Our Lawyers Get Your Long-Term Disability Benefits Paid
98% percent of our clients collect disability benefits. We have helped thousands of disability insurance claimants throughout the USA to collect hundreds of millions of dollars of disability insurance benefits. Thank you for considering our law firm to help you.
You can greatly increase your chances of long term disability insurance benefit approval by learning all about the claim handling tactics of your disability insurance company.
Discover How Your Disabling Condition Should be Presented to Your Disability Company
Disability insurance companies always argue that Diagnosis does not equal disability. Proving that your medical condition is disabling is the most challenging aspect of any long term disability insurance claim.
Explore How Disability Companies Evaluate Your Occupation
Disability insurance companies are notorious for minimizing your occupational duties. This technique is used as a tool to prove that you can perform duties which differ from the job you actually performed while working.
Knowledge is Power. We Want You To Know Everything About Disability Insurance Claims.
We hope you enjoy these great resources and we invite you to ask our lawyers any questions or leave a review about your experience with your disability insurance company.
Established in 1979, we are a nationwide law firm that helps individuals collect disability insurance benefits. Through our experience of helping thousands of claimants throughout the USA to collect over $500 million in disability benefits, we know exactly what it takes to get your benefits paid. We welcome you to contact us for a free phone consultation with one of our lawyers.
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.
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.
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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 >
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I have nothing but deep, sincere thanks for the way in which you have taken care and protected me and my LTD income since April 2014. I am forever grateful to you both and your staff. You took a frightened man who was being hoodwinked by the Hartford who was fearful of losing his income, to one who was confident. I had a Lion protecting me and indirectly my dear wife Deborah. I will always be humbled by how you all treated me with reverence and professionalism. Your company is the standard to what all others should emulate.
Attorney Alex Palamara and paralegal Danielle are both consummate professionals. Since the inception of my experience with them both they were very attentive thru the entire process and settled my case in a timely fashion.
Why would you recommend Dell Disability Lawyers? I would unequivocally recommend attorneys Dell Disability Lawyers.
What could we do to improve? They don’t need improvement.
I have a rare genetic condition that my insurance company didn’t want to acknowledge. Stephen and his aide Sonia worked tirelessly for over a year and successfully forced The Standard into covering my policy. They are both empathetic and effective, the best combination.
Dell Disability Lawyers is an excellent law firm for dealing with disability companies. I tried for 18 months to get disability for a medical condition. I found Dell Disability Lawyers and spoke with Mr. Jay Symonds about my case. He was very understanding and explained how he could help me in a simple and easy to understand manner. Within 6 months of him taking on my case he was able to resolve the case to my satisfaction.
I could concentrate on my health instead of worrying about money to pay my bills. Mr. Symonds staff were all very kind and helpful. I never had a problem with contacting them for help and they were quick to respond to issues. I would highly recommend Mr. Symonds and his firm to anyone who needs assistance with disability claims with insurance companies.
After exhausting all efforts to find a local disability law firm to assist me with submitting claims for LTD non-ERISA and ERISA disability insurance policies, I resorted to a Google search for disability law firms. I decided to contact Dell Disability Lawyers after reading their clients reviews and watching videos on their website. Within 24 hours of contacting Dell Disability Lawyers, I received I call back and an appointment was made with Steven J. Dell, who after hearing my story decided to personally work with me.
He told me that he would put 100% effort to get me on claim. Mr. Dell and his assistant, Merlin Bryan were always available via phone or email to answer any questions that I had regarding my application for long term disability. He was meticulous in guiding me through the process leaving no stone unturned. My claims were approved on the initial application! I know that it was due to the diligence of my attorney, Steven J. Dell. Without Mr. Dell, my application for long term disability would have been rejected. I am very grateful to have had the representation of attorney, Steven J. Dell.
Why would you recommend Dell Disability Lawyers? Experts in non-ERISA and ERISA disability law. Dell & Schaefer Law Firm have a well-deserved reputation of taking on big disability insurance companies and winning for their clients. If you find yourself in need of a disability attorney, I highly recommend this firm. You will not be disappointed!
What could we do to improve? Not a thing. I am a satisfied client.
Awesome, super quick email response to my initial request, followed up by a phone call from the attorney to discuss details of my claim, all in the same day, and all free of charge.
Why would you recommend Dell Disability Lawyers? Very responsive and super helpful, in addition I am very impressed at the level of service I received free of charge with no pitch to retain them.
What could we do to improve? Nothing, perfect service.
This firm does exceptional work. I worked with them for my application for long term disability. My claim was approved on the initial application with one of the most notoriously difficult insurance carriers in the business. I’m 100% sure that this was due to my attorney Steven Dell. He was meticulous in shepparding me through the process making sure everything was done with precision and done correctly.
My anxiety thought this process was through the roof and Mr. Dell was always there to reassure me and peal me of the ceiling if needed. Mr. Dell and his assistant Merlin were always diligent and immediately responsive when I needed reassurance, help or something needed to be done. If you have a disability claim hire Mr. Dell and this firm. It will be the best money you ever spend.
Efficient, energetic, experienced, and prompt. Quickly and cleanly dealt with. Each call was on time, outcomes reviewed, and confirmed. Highly professional and polite. I strongly recommend his services!
Why would you recommend Dell Disability Lawyers? A professional dealing with professionals. Every time I thought … ”I wonder what our status is?” I received an update, he provided great communication with awesome engagement.
What could we do to improve? Advertise more so more people knew about your firm.
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.
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.
