When you apply for short-term disability insurance in Florida and receive a denial in response, you may feel valid frustration. When an insurance provider denies your claim, it has to send an explanation of why it disagreed with the assertion of your doctors that you had a genuine need for short-term disability insurance.
Per the U.S. Department of Labor, you may use the information supplied in your claim denial to file an appeal, should you choose to do so. You have 180 from the date you received your denial to appeal the decision.
Appealing the decision
An insurance provider may have denied your short-term disability claim for any number of reasons. Maybe he or she felt you did not have a legitimate need for this insurance, or maybe the insurer wanted more information submitted before approving the claim. Regardless of the reasoning behind the denial, when preparing to appeal, you should gather as much documentation and evidence about your condition as possible. Then, be sure to submit all relevant information within that 180-day window.
Awaiting a response
When you appeal a short-term disability claim denial, you ask someone who had no hand in denying your original application to take another look. In most cases, the insurer has 45 days from the day you appeal its decision to take another look at your application. During this time, the insurer may ask you to provide additional information and give you a reasonable timeframe in which to do so. The plan provider then has to send you written notice of its decision.
If, after appealing, you still receive a denial in response to your short-term disability claim, you have the option of challenging the denial in court.