Our Lawyers Get Your Long-Term Disability Benefits Paid
98% percent of our clients collect disability benefits. We have helped thousands of disability insurance claimants throughout the USA to collect hundreds of millions of dollars of disability insurance benefits. Thank you for considering our law firm to help you.
You can greatly increase your chances of long term disability insurance benefit approval by learning all about the claim handling tactics of your disability insurance company.
Discover How Your Disabling Condition Should be Presented to Your Disability Company
Disability insurance companies always argue that diagnosis does not equal disability. Proving that your medical condition is disabling is the most challenging aspect of any long term disability insurance claim.
Explore How Disability Companies Evaluate Your Occupation
Disability insurance companies are notorious for minimizing your occupational duties. This technique is used as a tool to prove that you can perform duties which differ from the job you actually performed while working.
Knowledge is Power. Learn Everything About Disability Insurance Claims
We hope you enjoy these great resources and we invite you to ask our disability insurance lawyer any questions or to leave a review about your experience with your disability insurance company
Established in 1979, we are a nationwide disability insurance law firm that helps individuals collect disability insurance benefits. We have helped thousands of claimants throughout the USA collect over $800 million in disability benefits and we know exactly what it takes to get your benefits paid. We welcome you to contact us for a free phone consultation with one of our disability insurance lawyers.
Don’t Ignore Disability Insurance. Here’s What to Buy.
Disability insurance is one of the most important insurance products, yet the vast majority of people working don’t have it. 35% of employers in the USA offer disability insurance as an employee benefit and the coverage is referred to as a group disability insurance policy. Individuals also have the option to purchase an individual or private disability policy from an insurance agent.
As disability insurance attorneys that help people get paid disability insurance benefits, people commonly ask us:
Is disability insurance worth paying for?
What kind of disability insurance policy should I buy?
In order to answer these two popular questions, disability insurance attorneys Gregory Dell and Rachel Alters sat down to discuss the value of having a disability insurance policy and to explain variations in the different types of disability insurance policies.
Why do you recommend for people to have disability insurance coverage?
RACHEL ALTERS: Everyone should have a disability policy, no matter where they work, no matter how much money they make. It is very important to protect yourself if all of a sudden one day you get sick, get in an accident, and you can’t go to work for an extended period of time. Consider how you’d pay for your mortgage, groceries, medical bills, everything. Most people don’t see themselves ever needing it, and those are the people that usually end up needing disability policies. I absolutely recommend that everybody exercise the option for disability if offered by an employer and buy a private disability policy on their own if they can.
There are a lot of stories about long term disability insurance denials, but how often are these disability benefit claims approved?
GREGORY DELL: The National Association of Disability Insurance Companies says that 90% of disability insurance claims are approved. Like any other type of insurance claim, disability insurance companies aren’t just going to dish out money for a claim. Health insurance, auto insurance, homeowner’s insurance, or renter’s insurance are the most common forms of insurance. If you’ve ever had a claim, there are requirements that you have to satisfy. No matter what kind of claim, you have to follow the terms and conditions of the policy. You’ve got to know how to play the game so that you can put your claim in the best position possible to get paid, and that same strategy applies to whether it’s short-term or long-term disability insurance claims.
RACHEL ALTERS: The truth is that most of the disability insurance claims are approved. Clients call all the time saying they should never have gotten their disability insurance policy. What was the point? Once they hire me and I help them with the claim and I get them approved or we end up getting them a good settlement, they’re always happy that they had the policy. At the moment where they get denied, they say that the policies aren’t good. Everybody should have an insurance policy, even if you have to fight to get the carrier to approve the claim.
If my company offers disability insurance, why is it important to also have an individual policy?
GREGORY DELL: The policy with your employer is only good as long as you continue to have employment with that employer. If you end up switching jobs or you get fired and you’re not disabled at the time, then your policy is done. It’s the same thing if you’re a university professor and you get a new job. You’d lose your policy that you had for years. If you go to try to buy an individual policy after having group coverage for ten or fifteen years, it’s going to be two or three times the expense that it used to be. Age and health are big factors – the younger and healthier you are, the less expensive the policy will be.
