Chronic Pain

Pain is a body’s normal response to injuries or illnesses. Most pain is acute, experienced while a part of their body has undergone stress, especially after a serious injury. However, sometimes pain can persist for weeks, months, or long after its original cause has healed. When pain lasts for longer than 3-6 months, it is considered to be chronic.

Chronic pain syndrome (CPS) is a condition that can adversely impact a person’s day-to-day reality and pervade throughout all areas of their life. CPS affects about a quarter of people who experience chronic pain for a prolonged period of time. 

Although the cause of CPS is not entirely understood, it usually begins in response to an injury. If you were injured in an accident and your pain has persisted long after your physical wounds have healed, you may be suffering from CPS. 

CPS can have profound impacts on an injured accident victim’s overall quality of life. Getting through each day in excruciating pain is often a grueling, demoralizing, isolating, and emotionally overwhelming challenge. It is not uncommon for people suffering from CPS to experience debilitating mental health issues because of their persistent, prolonged physical pain. People suffering from CPS often experience:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Insomnia 
• Persistent fatigue
• Irritability 
• Dependence on alcohol and/or drugs
• Interpersonal problems with romantic partners, friends, and family members
• Job loss
• Suicidal ideation 
• And more

If you are in distress, contact the Canada Suicide Prevention Service at 1-888-456-4566.

Recovering Long-Term Disability Benefits for CPS

If you are suffering from CPS and the symptoms of your condition make it impossible for you to continue working in your current position, provided you have the right insurance coverage, you might be eligible for long-term disability (LTD) benefits. 

LTD benefits are designed to help insurance policyholders with the appropriate level of coverage who cannot continue earning their regular wages because of a prohibitive physical or mental condition. Recipients are generally awarded monthly income replacement payments of between 60-70% of their normal earnings while their medical condition makes it impossible for them to work.

Unfortunately, not all claims for LTD benefits are approved. People suffering from CPS are often denied LTD benefits payments because their symptoms cannot be observed objectively through the use of medical imaging tests or other diagnostic systems. Pain is subjective, and even though the pain may be so severe that a person’s daily life is filled with agony, insurance providers regularly deny LTD benefits claims for so-called invisible injuries. 

What To Do if Your LTD Benefits Claim Has Been Denied

Our Ontario long-term disability lawyers have extensive experience fighting back against insurance companies who unfairly deny eligible policyholders the benefits they are rightfully owed. If your employer’s group insurance plan or your privately held insurance policy includes coverage for LTD benefits and your CPS prevents you from returning to work, our long-term disability lawyers serving all of Ontario may be able to provide you with crucial legal advice and support. 

If your claim for LTD benefits was denied, contact Preszler Injury Lawyers. Our Ontario long-term disability lawyers may be able to help you overturn your insurance provider’s unfair decision and help you get the compensation you deserve. To schedule a free initial consultation today, call 1-800-JUSTICE.