Denied Long Term Disability from an Insurance Company

As the American population ages, more Americans find themselves seeking both short and long term disability benefits, which has resulted in insurance companies becoming much stricter in terms of awarding all kinds of disability benefits, and long term disability benefits in particular. In an attempt to protect their own financial bottom line, insurance companies are increasingly denying claims for long term disability benefits that formerly would have been readily approved. As a result, you should become aware of the appropriate steps to take if you have been denied short term disability benefits.

Reasons for Being Denied Long Term Disability Benefits

There are a variety of common reasons cited by insurance companies when they denied long term disability benefits to policyholders. Some of these reasons are as follows:

• Insufficient evidence in support of total long term disability
• Lack of medical opinion in support of disability
• Medical condition does not affect ability to perform sedentary work
• Independent medical evaluation indicates that you are not disabled
• Medical evidence indicates that you are no longer disabled

When you receive a denial letter from your insurance company regarding your claim for long term disability benefits, you are entitled to receive a specific reason for that denial. Once you have discovered the reason behind your denial, you can gather specific evidence, medical or otherwise, in order to appeal the denial of your claim.

Options for Appealing the Denial of Long Term Disability Benefits

All long term disability benefits policies issued by insurance companies are required to provide for an administrative appeals process. If you request the review of or appeal the denial of your claim for long term disability benefits within the required time frame, then an independent insurance adjuster and/or review board of the insurance company will again review your claim in order to determine whether it was properly or improperly denied. Once you have exhausted the administrative review process, state and federal law allows you to continue to pursue an appeal of the denial of long term disability benefits through the court system. As with any type of appeal, there are strict deadlines and requirements that must be followed in order to maintain the appeal.

How a Lawyer Can Help Appeal Your Case

You may have a better chance of success with the appeal of your long term disability benefits denial with your insurance company if you enlist the assistance of an experienced disability attorney. A disability attorney can assist you in preparing the strongest appeal possible, as well as ensure that you comply with all required technical aspects of the appeal.