How To Get Long Term Disability Benefits Approved Due To Neck Pain

If you have a disability claim that involves neck pain, you might be wondering exactly how much neck pain does it take to get a long-term disability insurance claim approved? Despite what a disability insurance companies may lead you to believe, there is no machine or tool that allows you prove how much neck pain you have. So what evidence do you need to prove you are disabled by neck pain? In the video above, disability insurance attorneys Gregory Dell and Cesar Gavidia sat down to provide some tips on how a person with neck pain can prove their eligibility for long term disability insurance benefits.

In our video we discuss the following questions:

You have helped thousands of disability claimants dealing with all types of neck disorders. The type and severity of neck pain is always a key factor, yet how exactly is that pain measured?

CESAR GAVIDIA: There is no way to measure the amount of pain somebody’s in. It’s completely subjective because the frequency, the intensity, is reported by the patient, by the claimant. There’s not going to be anything the doctor’s going to be able to visualise and see on you that’s going to tell them how much pain you’re in.  You’re reporting to them that this is what’s causing my pain, how often it’s occurring, and how intense it is. 

They sometimes even give you a scale, like, where would you measure it on a scale of 1 to 10, but it’s just a measure of what you report to them.

And since pain is subjective, what types of objective evidence should someone with a neck disorder obtain for a disability claim? 

CESAR GAVIDIA: What the disability insurer’s looking for is the correlation of your diagnosis or your symptoms to the pain that you’re experiencing. With a neck disorder, just one of the fundamental diagnostic studies and tests that you want is an MRI, which your doctor will most likely order if you report that you are having this intense pain in your spine or neck. If you’re having symptoms that are radiating or traveling through your extremities, through either your legs, or through your upper arm into your wrists and your hands, then they may ask or look for some sort of neurological issue. Is there some sort of nerve damage or compression? It might be found on the MRI, but they might request an EMG nerve conduction study to see if there’s any damage or injury to those nerves

GREGORY DELL: The nerve conduction studies can be good sources. They could show that you have some kind of radiculopathy, another type of objective evidence in addition to an MRI. It’s going to be almost impossible to get approved on a neck disorder claim if you don’t have some kind of objective testing. That doesn’t mean that you need to have an MRI result that shows you have some giant herniation, severe osteoarthritic formations, or neuroforaminal narrowing in your neck. Doctors will say they don’t treat the chart, they treat the patient. However, the disability company treats the chart, meaning they only look at the records. They don’t care about what you tell them. They care about what’s in the record.

So, what do you recommend to your clients in terms of getting the best possible documentation into the medical records, so that they can be in the best position to get their benefits approved? 

CESAR GAVIDIA: One fundamental thing we talk about in our field is that you are only as disabled as you appear in your medical records and those charts. The disability insurance company looks at your medical records to see what your issues are, what the diagnoses are, what the symptoms are, how you’re being treated for them, how often you’re reporting how intense this pain is, how frequent this pain is, and where it’s occurring and what types of activities, and how long you’ve had it. The only way to prepare for that is frequently reporting to your doctors. You have to be your own best advocate reviewing and having these medical records on hand, to ensure that they’re being accurate, that your complaints are accurately being documented. Doctors are not often the best record keepers. They may use a medical assistant for dictation or putting things into the notes. You need to have a fundamental understanding of what’s in your medical records, and report often. You can also keep your own charts and logs so that when you report to your doctor, you can go in and say, here’s when I experience these problems. Here’s how often it occurred, how intense it was, and what type of activity I was engaged in when it was happening.

What are some other ways claimants can be their own advocates in their disability claim?

GREGORY DELL: It’s this theme of looking messed up on paper. You need to communicate with your doctors and ask what other types of medications you can try. What other types of testing can I get beyond an MRI? Can you send me for an EMG, nerve conduction study test, or fluoroscopic exam? What other types of injections can I try? Can you send me to a pain management anaesthesiologist or a physical medicine rehabilitation doctor? We like to paint a picture where we can say our client has tried everything there is to try, short of surgery. There are always therapies and medicines to try, and insurance companies often say if you’re in so much pain, why didn’t you try a potential remedy? So, the more you do, the worse off you’re going to look on paper, and the better position you’re going to be in with the claim.

Speaking of surgery, do you recommend that your clients with neck pain consult with an orthopedic doctor or a neurosurgeon as part of the claims process?

