Some workers in Florida choose to buy long-term disability insurance in order to have some protection in case they become disabled by an illness or an injury and are unable to return to their jobs. It can be very disconcerting to disabled workers when their insurance companies deny their claims. Some companies do decide to deny the claims of disabled workers, leaving it up to the people to appeal. The experienced disability attorneys at Osterhout Berger Disability Law are proud to help the residents of Port St. Lucie, Florida with their long term disability claims and denials.
Appealing a Denied Claim
If your claim is denied, your insurance company will mail a letter in order to notify you about its decision. Your notice will contain information about the reasons behind the company’s denial and what you must do in order to appeal it. A careful reading of this notice is important. In addition to the reasons behind the decision, your notice will provide you with a deadline by which your appeal must be filed. It is important that you pay attention to this deadline. If you let it pass, you will be barred from later trying to seek benefits for your condition. Most insurance companies have internal processes for appeals, and you are required to exhaust them before filing a lawsuit in court.
What to Do & What to Avoid
There are several things that you should do and should avoid doing upon receiving a notice of denial. Start by requesting that your company send you a complete copy of its file that it has for your claim. Do not send in your appeal without first reviewing this information. It will have everything that the company used in order to justify its decision. Bring in your file and your letter to the experienced team at Osterhout Berger Disability Law. Your chances of recovering your benefits may be increased by getting the help of one of our skilled lawyers.
You should try to keep all of your communication with your company to written form, avoiding telephone contact as much as possible. When you mail documents to the company, make sure to send them by certified mail, and keep copies of everything. Don’t give up and stop going to your doctor. Continuing to seek treatment may be important for the ultimate success of your claim.
Getting the Benefits you Deserve
When you meet with your knowledgeable lawyer at Osterhout Berger Disability Law, it is important that you are honest about the symptoms that you are experiencing. Some people make the mistake of believing that if they exaggerate how badly they are affected by their conditions, they will be more likely to recover money. This may instead backfire and make it harder to succeed.
Your lawyer will likely want you to do several things, and it is important that you follow the advice that you are given. You might be asked to go to additional evaluations or to submit to more tests. This is because it is important for you to add as much evidence in your favor as possible to your file. If you later have to file a lawsuit, the evidence that you will be limited to using will be whatever your file contains. Your experienced lawyer may be able to supplement your file with enough information that it convinces the company to approve your claim while it is still being processed internally. If it is denied through your company’s levels of appeal, your experienced attorney might then file a complaint in court against your company in an effort to secure your benefits.
Contact Osterhout Berger Disability Law today to schedule your free consultation.