The group disability policies are not portable. Very rarely you can convert them to an individual policy. Usually, when you leave your employment, you lose your policy. That’s scary because not everyone stays with the same employer for their entire working career. Your new employer may not have group disability insurance, so it would have been nice to have your own individual policy that goes with you. Another thing to remember is that a disability policy that you buy on your own covers you for the job you were performing when you became disabled. Let’s say you were a cardiac surgeon at the time you bought your policy, but you changed careers and became a carpenter because you didn’t want to do heart surgery anymore. If you have an injury or a sickness while you’re a carpenter, your individual policy is going to cover you from your occupation as a carpenter, not as a cardiac surgeon. That’s very valuable because the policy is fluid, following you throughout your life to cover you no matter what you’re doing.
What do you recommend for someone who is looking to purchase an individual policy?
GREGORY DELL: There are a lot of great agents out there that sell disability insurance policies. I highly recommend that you speak with an agent that is very experienced in selling them. Certain agents focus on doctors, others focus on business people. Some agents know how to handle everybody. Rachel and I, or any of our lawyers, are happy to make agent or disability company recommendations for you. We’re also available to take a look at a policy or answer questions. We encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel because as you go through this process we have lots information that will answer all of your questions about long term disability insurance.
If you ever need to file a disability insurance claim down the road, we want to be there to help you. We have our opinions about which companies to buy policies from, which not to, and which policies are better for certain occupations. You can search through our website, look up your company, and look at the different stories and the reviews of each disability company. We have a lot of reviews about all the companies, probably one of the greatest resources on the entire internet for reviews of disability insurance companies so that you can get a flavor for who’s doing what. Feel free to give any of our lawyers a call.
Does disability benefit approval mean that you’re going to stay on claim for as long as you need those benefits?
GREGORY DELL: No. Every month disability insurance companies evaluate a claimant’s eligibility for disability benefits. It’s not hard to remain eligible but you need to make sure you understand all of the requirements of your policy to stay on claim. We manage long term disability insurance claims on a monthly basis for all of our clients so we always know all of the insurance company tactics.
What’s the best type of long term disability policy to buy?
RACHEL ALTERS: If you’re buying an individual policy from a broker, the best type of policy is an “own occupation” policy that will cover you until you are at least age 65 if you cannot perform the substantial duties of your own occupation. What that means is, at the time you become disabled, whatever your occupation is, whether you’re a doctor, a lawyer, a legal secretary, you own a company, whatever it is that you do is your occupation. If you become disabled and can’t do your specific job, the insurance carrier will pay you your monthly benefits. Then you can go and do another job with different skills and continue to collect total disability benefits. If you’re a nurse and can no longer perform that duty because of a physical injury, you could review medical records. You could sit at a desk all day and still earn money in another job while you’re getting paid under this policy. A true own occupation policy is the best policy to purchase. They may be a little more expensive, but it’s extremely worth it.
What kinds of different terms and conditions should a person ask for when buying a disability insurance policy?
GREGORY DELL: First it’s important to understand that if your employer is offering group disability insurance coverage, then the employer has already negotiated the policy language and there is nothing you can do to change it. The employer provided group disability insurance policy has policy language that is the same for every similarly situated employee at your company.
If you are buying a disability insurance policy from an insurance agent, Rachel mentioned the most important policy language, which is a true own-occ definition of disability, but there are less expensive definitions of disability that you can purchase. Buying a disability insurance policy is like adding options onto a car that you would order. These policies are billed annually and paid monthly. You usually get an “own occupation” definition of disability that lasts for two years. Then after that, it changes to an “any occupation” definition of disability, which means that you’re unable to perform the duties of any gainful occupation for which you have experience, education, and training. An own occupation definition is preferable because it covers the duties of your occupation at the time you became disabled, as opposed to any occupation. With an “any occupation” definition the disability insurance company could say they think that you could do another job that you would probably have the qualifications to do but is nothing like the skills of what you used to do.
You also pay a higher price for a shorter elimination period, which is the period of time that you have to be unable to work before you’re eligible to make a claim. The elimination period is usually 180 days, buy them as short as 30 to 90 days. The longer the elimination period, the lower the premium’s going to be. Most people purchase a 90 day elimination period.
Rachel mentioned a disability policy that pays to age 65, but some policies only pay for 24 months, 5 years, or they could pay for your lifetime. A policy that will pay for the rest of your life is going to be a lot more money.
What is a cost of living Increase option in a disability policy?
