Northwestern Mutual Disability Lawyer Representation for Your LTD Insurance Claim
Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company is one of the three most credible companies that sells long term disability insurance coverage. Compared to other companies, Northwestern Mutual clearly approves more disability claims than they deny.
Our disability lawyers have assisted numerous doctors, lawyers, and other business owners throughout the nation at all stages of their claim for disability benefits with Northwestern. We can provide references upon request.
Through the multiple lawsuits that we have filed against Northwestern Mutual, we have gained an inside understanding into their claims handling practices. We could tell you stories and try to tell you that they like to engage in intentional denials of claims, but it would not be true. The reality is that Northwestern attempts to do a good job of reviewing a disability claim, but their mistakes can be incredibly frustrating and scary for a disability claimant.
Why Would Northwestern Mutual Deny A Disability Claim?
A Northwestern Mutual disability claim denial usually occurs because the claims examiner has set unjustified expectations with regard to the claimant’s ability to prove they are disabled.
Every disability policy has a proof of loss provision which places the burden of proving that he or she is disabled on the claimant. This means that a claimant will be responsible to submit medical evidence of their disability as well as proof of their pre-disability occupational duties.
In most disability claims, Northwestern Mutual will have their own internal doctors and outside medical consultants review a claimant’s medical records. Northwestern will look for very specific information in your medical records to determine if you are disabled.
Most treating doctors don’t take great notes and they certainly don’t expect their medical notes to be scrutinized by an insurance company. We have seen many claims were the claimant is clearly disabled, but the medical records don’t tell the true story.
Unfortunately the disability insurance company will usually only review the claim based on the medical records and never exam the claimant. If the insurance company does choose to exam the claimant, it is rare that the claimant will receive a fair evaluation as the reviewing doctor is being paid by the insurance company. Watch the second video on this page about “hired gun physicians”.
In many claims we have been able to dissect the review of Northwestern Mutual’s hired doctors and explain to Northwestern why our client is medically disabled.
Contact us at any stage of your claim to discuss how we may be able to assist you recover disability benefits. We offer both hourly and contingent fee agreements in order to make our fees affordable for our clients.
Doctors And Lawyers Must Be Able To Prove Their Pre-Disability Duties
If you are a doctor or lawyer seeking Northwestern Mutual Disability benefits, then you must be aware that Northwestern is going to want to know very detailed information about the work you were performing before you became disabled. For example, if you were doctor, then you will be asked for your monthly and annual CPT production reports for at least the one year before your date of disability. You will also be asked for monthly profit and loss statement, tax returns, and your daily appointment book.
If you are an attorney seeking disability, you will be asked for your appointment book for the past 2 years, your case list with an itemization as to the types of cases, your litigation related work if you are litigator, tax returns, and monthly profit and loss statements for at least 2 years.
If a claimant is seeking Partial disability, then the request for occupational information will usually be more extensive.
Most claimants will also be asked to be interviewed by a Northwestern Mutual representative. These interviews should never take place without legal representation.
We often see claims denied because Northwestern is asking for information that cannot reasonably be produced. In addition to filing appeals and lawsuits, our attorneys regularly work with claimants to submit their application for disability benefits. You may find it helpful to watch our video discussing the disability application process.
Northwestern Mutual Lawsuits, Court Decisions, And Complaints / Comments
In order to educate claimants about Northwestern Mutual disability claims we share public information about lawsuits and court decisions around the country dealing with Northwestern Mutual.
You can also read or post comments, complaints and questions to our website and our lawyers will respond.
If you would like to discuss your claim, please contact us privately for a free phone consultation.
