Who Makes The Decision To Deny A Long Term Disability Insurance Claim?
Through my review of thousands of long term disability benefit denials, I can tell you that 98 out of 100 hundred times the disability insurance claims examiner will only believe and listen to what their own hired doctor states. This means that if three of your doctors say you are disabled and the insurance company has the medical records reviewed by their own doctor, then the insurance company will ignore your treating doctors and agree with the hired doctor. There is no requirement for the disability insurance company to give more weight to the medical opinions of the treating doctors, however the disability insurance company is required to conduct a fair and reasonable review of all available information.
How Can The Disability Company Conduct A Fair Review When 98% Percent Of The Time They Adopt The Opinion Of The Hired Doctor?
The answer is the disability insurance company hopes that by denying the long term disability claim they will force the claimant to return to work. The disability claim examiners have been trained to send all available medical records to their hired doctors and then adopt the opinion of the hired doctor. With some of the disability insurance companies, it appears that the claims examiner does not have the discretion to disagree with the hired doctor. While the claims examiner is the one that ultimately signs a denial letter, the claims examiner at most companies are really nothing more than paper facilitators seeking the opinions of hired doctors to the detriment of claimants.
In my opinion it is the Hired Insurance Company doctor that makes the decision to deny a long term disability claim. Hired insurance company doctors do not always determine that claimants are not disabled. The vast majority of hired insurance company doctors have no understanding of either a claimant’s occupation or definition of disability. The lack of knowledge and cursory reviews conducted by these hired insurance doctors create great opportunities for a claimant obtain a claim reversal through either an appeal or law suit. Most disability companies will not have a claimant physically examined as they don’t have as much control over the doctors that actually do physical exams and the doctors that actually exam a claimant are compelled to conduct a thorough exam. The hired insurance doctors rarely conduct a thorough exam and often ignore medical records as they perform cursory medical exams and don’t really review the medical records. These careless medical exams give a claimant a good chance to win a reversal of a disability denial. If your long term disability claim has been denied or you have reason to believe that it may be denied, then please contact any of our long term disability lawyers for a free consultation.
Resources to Help You Win Disability Benefits
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.
Get Your Disability Application Approved
Prevent a Disability Benefit Denial
Negotiate a Lump-Sum Settlement
Our goal is to negotiate the highest possible buyout of your long-term disability policy.
Well Documented correspondence
They closed my claim and I have been without income since they closed it
Bad Faith
Denied by Hartford after 20 years of Payments
Standard insurance just dropped me with no communication with me.
Reply
What a mess
Reply
I was disabled 2003 by SS. I got SSDI 7 years too late.
Only care about $$$$$
Reply
Disability Benefit Denial Reason #4 - Your Doctor Is Misled By the Disability Company
Disability Benefit Denial Reason #3 - Video & Social Media Surveillance
How Do You Fight a Long-Term Disability Denial?
Disability Denial Reason #2 - Change of Disability Definition & Vocational Review
Disability Denial Reason #1 – Paper Review & IME
How to Apply for Reliance Standard Disability Benefits & Top 5 Reasons for a Claim Denial
Applying for Standard Disability Benefits? Top 5 Claim Denial Reasons
Guardian Disability Benefit Claim Handling Tips
How does Reliance Standard deny long term disability benefits after paying for three years?
Louisiana State College Director Wins Unum LTD Appeal But Then Denied Again
FPL Lineman Wins Lincoln Disability Denial Appeal
Anesthesiologist Approved for Long Term Disability Benfits Plus an Extra 9 Months of Benefits
Attorney Alexander Palamara of Dell Disability Lawyers gets LTD Benefits Reinstated for former Walmart Manager who is now found disabled from Any Occupation
Research Epidemiologist with chronic fatigue / ME wins LTD appeal against Prudential
Executive Director with Meniere's Denied Long Term Disability Insurance Benefits By Hartford
Lincoln Approves Long Term Disability Benefits After Four Year Fight
Reviews from Our Clients






