People purchase long term disability insurance in order to protect themselves in the event of sickness or injury that prevents them from working.  Unfortunately, many people file their claims only to get denied.  If you have filed your disability claim and your benefits were denied, call the St. Louis disability insurance attorneys at Bollwerk & Tatlow for help.
Long term and short term disability policies are governed by the language of the insurance policy.  One policy can differ from the next, but we have found that many disability insurance policies contain similar language and provisions.  As a result, we find that many people's claims are denied for similar reasons.  Here are some common reasons insurance companies deny long and short term disability claims:


1.  The medical evidence does not support your claim.  Insurance companies will deny your claim if they do not find support of your physical complaints in the medical records.  As a result, you need to make sure that you provide the insurance company with all of your recent medical records, and you should ask your doctors to cooperate in completing any questionnaires the insurance company might require. 

2.  Although you cannot do your own job, there are other jobs in the economy you could perform. Many insurance policies will pay you for a limited time if you cannot do your current job.  Then, after a certain number of months, they will only continue to pay your disability benefits if you are unable to do any occupation at all.  Disability insurance carriers will often hire vocational experts to evaluate your limitations and to give an opinion as to other jobs you might be able to do. This can be a tough hurdle to overcome, and you are well-advised to contact an attorney who handles disabilty insurance claims if your claim is denied because the insurance company finds that there are other jobs you can do.  

3.  You are disabled based upon a pre-existing condition.  The insurance policy may have a 12-month pre-existing condition waiting period.

4.  Your disability is caused by mental illness or addiction:  Many policies will terminate your benefits after a limited period of time (often 24 months) if your disability is caused by anxiety, depression or other mental health issues, or if your disability is caused by or contributed to by alcohol and drug addiction. 

There are many other reasons your long term disability claim may be denied, or your benefits terminated. If your disability claim was denied or your benefits terminated, please give us a call at 877-315-8111 and we will be happy to discuss your case with you and to see if we can help.