GREGORY DELL:Yes, we often recommend that claimants treat with or at least consult with a surgeon because we want to know if there’s a surgical remedy. People think you walk into a surgeon’s office, they’re always going to recommend surgery because they get paid if you have surgery, but they’re usually not going to recommend surgery unless you have some serious spinal cord damage. In other words, if you don’t have the surgery on your neck, you could become paralyzed. You could lose complete feeling in your hands or your arms or movement and they’re doing surgery to try to stabilize your condition. 

However, if you’re not already treating with an orthopedic doctor or neurosurgeon and you go to them, they may not want to fill out anything about your restrictions and limitations for the disability company.

That brings us to another important point. How important is the quality of the attending physician statements that are completed by treating doctors? 

CESAR GAVIDIA: It’s extremely important to have that paperwork and documentation completed by your treating doctors. Primary care family physicians and general practitioners often don’t want to complete this paperwork. It’s even less likely that a surgeon, a neurosurgeon, or orthopedic surgeon will. You must have good communication and rapport with your doctor and surgeon so that they understand what it is that you need. That’s where the conflict arises. If they’re going to do a spinal surgery that is supposed to alleviate or resolve your problem, they’re most likely going to expect that you’re going to return to a certain quality of life or even work capability. So, you have to speak to your doctor, before and after surgery, about what the ongoing limitations will be.

If a patient does decide to have surgery, does this negate their need for a disability insurance claim?

GREGORY DELL: Surgeons are proud of their work and expect that you will improve as a result, but more often than not, the surgery is like a stabilization to stop making things get worse. The reality is, for every claim that we have, if they could have surgery and go back to work, they want to because they’re always going to make so much more money working than they are on disability. It’s a falsehood when the disability carrier expects that after surgery you should be better and getting back to work. It’s insulting because if you’re the claimant, you want to go back to work. You would love to go back and do your job if you could. Surgery doesn’t mean you’re better. It means the condition got so severe that you couldn’t take it anymore. Maybe you have less pain, but you still have symptoms and you still have functional limitations. 

CESAR GAVIDIA: I mean, think in terms of a race car and the engine blows out and you replace the engine with a whole new one. Surgeons aren’t replacing your entire spine, they’re fixing a component of it and you’re not going to go back to full capacity. Many clients that have had neck surgery have successfully returned to some level of work, but every case is unique. In some cases, they’re going to remain disabled. They’re not going to be able to return because really, the surgery is to kind of stabilize and maintain a certain quality of life. If they go back to standing for four or five hours in their job and performing their job duties, and it’s a matter of time before they start to break down again.

What if the claimant’s condition is chronic, and they have been working with the medical condition for months or years prior to filing for disability?

GREGORY DELL: Neck conditions are almost always chronic. Patients are usually dealing with them for six months, a year, or two years before they stop working. Hopefully, during that time they’ve been getting medical treatment, which is what you need to do to support the claim. The classic argument is well, you had those symptoms and that diagnosis for two years and now, all of a sudden, you stopped working. We’re prepared to deal with that issue. It’s probably the most common issue that we deal with. 

In about 90% of the denials we do where the claims get approved, the insurer puts them on a claim for a while with a chronic cervical condition. Then the carrier reviews the file and decides they don’t think that your complaints are supported by your objective evidence and we think you can work now. 

That always blows my mind. Your neck is degenerative by nature and is only going to get worse over time. How now are you better? That’s where you exhaust all of the available remedies for treatment and care, and see all the doctors and therapists and consultants that you can, so that you can fall back on that argument that you’ve done everything you could for that amount of time. Unless some miracle drug or surgery came out, I’m not getting better. You can’t rest, you have to keep up with all of that treatment.

Some great information here, Greg and Cesar. What advice can you offer potential clients?

GREGORY DELL: If you’re a claimant with a neck condition, we encourage you to reach out to me or Cesar. We always provide initial free consultation, where we’re going to review your policy or review your denial letter. We’ll let you know immediately how we can help you. We encourage claimants to spend some time looking through our website for information specific to their medical condition, disability company, or occupation. We have lots of summaries about disability benefit lawsuits and other cases that we’ve handled, reviews from other clients about disability companies, and frequently asked questions and answers. The more educated you are, the better position you’re going to be in to get your benefits approved. It’s about having a strategy, being prepared, and thinking like the company. You have to be ready and you have to think like them, to be in the best position to get benefits approved. We look forward to the opportunity to help anyone seeking disability insurance benefits. 


Did you find this helpful?
Unhelpful (0)

Resources to Help You Win Disability Benefits

Disability Benefit Denial Options
Submit a Strong Appeal Package

We work with you, your doctors, and other experts to submit a very strong appeal.

Learn more

Sue Your Disability Insurance Company

We have filed thousands of disability denial lawsuits in federal Courts nationwide.

