It is essential that you understand the importance of preparing an appropriate appeal of your group disability insurance claim denial. Most group disability insurance policies fall under the Employee Retirement Income Act of 1974 ("ERISA"). ERISA provides extremely strict deadlines and guidelines for claimants and insurance companies to abide by in the processing of a claim, submission of an administrative appeal, and in the ultimate determination of eligibility for benefits under a disability insurance policy. If a claimant does not adhere to these strict guidelines and deadlines, the result can be disastrous for the claim. Unfortunately, while insurance carriers are not free to ignore their obligations under ERISA, often claimants are unaware of their rights and violations often go unchallenged.
Do You Have True Own Occupation Disability Coverage? You may be surprised.
The definition of disability included in your disability income insurance policy may be the most critical term in the entire insurance contract. This is particularly true in the medical profession where so many specialties exist and where the risk of disability from your occupation is high. Being insured as a general practitioner, when you are in fact a specialist, may not provide you with coverage truly insures your own occupation. Do you have true own occupation disability coverage? You may be surprised.
A Successful Disability Insurance Claim begins with the Application
While many insured's believe that medical evidence of a disability is enough to obtain disability benefits from their disability insurance carrier, this unfortunately, is not the case. A successful disability insurance claim begins with the application process . The information contained within the application for benefits is essential, and if insufficient, can cause extensive delays in the approval of the claim or even a denial of the claim for benefits. The following case is typical of the delays and difficulties experienced by many of our clients who applied for disability benefits on their own.
Common Deceptive Disability Insurance Company Tactics
Disability insurance companies often employ common insurance company tactics when investigating a claim or claimant. Insurance companies are businesses that profit when insurance claims are not paid. Accordingly, they spend a significant amount of money each year scrutinizing claims, in an effort to maximize their bottom line. Knowing the common insurance company tactics utilized by your carrier may save your claim.
