This is especially true if your employer-provided group plan is the source of your long-term disability claim. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act, a federal law that governs most of these claims, lays forth very precise dates and procedures for submitting LTD claims and contesting LTD denials.
Why Should I Hire a Long-Term Disability Attorney?
Six Justifications for Hiring a long-term disability Attorney
- They can assess your policy.
- They can aid in navigating difficult legal and factual issues.
- A lawyer can enforce the provisions of your insurance policy against the insurance company.
- They’ll aid you in avoiding typical errors involving reviews by the insurance companies, tips to help your medical providers deal with the record requests, and guide you through the process.
- A lawyer can assist in gathering proof for your claim including testing and vocational data that can help meet your burden of proof.
- Will shoulder the burden of the LTD procedures on your behalf.
If you have long-term disability (LTD) insurance, you are aware that it protects you from losing your income if a crippling health condition prevents you from working. A long-term disability plan is typically available via your workplace, though you can also choose to buy a private plan directly from an insurance provider.
When the time does come for you to make a claim, the procedure may seem overwhelming and difficult, especially if you are also attempting to take care of your health. At this point, a long-term disability attorney’s assistance is more than useful, it is critical to ensure that you get the benefits that you paid for.
When Should I Hire a Long-Term-Disability Lawyer?
Although engaging a lawyer early on might help reduce confusion and anxiety during the application process, many people decide to do so after their claim has been rejected.
Before appealing a denial or taking legal action, you must retain an LTD attorney. In most cases, if you do not appeal timely, you will lose your right to sue. In most cases, if you do not properly appeal, the claim file will be closed when you file suit and you will be barred from submitting any further information. Before your appeal period runs out, if you employ a long-term disability attorney, they can, if required, submit more medical evidence to support and improve your case. They can make sure that you have met your burden of proof.
Hiring a long-term disability attorney is never too early. The sooner you hire legal counsel, the sooner you can choose your course of action and best protect yourself and get the benefits that you paid for over the years of working hard.
What Are the Advantages of Hiring a Long-Term Disability Attorney?
Let’s take a look at the three advantages of hiring a long-term disability attorney.
Your Stress Levels Will Be Reduced By Hiring an LTD Attorney
The last thing you need when dealing with an injury or disability is added stress from battling an insurance company.
Regrettably, insurers frequently employ a variety of dishonest strategies to postpone or reject valid claims. Here are a few examples of their unfair behavior:
- Excessive wait times and failures to get medical records.
- Cherry-picking medical records to support denial.
- Disbelieving your subjective reporting and the statements from your physicians.
- Misconstruing policy provisions.
- Having a legitimate claim rejected for unjustified reasons like allegations that you did not timely report the claim or provide information.
- Sending you to exams with biased doctors.
These tactics are all too typical in cases involving long-term disabilities. An experienced attorney will ensure you avoid these issues and provide crucial guidance and support at every stage of the process.
A Long-Term Disability Attorney Can Aid You in Avoiding Expensive Mistakes
Insurance firms purposefully make the application process challenging, and they might try to take advantage of you at numerous points in the process. So that you are fully aware of your coverage and legal rights, an attorney can explain the terms of your disability policy to you.
Without help, you run the risk of saying something hurtful out of the blue that could be used against you. Keep in mind that insurers frequently purposefully word things to deceive or confuse you. Your claim could be rejected if one form is incomplete or if one piece of information is missing.
By engaging an LTD attorney, you can relax knowing that every form will be prepared precisely and methodically. You can rest easy knowing that an LTD attorney will know what you need to provide to prevail before the insurance company and a Court.
If Your Claim Is Denied, a Long-Term Disability Lawyer Will File an Appeal
You will have the option to appeal the denial of your disability claim, which entails giving the insurance provider more information so they can reconsider their decision if your claim is refused. An appeal may result in the decision being overturned. In most cases, you must appeal before filing a lawsuit. In most cases, the appeal period is the only opportunity to prove your case.
If your LTD claim is denied, you should hire a knowledgeable long-term disability lawyer to fight for your rights and act as your advocate.
How Much Does a Long-Term Disability Lawyer Cost?
Our firm appeals and litigates disability claims on a contingency fee basis. This way there are no upfront fees and you can use your savings to take care of your life expenses while the LTD claim winds its way through the process.
Initially, you receive a free consultation. If you decide to proceed with us, you would then sign a contract for a contingency fee. We then move forward with appealing or litigating the claim.
Should I Hire a Long-Term Disability Attorney? Yes! Contact Aaron Engle Law Today!
Aaron Engle Law understands how insurers work. You must hire a battled tested lawyer for these cases. We have litigated hundreds of LTD cases. We know what we are doing and will go to bat for you. In ERISA cases, nothing is more important than a lawyer with experience in the governing law, along with a strong medical background.
You need someone who understands how to establish a case through the appropriate testing and testimony from your doctors, someone who can communicate with the insurance adjusters, and someone who if required, has litigated every issue under the sun in the LTD environment. There is no issue that we have not already faced down. We have faced and beaten every insurance company tactic to deny valid claims.