Tips for Applying for Sun Life Disability Insurance Benefits
If you’re covered by a long term disability policy offered by Canadian-based carrier Sun Life, you may never have expected to have to submit a claim for disability insurance benefits. At Dell & Schaefer, we’ve handled thousands of these claims and are familiar with the tactics Sun Life and other disability insurance carriers use to try to avoid paying disability insurance benefits. Read on for some tips that can help you get your Sun Life long term disability claim approved.
What Do You Do if Your Treating Doctor Will Not Support Your Disability Insurance Claim?
Doctors tend to get easily frustrated when it comes to filling out paperwork, which can make it intimidating to ask your doctor to fill out an extensive disability insurance claim form. In other cases, your doctor may not want to admit that one of their patients needs to receive long term disability benefits for a condition they’re currently treating.
However, the strength of your claim for disability benefits almost entirely turns on the medical documentation of your condition(s). If your primary doctor isn’t supportive of your long term disability claim or refuses to talk to the insurance company or fill out claim forms, your best bet is to find another doctor who is willing to communicate with Sun Life. The earlier you can find a doctor who is on board with your claim for disability benefits, the easier it will be to fill out your medical file over time.
It may also be worth pointing out to your doctor that failing to support a claim for benefits will prevent the claimant from being able to continue to see the doctor – a denied claim for disability benefits can mean a decrease in available income and, in many cases, an end to health insurance coverage. By making it as easy as possible for your doctor to quickly fill out these claim forms (or even to put their signature on a statement you or your attorney has drafted), you’ll improve the odds of cooperation.
Sun Life Will Most Likely Contact Your Doctor(s) at Some Point During Your Claim
Even if you provide Sun Life with written evidence of your disability and all the medical records your doctors have completed, Sun Life is likely to reach out to your doctor to assess their opinion of your condition. Sun Life may only try to contact your doctor once or twice before it simply writes off this doctor as a witness, which can put a claimant at a major disadvantage if most of their medical records are signed by someone who Sun Life can’t contact.
Does Every Treating Doctor Need to Complete an Attending Physician Statement for Sun Life?
Many long term disability claimants have multiple doctors, any or all of whom can submit an attending physician statement for Sun Life to consider. While one doctor may be sufficient, especially if they’re a specialist, in most cases, it’s “the more the merrier” – assuming all the doctors who complete an attending physician statement are likely to be supportive of your claim for long term disability benefits.
If you’re ready to submit your long term disability claim to Sun Life or have more questions about the process, Dell & Schaefer can help. Get in touch with one of our experienced long term disability insurance attorneys today to set up your FREE initial consultation.
Resources to Help You Win Disability Benefits
Submit a Strong Sun Life Appeal Package
We work with you, your doctors, and other experts to submit a very strong Sun Life appeal.
Sue Sun Life
We have filed thousands of disability denial lawsuits in federal Courts nationwide against Sun Life.
Get Your Sun Life Disability Application Approved
Prevent a Sun Life Disability Benefit Denial
Negotiate a Sun Life Lump-Sum Settlement
Our goal is to negotiate the highest possible buyout of your long-term disability policy.