Unum Approves LTD Benefits for Pharmacist with Eye Disorder
Rachel Alters of Dell Disability Attorney’s currently represents an Ambulatory Operations Pharmacy Manager at the University of Missouri who recently suffered an acute retinal detachment leading to multiple corrective surgeries which unfortunately failed. She is an accomplished medical professional and health system executive with not only a doctor of pharmacy degree (PharmD) but also a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA). She is licensed to practice pharmacy in two states. She is considered in the peak of her career and on track for promotion and within the organization to a chief role in the next 3 to 5 years. Unfortunately, due to her eye injury, her career advancement was put on hold and her salary was cut in half. She has been working using only her left eye which has poor vision 20/40. She is concerned that her left eye will deteriorate and is concerned about her vision in the future. She requires assistance to read public signage such as restaurant menus, airport and transportation display boards, construction signs and general wayfinding. She requires magnification on all screens and electronic devices and assistance in most environments outside of her personal residence. She becomes visually fatigued and experiences regular persistent headaches when looking at a screen for more than 2 – 3 hours per day. She requires the use of a large dual monitor set up as well as a scribe for several computer programs that do not enlarge. She is unable to drive except in perfect weather and during full daylight. Even in the ideal driving conditions, she limits her driving to extenuating circumstances only and has difficulty gauging depth/relational space and avoid parking in crowded areas due to lack of depth perception.
Fortunately she has both a group disability policy with Unum as well as a Unum individual policy which should cover a large percentage of the salary she lost. After multiple eye surgeries, she returned to work on a part-time basis with significant work restrictions to support using only her left eye. She was instructed by her physicians to limit screen time to 3 to 4 hours a day, required to take 15 minute breaks every 2 hours and to not drive during any inclement weather or during dawn, dusk and at night.
She has worked remotely to minimize visual stimulation and her personal as well as her team’s performance has suffered. In the medical field, she cannot find work that will not require use of a screen and small text as in the electronic medical record. She cannot find a management role and doesn’t require the use of regular presentations, financial analysis or reports. Her professional contribution to the COVID 19 pandemic has ended as she is unable to safely utilize sterile aseptic technique and accurately interact with syringes and medications. Furthermore, she is unable to function as a dispensing pharmacist as she lacks the visual accuracy needed for safe medication inspection. This has greatly affected her ability to perform the material and substantial duties of her occupation on a full time basis. As a result she has reduced her hours and amount of time she spends looking at a computer screen and lost a significant percentage of her salary. She was concerned about her ability to get approved for Unum’s disability benefits on her own without the help of an attorney. She retained Rachel Alters who worked diligently with the claimant assisting her in filling out multiple claim forms, preparing a personal statement detailing her medical journey, reviewing her extensive medical history and making sure her physician’s properly filled out the attending physician’s statements, ensuring they were supportive of her inability to perform her occupations as a Pharmacy Manager on a full time basis.
Rachel Alters was successful in getting her claimant’s Unum group and individual disability claims approved. She is now getting paid monthly benefits while working in a part-time capacity. Ms. Alters will manage her claims to help ensure she continues to receive these benefits until her eye condition improves and she is able to perform her job duties on a full time basis.
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