Learn more

Protect Your Benefits
Get Your Disability Application Approved
We help claimants throughout the entire application process.

Learn more

Prevent a Disability Benefit Denial
We manage every aspect of your disability claim following claim approval.

Learn more

Negotiate a Lump-Sum Settlement

Our goal is to negotiate the highest possible buyout of your long-term disability policy.

Learn more

Disability Company Reviews
(620)
Showing 8 of 620 Reviews
Sedgwick

Sedgewich is the worst-immediate denial of all requests for treatment. Rubber stamps DENIED ALL RFA’s

Reviewed by J on May 31st 2023   Verified Policyholder | August 2023 date of disability
Sedgewich immediately denies all RFA. They’re ur team are THEMSELVES not a independent medical team…
Sedgwick

Very very slow to respond

Reviewed by Steve on May 31st 2023   Verified Policyholder | April 2023 date of disability
Very very slow to respond to reply to questions they put you on a timeline, but they can bend their timeline.
Sun Life

They leave you unable to fight

Reviewed by Kara on May 1st 2023   Verified Policyholder | July 2014 date of disability
I received LTD from Sunlife since 2014 until 2021. I still tried fighting in 2022. Somewhere they changed my claim from physical to mental but nothing in my medical histor... read more >
Reply
Sent on May 1st 2023 by Attorney Gregory Dell

Kara:
Thank you for submitting a review about your experience with Sun Life. If you appealed your denial, then you may still have time to file a lawsuit to obtain... read more >

Hartford

Hartford Stopped Payments

Reviewed by Fed up in PA on April 13th 2023   Verified Policyholder | January 2023 date of disability
Worst company ever. Their analysts will go against your treating provider every single time. Horrible experience, just horrible.
Prudential

Prudential terminated my LTD, so now I have no income

Reviewed by Carlos M on June 10th 2022   Verified Policyholder
I was working at a shipyard at San Diego and hurt my back again while working. Hurt my back in the US Navy in 98 and had issues since then so I decided to get the surgery ... read more >
Reply
Sent on June 11th 2022 by Attorney Rachel Alters

Carlos, yes we may be able to help. Please email your denial letter to Rachel@diattorney.com and cc Amanda@diattorney.com. Thank you.

Lincoln Financial

Lincoln Financial made my life a living hell

Reviewed by Salyna D on June 1st 2022   Verified Policyholder
Lincoln Financial made my life a living hell. I went on medical leave from my job just to work for them basically. My mental health is worse than it was and I still do not... read more >
Reply
Sent on June 2nd 2022 by Attorney Stephen Jessup

Salyna, I am sorry to hear about your experience. I wish I could say it is an anomaly, but it is an all too common occurrence. Depending on if the claim was ever approv... read more >

MetLife

They demanded an overpayment, stopped my claim, and lied about it

Reviewed by Diana R. on May 28th 2022   Verified Policyholder
Metlife over paid me. Stopped my Ltd claim. The overpayment were not done right. They lied and said they deposited money in my account.
Reply
Sent on May 28th 2022 by Attorney Alex Palamara

Diana, I am sorry to hear of this denial and the demand for an overpayment. Please contact us so that we can review your claim and see if we can get you back to receivi... read more >

Sun Life

Sun Life is a real pain

Reviewed by Chris K. on May 20th 2022   Verified Policyholder
Sun Life is a real pain. I just want them to buyout my long term disability policy, but they keep playing around and around. I just to be left alone and given my lump sum ... read more >
Reply
Sent on May 20th 2022 by Attorney Rachel Alters

Chris, you can contact me at Rachel@diattorney.com and we can set up a call to discuss your buy out options.

Answered Questions by Our Lawyers
(0)
Helpful Videos
(776)
Showing 12 of 776 Videos
Disability Benefit Tips
(325)
Showing 8 of 325 Benefit Tips

Disability Denial Reason #1 – Paper Review & IME

At Dell Disability Lawyers, we've seen insurance companies give countless reasons to deny lon... Read More >

How to Apply for Reliance Standard Disability Benefits & Top 5 Reasons for a Claim Denial

At Dell & Schaefer we’ve handled hundreds of long term disability insurance claims against Reliance Standard, and have learned a few thi... Read More >

Applying for Standard Disability Benefits? Top 5 Claim Denial Reasons

At Dell & Schaefer, we've helped hundreds of clients recover long term disability benefit... Read More >

Guardian Disability Benefit Claim Handling Tips

When you finally receive a letter from Guardian Disability informing you that your claim for ... Read More >

Application Tips: Northwestern Mutual Disability Benefits - Top Denial Reasons

Every disability insurance policy is different, and whether your disability insurance claim i... Read More >

Is UNUM a Good Insurance Company?