RACHEL ALTERS: Disability insurance policies are standard with a set monthly amount that will be the same for each month that you remain eligible. The disability companies offer a Cost of Living increase (COLA) rider which will raise you disability benefit every 12 months by either a fixed percentage or the percentage in which the consumer price index increases. A person should buy a disability policy with a Cost of Living increase option because your benefit can increase each year. A COLA is a really good option because it doesn’t usually cost that much to have in the policy and it can increase the benefit greatly over several years.
Why is the “national economy” definition of disability bad for disability claimants?
RACHEL ALTERS: Disability insurance companies mislead people into thinking they have an “own occupation” definition of disability, but when you look at the definition of disability you realize that it is not actually protecting the way in which you performed the job for your employer. Insurance carriers can place language in the disability policy that describes your own occupation as it’s defined in the national economy, or ONET, which provides a list of generic occupational duties for all types of jobs. Let’s say you are a salesperson that is required to travel multiple times a month, to lift heavy boxes, to be in sales meetings. Things that as a sales manager are required in your specific job, that aren’t necessarily how ONET defines the duties of a salesperson in the national economy. This can hurt a claim because if the insurance carrier goes by the national economy definition, and then you have to get on a plane multiple times a month, and can’t do that with your disability, the insurance carrier won’t even consider that because it’s not listed in the occupational duties in the national economy. So, I always recommend that my clients make sure the definition of own occupation is as it’s defined at the job that you are performing on the date you become disabled.
How do pre-existing conditions play into the application process and what should applicants do if they have one?
GREGORY DELL: A claimant should understand that when they go out to buy their policies you have to be honest about every question that you get asked. If you are untruthful or forget something, it’s possible that when you go to file your claim that the disability insurance company will say that you misrepresented on your application, and therefore your policy is void. They’ll give you back the premiums that you paid, but they’re not going to cover your claim. The first thing they do when you file a claim is to look for pre-existing conditions and verify everything that you put on that application. I have seen where claimants make a claim 20 years after applying, and the insurance company sees something that is related to something that wasn’t disclosed on the application. Then they void or attempt to void the entire policy. Be honest about every single thing because your policy may be worthless if you aren’t truthful in your application. It’s a tremendous issue that you have to be aware of.
RACHEL ALTERS: Sometimes I’m asked by applicants if they can still get coverage if they have a herniated disk in their back. The truth is, the insurance company will probably put an exclusion on your policy. A “rider” says that they will cover you for any and all disabilities other than the back issue that you currently have. So, if you try and make a claim down the road for that specific back condition, it’s going to be excluded. However, if you become sick with something else, like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, or something else that doesn’t involve that specific area of the back, then the insurance company is required to cover you. So, it doesn’t hurt to get a policy with an exclusion – it’s better off than having no policy at all.
What is a mental nervous limitation in a disability policy?
RACHEL ALTERS: A lot of people don’t realize that mental nervous limitations are included in a disability policy for medical conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or sometimes schizophrenia. Insurance companies will limit payments under these disabilities to 24 months during the lifetime of the policy. Certain companies have no mental nervous limitations in their policies. They may cost a little bit more, but it’s one hundred percent worth purchasing those policies because it is a very common to be disabled by a mental nervous condition.
Reviewed by GaKRN on August 22nd 2024 Verified Policyholder | June 2024 date of disability
When I did call & reach a live person they were kind & helpful. The person assigned to my claim left one phone message & I have not spoken to her since. Information she re... read more >
Reviewed by Scott C. on July 5th 2024 Verified Policyholder | March 2023 date of disability
Unum will keep you around, if they pay you 100 a month. But as soon as have to pay more than 2700 a month, they will drop you. We will be going to the attorneys office fir... read more >
Reviewed by KDDK on July 5th 2024 Verified Policyholder | August 2022 date of disability
I went out in Aug. 2022 for neck pain. After seeing a neurologist I had to get an ACDF C5-7, it was also determined I had carpal tunnel in my right hand and bulging disk i... read more >
Reviewed by Macey on June 26th 2024 Verified Policyholder | February 2024 date of disability
After suffering from medical issues from my delivery in February, I had to have a colostomy bag placed. Now New York Life is trying to claim my condition was pre-existing ... read more >
Reviewed by William M. on June 26th 2024 Verified Policyholder | June 2020 date of disability
My experiences with Hartford have been nothing short of cruel. They started off by claiming that having Glioblastoma, which has an expected life span of about fifteen mont... read more >
