Hamilton Long-Term Disability Lawyer
If your insurance plan includes coverage for long-term disability (LTD) benefits, it is only natural to assume that, should you require support after developing a severe illness or injury, you will be able to easily collect benefits payments. After all, either you or your employer pay monthly premiums to your insurance provider for just this reason. If you are no longer able to perform the duties of your job because your disabling injury or illness makes it impossible for you to do so, you should be able to collect the LTD benefits payments included in the plan for which you have made regular monthly contributions.
Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, insurance providers frequently decide to deny eligible policyholders’ claims for LTD benefits. Insurance companies are not legally required to share just what percentage of LTD claims are denied each year. However, based on anecdotal evidence and the high number of disability claims denied each year by the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), it can be ascertained that more than half of all LTD claims submitted across the country are initially denied by insurance companies.
Even if a policyholder’s application for LTD benefits includes medical evidence that can sufficiently substantiate their claim, their insurance provider could find a reason to withhold the payments they should rightfully be owed. Some reasons insurance providers often use to deny claims for LTD benefits include:
- Insufficient supporting medical evidence was included in the application
- Claim was filed late, past requisite deadlines
- There no objective evidence of disability (often the case with “invisible” injuries or illnesses)
- The medical condition does not meet the insurance policy’s definition of “disability”
- The policy includes contractual stipulations (often excluding pre-existing conditions) that disqualify a claimant’s application
- The claimant refused to undergo an independent medical examination (IME)
- And more
All applicants whose claims for LTD benefits have been denied should have the opportunity to formally appeal their insurer’s decision. However, for people struggling to cope with the daily realities of living with a disability, the idea of picking a fight with a large, monolithic insurance company can seem completely overwhelming. Most people think taking on their insurance provider will be a worthless– and expensive– endeavour. They tend to walk away from the fight instead of standing up for the fair treatment they are duly owed.
Our Hamilton long-term disability lawyers appreciate how frustrating and frightening it can be to receive a denied claim for LTD benefits. Our long-term disability lawyers serving Hamilton have decades of experience fighting back against the unfair tactics often used by insurance providers to withhold payments from deserving policyholders.
Additionally, our Hamilton long-term disability lawyers work on a contingency-fee basis. That means, if you are eligible to pursue legal action against your insurer, you will not be charged a cent unless we win your case. By working with our long-term disability lawyers serving Hamilton, you might be able to recover costs related to:
- Previously denied benefits
- Legal fees
- Damages incurred as a result of your claim’s initial denial
- Punitive damages
- And possibly more
Call Preszler Injury Lawyers Today at 1-800-JUSTICE
LTD benefits typically cover between 60-70% of a recipient’s regular income. If you cannot continue earning your normal wages because you have been diagnosed with a severe, disabling medical condition, LTD benefits could help you retain a degree of financial stability during a fraught and challenging time in your life.
If your claim for LTD benefits was denied, take advantage of a free initial consultation with our Hamilton long-term disability lawyers.
