If you work as a financial advisor and are struggling with an illness, injury, or other disabling condition that is affecting your ability to continue working, you may want to know if you qualify for long term disability insurance benefits. In many cases, the answer is yes – and because long term disability insurance policies have some strict time limits when it comes to claiming benefits, time is often of the essence.
We provide some tips and strategies that can benefit financial advisors and financial planners who are considering whether to seek long term disability benefits. Should you have any questions or would like a free review of your long term disability claim, please contact us for an immediate free phone consultation with one of our disability insurance lawyers.
Through our experience of helping hundreds of financial advisors nationwide, we understand the way in which all of the disability insurance companies will evaluate the duties of a financial advisor. Long term disability insurance carriers tend to minimize the duties of the job, placing special focus on the physical demands a financial advisor endures. Most disability companies ignore the tremendous cognitive demands required to be a financial advisor. Job duties such as multi-tasking, attending meetings, researching, earning’s calls, employer meetings, staffing responsibilities, and always being on-call for demanding clients make the job of financial advisor extremely demanding.
Because the job tends to be on the sedentary side, the focus on physical capabilities ignores the significant cognitive demands imposed on a financial advisor. Someone who is distracted by chronic pain or the side effects of certain medication won’t be able to maintain the focus and concentration necessary to advise clients on their finances, taxes, or investments. The ability to sit in a chair for 6 out of 8 hours a day should not be the standard as to whether a financial advisor can perform the duties of their job.
Not only does every disability insurance carrier have a slightly different definition of “disability,” but even within the same carrier, group and individual long term disability policies can be very different. Group disability policies are governed by the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Most of these policies will classify a claimant as disabled if they’re unable to perform their “own occupation” – or the position they enjoyed before their disability. After about two years of benefits, the definition of disability switches to “any occupation,” allowing benefits to continue only if the claimant is unable to perform any occupation. This stricter standard can lead to more denials.
Individual long term disability policies, on the other hand, generally have a more expansive definition of disability that allows more claimants to qualify for benefits. Unfortunately, even these policies tend to shift the definition of disability over time, requiring the financial advisor to keep their medical records up to date to be prepared for this shift. Most financial advisers have individual disability insurance policies and these policies usually have an “own occupation” definition of disability.
Being diagnosed with a serious or chronic medical condition isn’t the end of the story when it comes to qualifying for long term disability benefits. In addition to providing medical evidence supporting the disability, the claimant also will need to show how this disability affects their ability to work as a financial advisor. Some chronic conditions like multiple sclerosis may not initially impact a claimant’s ability to do their job, but can progress over time and impact the claimant’s ability to concentrate, comprehend, or perform even the limited physical functions of the position.
Many financial advisors who seek disability benefits are dealing with “hidden” disabilities that aren’t apparent to the naked eye. These conditions, ranging from chronic pain to autoimmune disorders, can be tough to document in a way that will capture the insurance carrier’s attention. As a result, financial advisors must have sufficient medical documentation to support their claim for benefits. In some cases, this may require extra testing, including cognitive testing, that can better demonstrate the impact the disability is having on your physical and mental performance.
We’ve helped hundreds of financial advisors and financial planners recover the disability benefits they’re entitled to, and we can help you too. Get in touch with one of our attorneys today so that we can discuss your long term disability claim.
We work with you, your doctors, and other experts to submit a very strong appeal.
We have filed thousands of disability denial lawsuits in federal Courts nationwide.
Our goal is to negotiate the highest possible buyout of your long-term disability policy.
Our goal is to get your application for disability income benefits approved. Applying for disability 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 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 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 lawyers 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 lawyers 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 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 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 lawyers 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 lawyers have been able to either get our clients paid monthly disability benefits or obtain a one-time lump-sum settlement. Our 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 welcome you to contact any of our attorneys 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 700 videos and regularly provide tips to help protect your disability benefits.
Our lawyers 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 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, GoToMeeting sessions, or Skype. 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 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.