Reviewed by Brad on May 2nd 2024 Verified Policyholder | February 2024 date of disability
I went on short term disability and The Hartford put my direct deposit into someone else’s bank account. Somehow they messed up a number or two and they are refusing to ... read more >
When it comes to securing your disability insurance benefits, it's vitally important that your disability insurance lawyer thoroughly understands the symptoms and impact of your disabling condition. Doctors can help you create strong medical records, but they're not accustomed to dealing with the rigorous documentation disability insurance companies require. Lea... Read More >
If you're seeking long term disability benefits from an insurance company, you may be concerned that you're facing an uphill battle. Fortunately, the stronger your medical evidence, the greater the odds that your claim will be approved. On the other side of the coin, one of the most common reasons for denial of long term disability benefits involves too-weak med... Read More >
When you're seeking disability insurance benefits, your medical records and treating physician's statement are two of the most important components of your claim. But because the insurance company has a vested interest in denying your disability insurance claim, it often will rely on tactics like ambushing your doctor with a phone call in an attempt to get them ... Read More >
One thing many disability insurance claimants don't know about (or expect) from the claims review process involves video and social media surveillance. Disability insurance carriers often hire people to follow claimants around with a telephoto lens - or even send social media friend requests from fake accounts - to glean whatever information they can about the c... Read More >
Getting a denial letter from your disability insurance company is one of the ultimate insults. You are sick and not able to work, yet your disability insurance company is telling you to return to work. The disability insurance company has denied your disability benefit claim and is basically calling you a liar. When receiving a disability denial letter or a ph... Read More >
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 ... Read More >
At Dell Disability Lawyers, we've seen insurance companies give countless reasons to deny long term disability benefits. However, most disability benefit denials tend to fall into one of a few categories - and one of the biggest ones is the paper review and independent medical exam (IME). Learn more about what this review process entails and what your claim file... Read More >
At Dell & Schaefer we’ve handled hundreds of long term disability insurance claims against Reliance Standard, and have learned a few things in the process. When you’re experiencing an injury or illness that makes it difficult (or impossible) to work, it can be tempting to file a claim as quickly as possible – but unless a claimant has all their ducks in a row, this could actually delay the ultimate r... Read More >
Our client was employed with the State of Oregon as a Technical Support Representative. She sought disability through her employer provider LTD Policy with Standard due to low back, hip, and lower extremity pain. She had two hip, two knee and three back surgeries.After paying her for 1.5 years Standard hired a board-certified neurologist to perform a review ... Read More >
We represent a 57 year-old claimant who’s occupation was selling commercial vehicles for many years. Her job was very physical as it required her to climb in and out of semi-trucks multiple times a day as well as operate them which was very strenuous. She went out of work in due to ongoing and severe debilitating right hip, low back, and bilateral knee pain... Read More >
Our client, a registered nurse for Dignity Health, found herself in a difficult situation after being diagnosed with lumbar spondylosis and left knee arthritis. She continued to work, however, struggled while attempting to work through chronic lower back pain and left lower extremity radicular symptoms on a daily basis. Sadly, her condition failed to improve and... Read More >
The claimant is an 64 year old former Corporate Attorney and at a prominent Florida business law firm who was forced to cease working in his highly successful and rewarding profession, job, and career on January 27, 2021, and to seek disability compensation under his policies with Lincoln due to severe symptomatology stemming from or following a viral COVID-19 i... Read More >
Unum unjustly terminated our client’s disability insurance claim after it had approved and accepted liability for six months. Unum unreasonably concluded, without any evidence of improvement, that the claimant had resumed the sustained work capacity to perform the material and substantial duties of her high level occupation as a Transportation Division Manage... Read More >
The claimant is a 58-year-old former MRI Technologist for Fairview Health Services who has long suffered from the debilitating effects of her chronic medical conditions. She has a history of neck pain as well as right arm pain and numbness dating back to 2005 with a reoccurrence of severe symptomatology in 2013. MRI of her cervical spine performed in August of ... Read More >
The claimant is a former Senior Technology Services Engineer for Accolade, Inc. who was forced to cease working on May 25, 2021 and to apply for disability insurance benefits under his policy with Prudential because of severe symptomatology related to depression and anxiety. Prudential initially approved his claim for LTD benefits as his symptoms were demonstrat... Read More >
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... Read More >
In the case of Amy Wright v. Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company (Reliance), Plaintiff was the vice-president of health information services at Integrity Health Care when she stopped working on August 7, 2017. She brought claims for benefits under an LTD insurance policy and a waiver of premiums under a life insurance policy.In order to be approved for LTD benefits, Plaintiff ... Read More >
