Pickering Long-Term Disability Lawyer
Depending on the types of coverage included in your insurance plan, if you cannot perform the duties of your job because of a physical or mental disorder, you might be entitled to collect long-term disability (LTD) benefits. LTD benefits are intended to help eligible insurance policyholders by providing them with monthly income replacement payments when a severe injury, mental disorder, or chronic illness prohibits them from working.
You might have access to LTD benefits through your employer’s group insurance plan, or through an insurance policy you pay for independently. If you have adequate insurance coverage and you can no longer carry out the tasks associated with your current occupation because of a disabling medical condition you have developed, you may be entitled to submit a claim for LTD benefits.
To do so, you must have already exhausted all other insurance benefits available to you, including short-term disability benefits and Employment Insurance (EI) sickness benefits. You must also be able to include certain substantiating evidence along with your application for benefits. This evidence should be able to prove that:
- A medical professional has diagnosed you with a disabling medical condition
- You have been receiving prolonged, ongoing medical treatment for this condition
- As a direct result of the medical condition you have developed or sustained, you are unable to perform the duties of your job
- And possibly more
In order to prove the severity of your condition and the preventative effect its symptoms have on your ability to complete the tasks associated with your job, you may be required to provide your insurance company with various substantiating evidence, including:
- Medical records
- Results of medical examinations
- Statements from attending physicians
- A detailed description of job duties
- A statement from plan sponsor (i.e. employer)
- Other documentation
Unfortunately, certain conditions cannot be objectively measured by administering or analyzing medical tests, nor can their symptoms be observed by third parties. The symptoms of so-called “invisible” illnesses or injuries are experienced subjectively by each patient, who might be in extraordinary pain and distress but unable to prove the severity of their conditions with objective medical evidence. As such, people who submit LTD benefits claims for these unobservable illnesses or injuries are often met with undue disbelief or suspicion. Oftentimes, their claims are dismissed outright due to a lack of substantiating evidence. Common examples of so-called invisible medical complaints that often subject a benefits claimant to additional scrutiny include:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Chronic pain or complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Fibromyalgia
- Arthritis
- And more
Insurance providers can– and do– deny LTD benefits claims for a number of different reasons. Even policyholders whose claims include thorough, compelling medical evidence illustrating the severity of their medical conditions can be denied the funds to which they should be entitled.
If your claim for LTD benefits was unfairly denied by your insurance company, contact our Pickering long-term disability lawyers today and receive a free initial consultation.
Call 1-800-JUSTICE to Speak with Our Long-Term Disability Lawyers Serving Pickering
Our Pickering long-term disability lawyers offer a free initial consultation to all prospective clients. If the benefits payments you should be able to collect have been withheld from you for unfair reasons, our long-term disability lawyers serving Pickering may be able to fight on your behalf to help you recover the compensation you are owed.
To schedule your free initial consultation and receive personalized legal advice about options that might be available to you, call 1-800-JUSTICE and speak with our Pickering long-term disability lawyers today.