One common question the attorneys here at Dell Disability Lawyers receive comes from policyho... Read More >

Don’t Ignore Disability Insurance. Here’s What to Buy.

Disability insurance is one of the most important insurance products, yet the vast majority of people working don’t have it. 35% of employer... Read More >

How To Get Long Term Disability Benefits Approved Due To Neck Pain

If you have a disability claim that involves neck pain, you might be wondering exactly how mu... Read More >
Dell Disability Cases
(356)
Showing 8 of 356 Dell Disability Cases

Executive Director with Meniere's Disease Denied Disability Benefits By Hartford

Our client, came to us when he was unjustly denied his claim for LTD benefits by Aetna, now Hartford, assert... Read More >

Lincoln Approves Long Term Disability Benefits After Four Year Fight

With financial protections afforded to disability insurance companies under ERISA that insulate them from extra contractual damages there is v... Read More >

Cigna Sued For Failing To Make A Timely Decision on Appeal

If your disability insurance claim has ever been denied you will have received a formal denial letter from your insurance carrier in which you... Read More >

Lincoln National LTD Denial for Pre-Existing Condition Reversed on Appeal

On December 8th of 2020, a new employee at ServerCentral, now known as Deft, a well-known IT ... Read More >

Illinois Mutual terminates benefits for Tire Kingdom Service Manager After Review By Hired Physician

Our client was a service manager for Tire Kingdom, due to years of working on his feet he dev... Read More >

A Hartford Disability Benefit Lawsuit Victory for Truist Banker with Lupus

Our client found us after she was denied continued disability insurance benefits by the Hartf... Read More >

Hartford Denies Disability Benefits To Home Depot Employee 3 Weeks Before Change of Disability Definition

Our client was a former in-store merchandising associate responsible for the movement of merc... Read More >

Lincoln overturned its previous denial of LTD benefits for Escalation Engineer

Our client, Mr. E, formerly worked as an Escalation Engineer for a national data services and data management company. For many years Mr. E ... Read More >
Disability Lawsuit Stories
(763)
Showing 8 of 763 Lawsuit Stories

Federal Court Overturns Aetna Denial Of Disability Benefits

In the recent case of Ferrin v. Aetna Life Ins. Co. a federal judge from the Northern District of Illinois determined that Aetna improperly te... Read More >

Court Finds Irregularities in Procter & Gamble Long Term Disability Benefit Denial

In ERISA cases filed in a district court asking for judicial review of a plan administrator's denial of benefits, the court is generally limit... Read More >

Federal Judge Makes Companion Life Insurance Pay Long Term Disability Benefits

Companion Life tried to play games and deny long term disability benefits, but thankfully a New Mexico Federal Judge made them pay disability ... Read More >

NFL Disability Review Board Ignores Evidence of Disability and Appeal Court Reverses Lower Court Decision

In Darren Mickell v. Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle NFL Players Retirement Plan (Plan), Mickell spent nine years in the NFL as a defensive e... Read More >

Judge Agrees that MetLife's Denial of Long Term Disability Benefits was Reasonable

In Anne Ehlert v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife), Ehlert was a consulting pension actuary for pension plans at Towers... Read More >

Can Standard Insurance Company’s Failure to Raise an Issue be Considered a Waiver?

The case of Jose Chavez v. Standard Insurance Company has quite a history with the United States District Court for the Northern Dis... Read More >

Court Ordered Aetna to Pay LTD Benefits to Computer Engineer

In Darren Cohen v. Aetna Life Insurance Company [Aetna], Plaintiff was employed by STEC, Inc. as a Computer Systems Engineer where h... Read More >

California Federal Judge Orders Standard Insurance Company to Pay Disability Benefits to Teacher with Lyme Disease

In Tisha Entz v. Standard Insurance Company, Plaintiff Entz was a classroom teacher in Victorville, California from 1997 until she became... Read More >

Reviews from Our Clients

Request a Free Consultation

Our Lawyers Respond Same Day

5 Ways We Help Get Your Benefits Paid

Get Your Disability Application Approved

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.

Submit A Strong Appeal Package

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.

Sue Your Disability Company

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.

Prevent A Disability Benefit Denial

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.

Negotiate a Lump-Sum Settlement

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.

Questions About Hiring Us

Who are Dell Disability Lawyers?

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.

Who do you help?

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.

Do you work in my state?

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.

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, 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.

How can I contact you?

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.