standard Disability long term disability claim approved?Understanding the Language in Your Standard Disability Policy Is EssentialGetting your long term disability claim approved on the fr...

Guardian Disability Benefit Claim Handling Tips

When you finally receive a letter from Guardian Disability informing you that your claim for long term disability benefits has been approved, it can be easy to assume it's smooth sailing from here on out. Unfortunately, approval isn't the end of the story - and if the claimant doesn't maintain the medical records and other evidence to support their continued rec...

Is Cigna Seeking To Offset Disability Benefit by Social Security Survivor Benefit?

I recently spoke with a gentleman who called into our office who has been receiving long term disability benefits from Cigna for several years and is also receiving Social Security disability benefits. Employer provided disability policies contain what is known as an “Other Income” provision that identifies all the sources of income that will offset your monthly benefit- the most common of which is Social ...

Beware of Traveling While on Disability with Unum

In the past several months our office has been hired by two separate clients who had individual disability policies purchased privately through insurance agents; that had received benefits for an extended period of time; and that were denied by Unum, in part, on the basis that their ability to travel was indicative of the ability to work. The first client, a doctor had coverage with Paul Revere Life Insurance ...

What Happens If My Hartford Short Term Disability Claim is Denied?

Understand your rights once your Hartford short term disability income claim has been denied. In this featured article and video gain insights into:Hartford DeadlinesAdministrative Appeal - What Is It?Administrative Appeal ProcessBenefits of Hiring A Disability Insurance AttorneyGREGORY DELL: Hi. I'm attorney Greg Dell, here with Stephen. A...

Doctors with “Own Occupation” Group Disability Policies Beware

Many doctors who are employed by hospital systems and/or medical groups often have employer provided ERISA group disability policies in addition to privately purchased individual disability policies. With respect to ERISA group disability policies, more often than not disability is defined to mean the inability to perform your own occupation, and some policies will go so far as to contain language regarding bo...

Are You Entitled to Lifetime Disability Benefits from Ohio National?

I recently spoke with a claimant regarding a letter he received from Ohio National that indicated he was not eligible to receive lifetime disability benefits as he was not totally disabled before the age of 60 and continuously so through the age of 65. During our initial call I advised him that although each disability carrier and/or policy can differ in language, as a general rule it is very common that lifet...
Stephen's Disability Lawsuit Stories
(25)
Showing 8 of 25 Lawsuit Stories

Federal Court Overturns Aetna Denial Of Disability Benefits

In the recent case of Ferrin v. Aetna Life Ins. Co. a federal judge from the Northern District of Illinois determined that Aetna improperly terminated Ferrin’s claim for long term disability benefits and ordered Aetna to reinstate Ferrin’s claim and pay all past due benefits with interest. Prior to filing for long term disability Ferrin was an employee of Southwest Airlines. In 2008, while at work, she suf...

Missouri Court Rules New York Life Wrongfully Terminated Disability Benefits

In the case of Lapidus vs. Life Ins. Co. of N. Am. a Missouri federal court ruled against New York Life finding that New York Life wrongfully terminated long term disability benefits to Lapidus after having initially approving her claim for benefits. Prior to filing for disability benefits Lapidus worked as the vice-president of medical benefits for BJC Healthcare. Despite having undergone a spinal fusion and ...

California Court Overturns Prudential Denial of LTD Benefits

In reviewing long term disability denial letters we find that there are a handful of industry wide arguments made by insurance companies to minimize the nature of one’s occupation. The most common being the downplaying of the cognitive demands of a given occupation in favor of focusing solely on the physical demands of the occupation. This often occurs when (1) the nature of the disability is due to a medica...

First Unum Cannot Extend Disability Appeal Review Indefinitely

Following the submission of an ERISA disability appeal an insurance company is allotted 45 days under the law with which to render a decision on the appeal. ERISA also allows the insurance carrier a single 45 day extension to complete the review so long as the extension is for good cause. It is common for an insured to receive a letter from their disability carrier during the initial 45 day timeframe that the ...

California Court Overturns Prudential Denial of Disability Benefits

In the case of Gallegos v. Prudential, a California Federal District in the Northern District of California entered an order instructing Prudential to reinstate the benefits to an insured suffering with Lupus. This ruling provides a plethora of useful information in arguing claims for disability stemming from Lupus, but also for any physical medical condition in which an insurance carrier argues a “lack of o...

Prudential Denies Long Term Disability Claim Due to Insurance Fraud

Our office was recently contacted by an insured whose claim for long term disability benefits had been recently and abruptly denied by Prudential based on allegations of insurance fraud stemming from answers provided in an Activities of Daily Living Questionnaire (ADLQ) form and a subsequent field interview. For anyone on claim with Prudential, or with any disability insurance company for that matter, the ADLQ...

Federal District Court Overturns Hartford's Denial of Long Term Disability Benefits

In the recent decision of Tobin v Hartford Life & Acc. Ins. Co. a Michigan Federal District Court overturned Hartford’s denial of long term disability benefits to a former Disney employee suffering from Fibromyalgia. The Court noted in its opinion that Hartford’s requirement of objective evidence of the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia was arbitrary under applicable case law in Michigan and that in denying he...

Hartford Denial of Disability Benefits to Claimant with Fibromyalgia is Reversed!

The Six Circuit Court of Appeals reverses a Hartford long term disability benefit denial.Long term disability insurance attorneys Stephen Jessup and Gregory Dell discuss this recent case in which the court basically states that there is no objective evidence of Fibromyalgia. It seems that the courts are really starting to understand fibromyalgia and its deva...
Fun Facts About Stephen

We are not your typical law firm. We are always thinking outside of the box so that we can keep our clients a step ahead of the insurance companies. Customer service with our clients is an essential element as we want every case handled as if it was our own. Since the lawyer that you work with at our firm will need to know a lot about your life, we think it is important that you have the opportunity to learn more about the lawyer(s) working on your case. Here are some interesting and fun facts about Stephen Jessup:

  • Describe yourself in three words: Honest, hardworking, loyal
  • Best to do in your free time: Exercise
  • Favorite places to travel: Cleveland (hometown), Utah
  • Favorite Food: Steak
  • Favorite Movie: Saving Private Ryan
  • Favorite Musician: Brandon Lake
  • What do you like about your job: It allows me to connect with people from all over the country and from across all walks of life, and in doing so I am able to act as a voice for those who are in need of help and assistance with an ultimate goal of making a positive impact in their lives.

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