Guelph Disability Lawyer
Have you been diagnosed with a disabling medical condition? If you have sustained a severe injury, a chronic physical illness, or a debilitating mental health condition and can no longer work as a result, provided you have an appropriate level of insurance coverage, you might be eligible to collect long-term disability (LTD) benefits.
LTD benefits are designed to help seriously ill or injured insurance policyholders when they are unable to carry out the duties of their jobs because of a prolonged, disabling medical condition. Eligible claimants who cannot continue performing the tasks associated with their current occupations may be entitled to receive between 60-70% of their regular wages through monthly payment installments.
The insurance coverage available to disabled workers is not intended to fully replace their total lost income when they become unable to continue working. In fact, many insurance plans impose a cap on how much coverage policyholders might be entitled to receive. That said, for people struggling to manage the debilitating symptoms of their disabling medical conditions, LTD benefits often provide a crucial degree of financial security. Without access to these critical benefits payments, disabled workers might find it impossible to continue making ends meet.
In order to qualify to receive LTD benefits, policyholders must have an appropriate level of insurance coverage, either through their employer’s group plan or through a private insurance policy they pay for independently. Furthermore, before being able to access LTD benefits, eligible claimants must exhaust all other benefits available to them, including short-term disability benefits and Employment Insurance (EI) sickness benefits.
Unfortunately, many insurance companies find reasons to deny claims for LTD benefits submitted by policyholders whose medical conditions legitimately prevent them from doing their jobs. As a matter of fact, even though insurers are not compelled to disclose exactly what percentage of LTD claims are denied each year, by examining the number of disability claims annually denied by the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), it can be determined that more than half of all LTD claims are initially denied by insurance companies.
Additionally, even people who have received LTD benefits could have their payments terminated by their insurance providers prematurely. Oftentimes, this occurs for reasons that can seem arbitrary and unfair. Insurance companies might cease making payments to qualified recipients of LTD benefits because:
- The policy’s definition of disability changed after 2 years of providing LTD payments
- The policy has time limitations for certain conditions
- The policyholder did not continue receiving medical treatment
- Surveillance investigations conducted by insurance companies found the policyholder engaging in questionable activities
- Videos, photos, and other social media posts shared by the policyholder are misconstrued or taken out of context by insurance companies
- And more
If your claim for LTD benefits was denied even though your medical condition makes it impossible for you to perform the duties of your job, or if your LTD benefits payments have been terminated even though you are still not capable of returning to work, our Guelph long-term disability lawyers may be able to assist you. To learn more, contact us today.
Call Our Long-Term Disability Lawyers Serving Guelph
Our Guelph long-term disability lawyers provide all prospective clients with a free initial consultation. Even if you are unsure whether you might be able to pursue further action against your insurer to recover the coverage you are owed, consider taking advantage of your free initial consultation. By doing so, you will have the opportunity to review the details of your case, learn about options for legal action that might be available to you, and receive case-specific advice tailored to your unique set of circumstances.
To learn more, schedule your cost-free, no-obligation first meeting with our long-term disability lawyers serving Guelph by calling 1-800-JUSTICE.
