Many Florida workers have long-term disability insurance through their employers. It is a way for employees to have peace of mind, financially and emotionally, in the event they cannot work due to injury or illness. Unfortunately, many long-term disability claims are denied.
Employees who file for long-term disability claims are often surprised when they receive the denial notification. After all, they followed the rules. They (or their employer) paid their premiums every month on time, saw a doctor and filled out the proper forms.
Common tactics used to deny claims
Sadly, like any other for-profit enterprise, insurance companies are not in the business to give away money if they don’t have to. They, like most businesses, survive by bringing in more money than they pay out.
Some insurance companies use different tactics to deny or delay paying out valid claims. Insurance entities deny claims often because:
- Subjective conditions are present that cannot be measured by lab tests or laboratory conditions
- The employee is deemed to still be able to perform his or her job
- The employee has a longstanding condition that he or she previously worked through in the past
- The employee failed to attend an independent medical examination
- The employee’s illness or injury did not satisfy the policy’s definition of disability
Sadly, many reasons for denying benefits are found within the small, fine print of the insurance policy, but other reasons for the denial are blatant and illegal bad faith practices.
If you or a loved one has filed a disability insurance claim and it was denied, don’t lose hope. You have options.
Gather paperwork, documentation and denial notices and seek guidance from a legal team experienced in handling bad faith insurance practices. A lawyer can examine your specific circumstance and offer advice on appeal options and next steps.