This Unum lawsuit and appeal in federal court is a great victory for all Unum disability claimants. This case supports all claimants that are disabled and claim that they cannot return to work as the requirements of their job will aggravate their symptoms and make them unable to work.Mark was a personal injury litigation attorney, when he began struggling with symptoms of... Read More >
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... Read More >
In ERISA cases filed in a district court asking for judicial review of a plan administrator's denial of benefits, the court is generally limited to considering only the administrative record that was before the plan administrator. The case of Robert Stallings v. The Proctor & Gamble Disability, Committee, et al., is an example of how plaintiffs with cases filed in a District Court that is under the jurisdi... Read More >
Companion Life tried to play games and deny disability insurance benefits, but thankfully a New Mexico Federal Judge made them pay disability benefits and attorney fees. The Plaintiff, Mr. Paul Chandhok, was recently awarded disability benefits in a decision by The United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, in a case decided on August 13, 2021. What makes this decision important for plaintif... Read More >
In Darren Mickell v. Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle NFL Players Retirement Plan (Plan), Mickell spent nine years in the NFL as a defensive end. He was repeatedly subjected to high speed contact hits which caused multiple orthopedic injuries to his “back, ribs, shoulders, arms, hands, knees, hips, legs, and feet." He had multiple orthopedic surgeries. Mickell also sustained multiple blows to his head t... Read More >
In Anne Ehlert v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife), Ehlert was a consulting pension actuary for pension plans at Towers Watson. Her first day of work with Towers was September 8, 2003. Her last day of work was December 23, 2015. In August 2016, she applied for long-term disability (LTD) benefits under her employer’s disability insurance benefit plan which was administered by MetLife.In thi... Read More >
The case of Jose Chavez v. Standard Insurance Company has quite a history with the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division. It began in September 2016 when Standard first began paying long-term disability benefits to Chavez. He had several operations on his wrist and was no longer able to perform the duties of his own occupation.Standard terminated his ben... Read More >
I am a physician in my 30s who was practicing in my hospital based medical specialty until my Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis began to severely limit my physical ability to work.
My husband and I were obviously in distress at these very unwanted life changes and frankly overwhelmed with the possibility of a long and traumatizing legal battle ahead of us. We knew we were legally entitled to benefits through the separate private individual and employer based ERISA disability insurance policies we had, but even cursory research and discussion with colleagues made it clear that insurance companies will strategize with their own legal teams to find ways to not pay out benefits. We found many before us who had fallen unwittingly into legal pitfalls that prevented them from ultimately obtaining benefits. We realized we needed to seek legal counseling.
We found Dell Disability Firm through their youtube channel where their associates have videos discussing the legal intricacies and latest developments in private disability law. I was impressed by their dedication to the field and reached out through their website to request a free consultation.
We were delighted to hear that Mr. Steven Dell himself would be willing to take our case and felt assured that we would be represented by the best of the best.
We have not been disappointed in our expectation and have, in fact, been consistently very impressed. Steven Dell is clearly both knowledgeable and wise about dealing with these issues but more importantly, has shown kindness and impeccable honesty at each step of the way.
Merlin has demonstrated a very high capacity for organizing and handling the endless myriad of documents and communications between us and the insurance companies. She has also been very compassionate, accessible and forthcoming in dealing with our many anxiety fueled emails and telephone calls to her and we are very grateful for her involvement.
For over 7 months, we have been working closely with Steven Dell and Merlin Bryan from Dell Disability Lawyers as they have guided us through the process of review and initial application for benefits from our two insurance policies (Hartford and Ameritas).
We are happy to announce we just received approval of claim from the Hartford insurance company.
At this time we are still working with this firm as we await the final decisions from Ameritas policy that we are hopeful will have a similar outcome.
As anyone with a chronic and progressive illness can tell you, time becomes a very precious commodity. Through their representation, Dell Disability Associates has allowed us to focus the majority of our time enjoying the time and function I have left while resting assured that our disability case laid in competent and caring hands.
The truth is that no amount of money can make up for what we have lost, but it is a huge comfort to have a team like Dell Disability Lawyers at our sides to help us ensure we will be able to continue to care for ourselves and our families.
We highly recommend Dell Disability Lawyers, Mr. Steven Dell and Ms. Merlin Bryan to handle your disability insurance claim.
