What can I do to protect myself during an IME exam requested by my disability insurance company?
What if anything could you recommend to people who are watching could do to try to protect themselves during an alleged independent medical exam?
In some states, for instance in Florida a disability claimant has the right to take a third party with them to that independent medical examination in individual disability insurance cases. If you have a private policy you have that type of right to take your attorney, a court reporter, a videographer to that independent medical examination with you to make sure that everything that will later be said to have occurred during that independent medical examination actually occurred the way they say it. In other cases, in ERISA cases, it’s kind of a grey area often the insurance companies would allow you to do that to take someone with you, or to have a videographer to record the whole thing.
So, would you recommend to try to videotape an independent exam if available to you?
You know I think you have to deal with it on a case-by-case basis, not every independent medical examination calls to have a videographer there or calls to have a court reporter there to take everything down but I think it’s a good way to ensure that things happen the way they say it happened during that independent medical examination.
I think at a minimum, definitely bring a third party with you or someone so that you can dispute anything that is said and you want to dispute it.
Resources to Help You Win Disability Benefits
Disability Benefit Denial Options
Submit a Strong Appeal Package
We work with you, your doctors, and other experts to submit a very strong appeal.
Sue Your Disability Insurance Company
We have filed thousands of disability denial lawsuits in federal Courts nationwide.
Protect Your Benefits
Get Your Disability Application Approved
We help claimants throughout the entire application process.
Prevent a Disability Benefit Denial
We manage every aspect of your disability claim following claim approval.
Negotiate a Lump-Sum Settlement
Our goal is to negotiate the highest possible buyout of your long-term disability policy.
Disability Company Reviews
(680)
Showing 8 of 680 Reviews
Hartford
Total INCOMPETENCE!!!
They don't answer or return calls... lack of communication... unorganized... takes 3-4 weeks after approval to recieve a check... they mail checks on a friday... mailed me... read more >
Lincoln Financial
Not getting paid on time
From the very start they have not tried to work with me at all. So I went out for a knee surgery and it took a month and a half to get my first check. When I had turned al... read more >
Sedgwick
Deadlines for you while theirs are ignored
They're absolutely terrible! Here you are on disability and they delay the whole process. Hold you accountable for your company's deadlines, meanwhile they will take well ... read more >
Sedgwick
Terrible Company
I’ve been dealing with Sedgwick since August 2025 for my mental health claim. They originally denied my claim even though the psychiatrist recommended that I not return ... read more >
Extension
Originally they approved my disability but even though my drs note and follow up info said if be out til at least the 24th of November this adjuster stopped my payments on... read more >
Lincoln Financial
These people must not be human, they have no regard for people
LF has no sense of urgency for people without money to buy food, pay rent, etc. They take their sweet time and it's almost like they enjoy it. I have an appeal pending for... read more >
Lincoln Financial
FMLA denial after doctor who specializes in my syndromes submitted proper medical records and forms
FMLA denial after Dr. who specializes in my syndromes submitted proper medical records and forms. I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome hEDS, hyperadrenergic POTS and a miriad of ... read more >
Answered Questions by Our Lawyers
(0)
Helpful Videos
(915)
Showing 12 of 915 Videos
Disability Benefit Tips
(331)
Showing 8 of 331 Benefit Tips
Why Must Your Disability Insurance Lawyer Understand Your Disabling Condition?
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 >
Disability Benefit Denial Reason #5 – Your Medical Evidence is Weak
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 >
Disability Benefit Denial Reason #4 - Your Doctor Is Misled By the Disability Company
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 >
Disability Benefit Denial Reason #3 - Video & Social Media Surveillance
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 >
How Do You Fight a Long-Term Disability Denial?
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 >
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 ... Read More >
Disability Denial Reason #1 – Paper Review & IME
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 >
How to Apply for Reliance Standard Disability Benefits & Top 5 Reasons for a Claim Denial
At Dell Disability Lawyers 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 ultima... Read More >
Dell Disability Cases
(377)
Showing 8 of 377 Dell Disability Cases
Reliance Standard Denies LTD Benefits 4 times in 24 Months for 64 Year Old Insurance Agent with Peripheral Neuropathy
This case is crazy because Reliance Standard denied long term disability benefits four times in a 24 month period and forced the claimant to file four separate appeals. Our client was an insurance agent for Florida Farm Bureau Insurance Companies. In 2017 and 2018 he was forced to reduce his work hours due to pain and complications caused by peripheral neuropat... Read More >
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 ... Read More >
Seven Surgeries and The Standard Still Denies Disability Insurance Benefits
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 >
Sun Life Wrongfully Denies Disability After Paying For 23 Months
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 >
Nurse Denied Long-term Disability Benefits by Lincoln After the Definition of Disability Changed
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 >
Lincoln Reverses Decision to Terminate LTD Benefits of Corporate Attorney after Dell Disability Lawyers Appeals the Decision
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 >
Transportation Manager with Brain Injury Wins Unum Disability Benefit Appeal
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 >
Prudential reverses decision to terminate LTD benefits of MRI Tech with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis and degenerative Disc Disease
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 >
Disability Lawsuit Stories
(766)
Reviews from Our Clients
