Disability Insurance Challenges for Doctors
Very few occupations carry as much prestige and respect as that of a medical doctor. No other occupation requires such a lengthy commitment to schooling and extended periods of training before one is able to actually start working in their chosen profession. In light of the amount of time and financial investment in one’s education and training most doctors obtain disability insurance policies as a way to insure that in the unforeseen event of a medical condition that prevents them from working they will still be able to support themselves and their families.
Although no one expects to find themselves disabled, it is not uncommon that doctors find themselves unable to work due to a medical condition. From our experience representing numerous doctors, applications for long term disability benefits filed by and on behalf of medical professionals often prove to be some of the most complicated and involved disability claims. This is often a direct byproduct of multiple factors, to include the nature of the practice of medicine, the occupational demands of being doctor, factors related to proper medical treatment, and any potential secondary gains argument.
Doctors Are Not Always the Best Patients
One of the most common occurrences we see when reviewing information in the preparation of filing a claim for disability benefits is a lack of proper medical treatment. Doctors, unlike any other profession, are in a unique position to be able to best understand a medical condition and the treatment of same. This can lead to self-treatment, or as is often the case, treating with colleagues off the record as to the potentially disabling condition. This becomes quite problematic when filing for long term disability as any disability insurance carrier will first and foremost review the available medical records to determine if there is a medically impairing condition and discernible restrictions and limitations on account of same. Without proper medical documentation of applicable restrictions and limitations the insurance company will most certainly determine that there is no evidence in support of an alleged disability.
Doctors, especially in medical specialties that require surgical duties, are usually hesitant to formally have medical conditions and complaints committed to writing. For example, a surgeon whose medical records indicate numbness and tingling in the hands would certainly be faced with the possibility of the end of their career or concerns of a malpractice claim in the event something would unfortunately happen in the operating room. So what is a doctor to do? Unfortunately, the answer is almost always, “It depends.” It depends on various factors, such as the specialty of medicine one practices, the medical condition causing disability, and the actual policy language and provisions contained in one’s disability policy.
The Case for Residual To Total Disability
When applying for a long term disability policy one of the most common riders offered is a Residual or Partial Disability Rider – the terms are generally interchangeable. Simply put, these riders allow a doctor to continue to work and receive a proportionate amount of a disability benefits so long as there is either a requisite loss of earnings or ability to perform ones occupational duties for the same amount of time it used to take- the standard for Residual or Partial Disability is policy specific.
Most doctors I have spoken to are the consummate “Type A” personality and will only consider disability as an absolute last resort. I have yet to meet a doctor who hasn’t faced a great amount of personal turmoil at the thought of ceasing the practice of medicine. One way in which we work with doctors who have concerns about the impact of a medical condition on their ability to work, but are not ready to go out completely on disability is to evaluate the claim for a Residual or Partial Disability claim. A partial disability claim would allow a doctor to not only receive treatment – ideally with direction from their treatment provider to reduce work duties – but to see if the reduced schedule or reduction in certain occupational duties will allow them to continue to practice medicine. It is common that a doctor is covered under a period of residual/partial disability and then transitions to a total disability claim should the medical conditions persist to a point that one can no longer safely perform their occupational duties.
Other Considerations
There are a myriad of additional factors that can affect the filing of a disability claim and maximizing the value of a disability policy, to include:
- The applicable definition of disability;
- Whether you can work in another occupation and still receive your entire disability benefit;
- Business overhead policies;
- The sale of a medical practice;
- The disability insurance carrier; and
- The nature of any disability insurance policy riders purchased with your policy.
Disability insurance claims for doctors can certainly be complicated, but there are many advantages that doctors have over other people looking to file for disability. As the disability income could represent a portion of, or all of, your financial well-being it is wise to be educated as to your rights under same, and to consult with an attorney well versed in disability insurance policies.
If you are thinking about filing a claim for disability, are on disability, or at any other stage of the disability insurance process and have questions regarding your policies please feel free to contact our office to speak to one of our disability attorneys.
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.
Unum is evil
Every month I get paid on a different date
They will do anything to not approve your claim
Reply
Don't trust them, they like to play games
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New York Life is a joke!
They FULL OF ****
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5 Ways We Help Get Your Benefits Paid
Our goal is to get your application for disability insurance 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 long-term disability 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.
Questions About Hiring Us
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.
Our attorneys have been able to either get our clients paid monthly disability benefits or obtain a one-time lump-sum settlement in more than 98% of our cases. 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 LTD 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 900 videos and regularly provide tips to help protect your disability benefits.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.