Appeal filed by Dell Disability Lawyers proves to MetLife that former Morgan Stanley Employee Should Continue to Receive ERISA Long Term Disability Benefits
This former employee of Morgan Stanley came to us after being denied continued Long Term Disability (LTD) benefits by MetLife. Our now client previously worked as a Registered Client Service Associate for Morgan Stanley. This sedentary occupation had her supporting a Financial Advisor or a group of Financial Advisors with a combined annual production of $1,500,000.00 and approximately $200 million dollars under management. Our client worked for Morgan Stanley since 1990. Unfortunately for our client, she was forced to stop working in April of 2012. The combination of her chronic fatigue, severe chronic daily headaches and cognitive impairment prevented her from being able to perform each of the material duties of her own occupation.
Fortunately for our client, her employment at Morgan Stanley provided her with a Long Term Disability Insurance Policy should she be unable to work due to disabling conditions. Afforded such a policy, our client timely filed an application for LTD benefits. After our client filed her claim, MetLife initially approved the claim and paid LTD benefits from October 2, 2012 through September 30, 2014.
MetLife’s Denial
By way of a denial letter dated September 19, 2014, MetLife informed our client that it would no longer pay benefits beyond September 30, 2014. In its denial letter, MetLife stated that it found that our client was only disabled due to a neurotic adjustment disorder and found that such conditions are limited to 24 months of benefits under the policy. MetLife found that her other conditions were not disabling and did not prevent her from performing each of the material duties of her prior occupation. While “Mental or Nervous Disorder or Disease” claims are in fact limited under the terms of the LTD Policy provided by Morgan Stanley, our client’s other conditions fell outside of this limitation and were severe enough to warrant continued benefits.
Claimant Hired Dell Disability Lawyers
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) only provides for 180 days to file an administrative appeal to challenge such a denial. It must be mentioned that if a timely ERISA appeal is not filed, a claimant will likely lose any right they have under the policy for further benefits and they will be unable to file an ERISA lawsuit. Nearly four months after being denied benefits, our client eventually contacted Dell Disability Lawyers and spoke with disability insurance attorney Alexander Palamara. Although left with limited time to file the administrative appeal, Attorney Palamara quickly took on the case to fight MetLife’s incorrect denial.
Appeal filed by Dell Disability Lawyers
Armed with limited time, Dell Disability Lawyers quickly secured any and all updated medical records from our client’s treating physicians as well as the claim file from MetLife. A review of both showed that our client had sufficient proof to justify MetLife overturning its prior decision to deny benefits. A proper and timely appeal was filed prior to the ERISA deadline of 180 days. In the appeal, we were able to show how the combination of her conditions continue to prevent her from performing each of the material duties of her own occupation as a Registered Client Service Associate. Furthermore, in the appeal we pointed out that MetLife’s reviews were very narrow and focused primarily on her psychological conditions. We argued that MetLife’s reviews were biased because MetLife wanted to reach the conclusion that her claim was subject to the limited benefit provisions of the policy. Finally, we noted that it was the consistent opinions of all of our client’s medical providers, and even one of MetLife’s own independent physician consultants, that our client’s disabling conditions and her inability to perform her own occupational duties stems from her physical conditions. With this appeal, we believe that we left MetLife with no reasonable alternative but to reinstate our client’s claim or face a strong lawsuit against its position.
Two weeks and two days after the administrative appeal was sent to MetLife, we received word that our client’s claim had been reinstated and benefits would be payable from October 1, 2014 forward. Although our client is upset due to being denied continued benefits in the first place, she is ecstatic that she found Dell Disability Lawyers who fought to get her claim reinstated. Likewise, she is now comforted knowing that Dell Disability Lawyers will do whatever it takes to keep her claim approved until she is able to go back to work or until her policy expires.
If you have any questions with regards to a Long Term Disability Claim, or if your claim has been denied, please do not hesitate to contact Dell Disability Lawyers for a free consultation.
Read more about Metlife disability claims on this page.
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MetLife Reviews
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Policy Holder Rating
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58%
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Timely Payments
2.1out of 5
Handling Claim
1.9out of 5
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1.9out of 5
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Showing 8 of 660 Reviews
MetLife
They will do anything to not approve your claim
MetLife’s handling of my short-term disability claim has been incredibly frustrating and stressful. I followed all the necessary steps prior to my surgery, providing the... read more >
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MetLife
They FULL OF ****
MetLife is what everyone on this review are saying. They don't contact you to let you know what's going on with your claim or to let know you need additional info. I had a... read more >
MetLife
MetLife for disability? Avoid the surgery unless it's life-threatening
The worst company I ever dealt with, never received a call from my claim manager.
MetLife
Only care about $$$$$
PLAY THEIR GAME FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE.....after getting a copy of the insurance policy from my HR. I nipped a lot of the headaches quickly by calling their bluff word for w... read more >
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MetLife
They demanded an overpayment, stopped my claim, and lied about it
Metlife over paid me. Stopped my Ltd claim. The overpayment were not done right. They lied and said they deposited money in my account.
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MetLife
Your decision making process is absurd!
My wife went through a nightmare with a back surgery for two discs. When the first surgery took place, the Dr. cracked a different vertebrae as they placed the metal rods ... read more >
MetLife
My husband has 2-5 yrs to live, yet MetLife has been giving him the run around
My husband has STD and LTD with his employer. He was dx with ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease Aug 2019, made official after many many test, as of Jan 2020 but continued to work ... read more >
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MetLife
Inappropriate conduct!! Rude, discriminatory, etc
Have you ever dealt with a case where the person is receiving LTD benefits but there have been issues with the case manager? For instance, the person was badgered about an... read more >
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Answered Questions by Our Lawyers
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Showing 8 of 75 Answered Questions
Q: Do I have an option after my appeal is denied?
A: Lauren:If your appeal is denied by MetLife then you have the option to file lawsuit in federal court. Read More >
Q: My daughter died in 2019
A: If your daughter was disabled prior to being terminated then she should have coverage. Read More >
Q: Can I sue Metlife for non payment of approved claim?
A: Unfortunately, the answer is "not liklely." I would assume your MetLife policy is an employer provided policy ... Read More >
Q: How far behind in payments does Metlife have to be to take legal action?
A: Make sure you put all of your requests in writing so there is a record should you end up in court. It’s best... Read More >
Q: Does Metlife pay Disability payments ahead? Example: December payment is for January.
A: Peg, most disability insurers pay monthly disability benefits in arrears, in other words, payments are made fo... Read More >
Q: Would any new disabling conditions be considered by Metlife when considering whether or not to continue my benefits?
A: The change in diagnosis will likely lead to denial so please explain the situation to your treating doctor. Me... Read More >
Q: MetLife: Mental Health and Physical Disabilities
A: If you have physical disabilities that prevent you from working then you have options to get around the mental... Read More >
Q: Can my employer switch my job because I go on LTD?
A: Maggie, your employer, under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), is only required to protect your job for 12 ... Read More >
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Get Your Disability Application Approved
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Who are Dell Disability Lawyers?
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.
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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.
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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.
What are your fees?
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.
Do I have to come to your office to work with your law firm?
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.
How can I contact you?
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.