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.