Attorney Stephen Jessup

Stephen Jessup is a Partner at Dell Disability Lawyers. Stephen’s practice is comprised solely of representing disabled claimants throughout all stages of a disability insurance claim with a large percentage of his work dedicated to ERISA based administrative appeals and litigation. Stephen has been instrumental in assisting thousands of claimants to recover long term disability benefits.

Stephen takes great pride in his work and is always willing to go the extra mile for all of his clients. The testimonials on our website from some of his clients will give you a good understanding of the high level of service you get when Stephen is handling your claim.

Stephen has handled disability claims against every major disability insurance company and has obtained a great understanding of the different claims handling practices of each company. This knowledge is essential in order to for a claimant to have the best possible chance of securing disability insurance benefits.

Stephen received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Miami and his J.D. from St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami, Florida.

Following law school, Stephen obtained his initial courtroom and trial skills by working as an Assistant Public Defender in Broward County, Florida where he handled thousands of cases. After several years of working for the government, Stephen joined our firm. Within a few years, it was obvious that Stephen was a superstar and someone that we wanted to be a Partner. Stephen shares our firm’s commitment to provide five star customer service and do whatever it takes to help our clients obtain disability insurance benefits.

Stephen is admitted to the Florida bar as well as multiple federal district courts. Stephen is a member of the American Bar Association Health and Disability Insurance Law Committee.

Stephen represents claimants throughout the nation and is available for a free phone consultation regardless of where you live.

Professional Experience

  • Partner at Dell Disability Lawyers
  • Former Assistant Public Defender in Broward County, Florida

Education

Bar and Court Admissions

  • Florida
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
Attorney Stephen Jessup

Get to Know Attorney Stephen Jessup

Stephen's Client Reviews
(92)

Stephen's Resolved Cases
(98)
Showing 4 of  98 Disability Cases

Winpak Manager With Back Issues Wins NY Life Appeal

New York Life denied continued long-term disability benefits to our client — a Florida process manager employed by Winpak with L5-S1 spondylolisthesis and related spinal conditions — at the exact moment his policy's definition of disability changed from own-occupation to any-occupation. The insurer relied entirely on a paper review by a non-examining physici...

Paralegal Wins Principal Financial Disability Appeal

Principal Life Insurance Company terminated our client’s long-term disability benefits for POTS and dysautonomia at the 24-month mark on the strength of a paper review by an internal-medicine doctor and a handful of social media photos showing her on a hike. That was the “evidence” that overrode two years of paid benefits, a TPN line, and a multi-system au...

ERG International Customer Service Rep Wins Two MetLife Disability Appeals

MetLife denied our client's long-term disability claim twice in less than two years — both times by relying on a non-examining psychiatrist who never laid eyes on her, and both times by ignoring the lupus, connective-tissue disease, and joint hypermobility that were independently destroying her ability to work.Our client is a Texas customer service represe...

Veradigm Salesperson With PTSD Wins New York Life Disability Appeal

New York Life denied long-term disability benefits to an Arizona-based Veradigm Expert Solutions Specialist — a highly skilled IT professional responsible for delivering complex technical presentations to healthcare executives — based almost entirely on a paper review by a physician who never examined her, never spoke to her, and never evaluated the cognitiv...
Stephen's Answered Questions
(268)
Showing 4 of  268 Answered Questions

Q: What do I do if not necessarily the insurance company denied my claim but employer?

Answered on December 17th 2025 by Attorney Stephen Jessup
A: Thank you for reaching out to our firm. From what I can gather, it sounds like your short term disability poli...

Q: How much can Guardian Life ltd take back once you get social security disability?

Answered on August 6th 2025 by Attorney Stephen Jessup
A: Guardian will be entitled to a repayment of any period of disability in which they paid the full benefit amoun...

Q: Family member, 63 years old, disabled, receives ssdi and Unum

Answered on August 4th 2025 by Attorney Stephen Jessup
A: It could be an offset under the policy. It the IRA represents funds that were rolled over from an employer pro...

Q: If reasonable accommodation was denied can this play apart in long term appeal letter?