Thank you Steven, thank you Merlin!
We will certainly plan on leaving another review for completeness once we have our final decision from Ameritas.
I have been working with Dell Disability Lawyers for the past 5 years concerning my disability as it pertained to my employer. I have been more than pleased with them the entire time. They have always kept me informed of any paperwork needing completed or any changes coming ahead. Nothing has been a surprise. I would recommend them to you to help with your disability case if you’re trying to dip into the policy you’ve been paying for.
Michael M.
I am a physician who has been disabled for over 10 years. During this time I have been represented by Cesar Gavidia and his assistant Danielle Lauria. Their representation on my behalf has allowed me to concentrate on dealing with my disability/disease process and all associated complications and not having to deal with all the things that are necessary in a disability claim. Based on my personal experience from many years of practicing medicine I would consider their work product, insight and effort in the disability claim procedures to be superior. I would recommnend them, which I have done, with my highest level of confidence. In short, you well served with this practice.
I had to retire from my career due to a bad back that restricted me from performing my duties. I had LTD insurance and after a few years of receiving monthly benefits from this insurance company, they notified me that my benefits were terminated stating that I don’t qualify due to my duties not fitting into some “national job description” and a nurse had deemed me eligible to go back to work. Its a crushing feeling to have this told to you over the phone with hardly any information given. Luckily, I came across Dell Disability Lawyers and spoke with Attorney Palamara who calmed me down and stated they would take my case. Within a couple of months my benefits were restored, and I had piece of mind. I cannot thank Attorney Palamara and the staff enough at Dell Disability for their professionalism, no nonsense approach, personal and timely communication and quick ability to litigate my case.
I wanted to thank Mr. Symonds and his legal assistant Sonia for their professionalism, guidance and dedication towards my LTD claim. Going through the denial process on my own was going to get me sicker and knew it was time for help right away. I reached out to Dell Disability Lawyers for assistance and not too long after my call, I was connected with Sonia – Soon after that, I was talking about my case with Mr. Symonds. After a long and tedious process with the LTD insurer, we won the case. The wait can absolutely be lengthy, but in the end, it was all very much worth the fight. Thank you both so much for all that you have done for me! I also want to thank those who assisted in keeping me updated, as needed. Highly recommended for anyone who is going through the brutal process of an LTD denial.
I would like to thank Dell Disability Lawyers for taking care of my case and help me get the insurance coverage that I was rightfully in need of. Specially, I would like to thank Lawyer Alexander Palamara and RIGHT-HAND legal assistant, Sonia Nogueira, who made this process less stressful. They answered all my questions and kept me informed every step of the way.
Don’t get me wrong. They never promised or told me that I was going to win my case, as no one can guarantee that for you. What they did do, was letting me know that they were working hard for me and to keep positive. Something that I recommend everyone to do is to subscribe to their YouTube channel. That will give you an idea on how they operate and why they (for most of their cases) win their cases.
Since I was awarded disability, I am still having surgeries and thanks to Dell Lawyers, I’ve been able to cover all those expenses.
I’m so very Grateful and Thankful for the team at Dell. They worked tirelessly to get the best outcome for me. I’m so glad that I found them!!
Carole S.
Exceptional efficient and professional service from Jay Symonds and Sonia Nogueira. They were both so helpful and knowledgeable and navigated me through a very stressful and difficult situation with New York Life.
Awesome team. Jay and his team, Sonia and Francesca, truly care. This team is very Professional and quick to respond. Jay always provided answers in detail to my questions. I strongly recommend Jay Symonds.
Our goal is to get your application for disability income benefits approved. Applying for disability insurance 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 disability insurance lawyers will guide you through the entire application process and give you the best chance to get your disability claim approved the first time.
If your disability insurance benefits have been wrongfully denied, then our disability insurance 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 attorneys for a free immediate review of your disability denial.
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 insurance attorneys 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.
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 disability insurance 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.
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 disability insurance 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.
We are disability insurance attorneys 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 attorneys have been able to either get our clients paid monthly disability benefits or obtain a one-time lump-sum settlement. Our disability insurance 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 offer disability insurance attorney representation nationwide and we welcome you to contact any of our lawyers 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 850 videos and regularly provide tips to help protect your disability benefits.
Who do you help?
Our disability insurance attorneys 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 insurance 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, or video conferencing sessions. 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 insurance 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.
