If you’re like most hard-working individuals, your livelihood is dependent on going to work. Whether you’re a bank teller, janitor, or CEO of a company… your bills aren’t going to get paid if you don’t go to work, right? Yes, unless you’re rich by inheritance and don’t have to work… if that’s you… then you’re one lucky person but if you’re like everyone else, you have to work.
Because our livelihood is so dependent on us going to work, any type of injury or illness that prevents us from that can be financially devastating. They say that money is the root of all evil but it’s really not. Money is what puts food on the table and clothes on your back, so to suffer from a debilitating injury or illness that takes away your ability to work can really turn your world upside down. Not only are you in pain from your ailment but you also don’t have any money coming either while you’re down and out.
Lots of times, most employers offer long-term disability (LTD) and if you opted for that with your job and you experience some type of injury or are diagnosed with a certain medical condition, you’ll want to consult with an long term disability attorney as soon as you possibly can to increase your chances of success, especially with coverage provided with your employer.
From the moment you’re no longer able to work, your funds are cut dry so, in your mind, you know you need to get the LTD process going as quickly as possible, and rightfully so because and misinformation on a form or wrong document being sent for verification can prolong the process and even put your benefits in danger. That reason alone is one of the reasons why you want to hire an experienced LTD attorney.
What Qualifies Me For LTD?
Lots of people tend to think that the only way to qualify for LTD is by suffering injuries from acute accidents but the reality of LTD is that there are several different medical conditions, both mental and physical, that allows an individual to qualify for LTD. Some qualifying medical conditions include but are not limited to:
- Bipolar Disorder
- HIV/AIDS
- Arthritis
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Cancer
That is just a very short list of conditions that qualify an individual for LTD but even a combination of multiple conditions can qualify you as well.
You Will Need to Show Proof of Your Condition With a Proper Medical Diagnosis
In order to have a successful LTD claims process, you’re going to have to provide legal documentation of your medical diagnosis and it must come from a qualified physician. It’s important to have this documentation because insurance companies are going to look for any little thing to deny your claim. They’re going to be looking for “gaps” in your claim.
Yes, it’s sad that insurance companies would go to such lengths to not give you the benefits you deserve for your suffering but according to the Social Security Administration, medical evidence is pertinent for the determination of an individual’s claim. Anything from minor errors to missing documentation can greatly delay your process and even get you rejected. If your medical records don’t exactly reflect the extent of your disability, that could also get you denied.
Your Medical Diagnosis Has to Be Connected to Your Physical or Mental Incapabilities
This might sound a bit extreme for some people but the biggest issue that applicants have during their claims process is that the insurance company doesn’t feel that an applicant’s underlying medical condition is the cause of their physical or mental impairment.
For example, if an applicant had an extreme case of arthritis and had a hard time being able to complete the tasks of their job, an insurance company could say that there’s no correlation between the condition and the impairment… They could say that the applicant could manage arthritis naturally… anything to not have to pay benefits.
Why You Should Hire an LTD Attorney
Ideally, you’re going to want to hire an LTD attorney as soon as you are unable to work and they will direct you on which way to go next. Most LTD attorneys provide free consultations to see if they can even help your situation and they are usually able to do it in-person or over the phone… whichever method is more convenient for the client (especially if the client is immobile).
Lots of people will wait until their claim has been denied before wanting to talk to a lawyer but had they hired the lawyer in the first place, they probably wouldn’t have gotten denied in the first place. Take a look at the top 4 benefits of hiring an LTD attorney:
- They are knowledgeable with insurance companies and will fight them for you on your behalf.
- They will get all the evidence, documentation, and speak with the right people to build you a solid case.
- With the short windows and time frames to appeal a denial, hiring a lawyer will ensure you never miss a deadline.
- Dealing with the time off from work and no income coming in, you’re going to be stressed… hiring an attorney will remove all the stress you have during this time.
The most important thing to take away from this is that even though you’re going through a difficult time suffering from a debilitating condition, that doesn’t mean that you have to go through it alone. So don’t wait until you get denied for your claim, talk with an LTD attorney the moment you experience any type of injury or ailment.