Answered on August 4th 2025 by Attorney Stephen Jessup
A: When you refer to a reasonable accommodation I assume you mean a workplace accommodation request to your emplo...
Stephen's Disability Videos
(325)
Showing 12 of  325 Videos
Stephen's Disability Benefit Tips
(57)
Showing 4 of  57 Benefit Tips

Disability Denial Reason #2 - Change of Disability Definition & Vocational Review

One of the top reasons for terminating a claimant's long term disability benefits involves the change in the disability insurance policy's definition of "disability." This definition change often happens in conjunction with a vocational review, or an analysis of a claimant's medical records that tells the insurance company which jobs the claimant should be able ...

Applying for Standard Disability Benefits? Top 5 Claim Denial Reasons

At Dell Disability Lawyers, we've helped hundreds of clients recover long term disability benefits from Standard Disability.What should you know about getting your Standard Disability long term disability claim approved?Understanding the Language in Your Standard Disability Policy Is EssentialGetting your long term disability claim approved on the fr...

Guardian Disability Benefit Claim Handling Tips

When you finally receive a letter from Guardian Disability informing you that your claim for long term disability benefits has been approved, it can be easy to assume it's smooth sailing from here on out. Unfortunately, approval isn't the end of the story - and if the claimant doesn't maintain the medical records and other evidence to support their continued rec...

Is Cigna Seeking To Offset Disability Benefit by Social Security Survivor Benefit?

I recently spoke with a gentleman who called into our office who has been receiving long term disability benefits from Cigna for several years and is also receiving Social Security disability benefits. Employer provided disability policies contain what is known as an “Other Income” provision that identifies all the sources of income that will offset your monthly benefit- the most common of which is Social ...
Stephen's Disability Lawsuit Stories
(25)
Showing 4 of  25 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 terminated Ferrin’s claim for long term disability benefits and ordered Aetna to reinstate Ferrin’s claim and pay all past due benefits with interest. Prior to filing for long term disability Ferrin was an employee of Southwest Airlines. In 2008, while at work, she suf...

Missouri Court Rules New York Life Wrongfully Terminated Disability Benefits

In the case of Lapidus vs. Life Ins. Co. of N. Am. a Missouri federal court ruled against New York Life finding that New York Life wrongfully terminated long term disability benefits to Lapidus after having initially approving her claim for benefits. Prior to filing for disability benefits Lapidus worked as the vice-president of medical benefits for BJC Healthcare. Despite having undergone a spinal fusion and ...

California Court Overturns Prudential Denial of LTD Benefits

In reviewing long term disability denial letters we find that there are a handful of industry wide arguments made by insurance companies to minimize the nature of one’s occupation. The most common being the downplaying of the cognitive demands of a given occupation in favor of focusing solely on the physical demands of the occupation. This often occurs when (1) the nature of the disability is due to a medica...

First Unum Cannot Extend Disability Appeal Review Indefinitely

Following the submission of an ERISA disability appeal an insurance company is allotted 45 days under the law with which to render a decision on the appeal. ERISA also allows the insurance carrier a single 45 day extension to complete the review so long as the extension is for good cause. It is common for an insured to receive a letter from their disability carrier during the initial 45 day timeframe that the ...
Fun Facts About Stephen

We are not your typical law firm. We are always thinking outside of the box so that we can keep our clients a step ahead of the insurance companies. Customer service with our clients is an essential element as we want every case handled as if it was our own. Since the lawyer that you work with at our firm will need to know a lot about your life, we think it is important that you have the opportunity to learn more about the lawyer(s) working on your case. Here are some interesting and fun facts about Stephen Jessup:

  • Describe yourself in three words: Honest, hardworking, loyal
  • Best to do in your free time: Exercise
  • Favorite places to travel: Cleveland (hometown), Utah
  • Favorite Food: Steak
  • Favorite Movie: Saving Private Ryan
  • Favorite Musician: Brandon Lake
  • What do you like about your job: It allows me to connect with people from all over the country and from across all walks of life, and in doing so I am able to act as a voice for those who are in need of help and assistance with an ultimate goal of making a positive impact in their lives.

Reviews from Our Clients