Pennsylvania Disability Help

Court Sides with PNC: A Claimant Must Provide Proof of How Condition is Disabling

Herbert v. PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and Affiliates Long-Term Disability Plan involves a plaintiff who applied for long-term disability benefits based on her chronic vertigo (dizziness) and nausea. She was treated by five different physicians who all noted she had these chronic conditions, but not one medical professional placed upon her any restrictions relevant to her employment.

Despite the plaintiff’s argument that she should not be required to present objective evidence of how her nausea and dizziness prevented her from working, the Pennsylvania federal court said she was confusing two separate arguments. There is a distinction “between requiring objective proof that the claimant has a condition with [requiring] objective proof that a condition is disabling.” Neither PNS nor the court doubted that she suffered from nausea and dizziness as she claimed. But, since the record was devoid of any evidence as to how these conditions made it impossible for her to do her job as a bank branch manager, she was not entitled to benefits.

Reports of Herbert’s Treating Physicians

Plaintiff, Kathleen Herbert, was a long-time employee of PNC Bank and was a Branch Manager II when she quit work for a surgical procedure, which is not the subject of her claim in this case. Following her surgical recovery, she suffered from chronic nausea and dizziness and subsequently applied for long-term disability benefits under the disability definition that she could no longer perform “the material or essential duties of [her] own occupations as it is normally performed in the national economy.”

In support of her claim, she submitted reports of five treating physicians: a gastroenterologist, plastic surgeon, neurologist, family practitioner and an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. All physicians reported that Herbert complained of chronic nausea and dizziness. Four of them noted that her condition was worse when she was laying down and felt better when she was sitting up and walking. None placed any physical restrictions on her or commented that she could not return to work. One physician noted that she “should not return to work until she felt less nauseous.”

Reports of Reviewing Physicians and Occupational Analysis

PNC contracted with a physician board-certified in Psychiatry and Neurology to review her file. He attempted unsuccessfully to communicate with her treating physicians. He noted that her condition became worse when she was laying down, which would not affect her work as a branch manager. He suggested she be restricted, due to her dizziness, from climbing ladders, operating heavy machinery and similar types of activities.

PNC also conducted an Occupational Analysis to identify and classify Herbert’s job duties. It determined the job was sedentary and there was no medical evidence to support her claim that she could not perform the essential functions of her job.

Pennsylvania Court Analysis and Conclusion

In her court pleadings, Herbert claimed that she should not be required to provide “objective evidence of the etiology of her conditions.” The court agreed, but noted that is not what she was being asked to do and concluded, “The issue is not that Herbert failed to prove that she suffered from a condition or that the cause of those symptoms is unknown, but that she failed to submit proof that her condition prevented her from performing the essential functions of her job.” Since she failed to present this proof, PNC was within its right to deny her claim.

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Reply

Sent on July 5th 2024 by Attorney Gregory Dell

David:

It’s horrible that Hartford did that to you.

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S.S.

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.

Paula B.

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.

Dan P.

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.

Jen S.

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.

Carl G.

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.

Warm regards to everyone at Dell.

Clarisa B.

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.

K. S.

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.

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