If you want to get what you deserve from a long term disability claim in Scugog you need to be patient, persistent and often have a good lawyer. Many people thought their insurance company would honour their policy without any problems but ended up getting denied or delayed. It gets worse when the money you were counting on suddenly disappears and you can’t work because of a disability. We at Longo Lawyers know how stressful this is and work hard to settle your claim as soon as possible. Personal Injury Lawyer Fabio Longo is dedicated to helping clients recover the compensation they deserve with professionalism, integrity, and proven results.
Long term disability insurance is there to help you pay your bills when you can’t work because of an illness or injury. But insurance companies are businesses that want to make money so they look at every claim very closely to find reasons to deny or lower payments. This makes the relationship between the two sides hostile which many claimants find shocking and unfair. We use our experience and knowledge to protect your rights and make sure your insurance company does what it says it will do in your policy.
To make a successful claim you need to know exactly what your disability policy says. These contracts use technical language and very specific definitions that can have a big impact on whether or not you get benefits. There are certain meanings for words like “total disability”, “own occupation”, “any occupation”, “pre-existing condition” that can make or break your claim. We read your policy and explain what it covers in plain English. This is the foundation for a good plan that fits your specific needs and the rules of your policy.
Medical records are the most important part of any disability claim but getting the right proof takes more than just going to the doctor. Insurance companies want detailed reports that explain your diagnosis, treatment plan, ongoing symptoms, prognosis and most importantly how your condition prevents you from doing your job. Generic statements don’t cut it. We help you work with your doctors and nurses to get all the medical records you need to answer all of your insurance company’s questions. This often includes functional capacity evaluations, specialist assessments and reports that clearly show how your medical problems affect your ability to do your job.
Claims for chronic pain are especially tough to prove because standard objective tests can’t. Insurance companies are notorious for being skeptical of chronic pain claims. They may even say your symptoms are exaggerated or that they are mental rather than physical. We have developed ways to present these cases using detailed symptom journals, consistent medical records, statements from family and coworkers that back up your claims and expert medical opinions that prove your condition is real. We know your pain is real and we make sure insurance companies understand how it affects your ability to work.
There is a lot of paperwork, strict deadlines and detailed forms that need to be filled out correctly to apply for long term disability benefits. If you miss a deadline or don’t give all the information you need your application will be automatically denied. We help with every part of the application to make sure it meets all the requirements. This includes helping you write down your job duties in clear terms, getting the right medical paperwork and sending everything in the right format and on time. If you start with a well prepared application your chances of getting approved go up and the chances of problems later go down.
Even for claims that seem clear cut and well supported denials happen more often than most people think. Insurance companies give many reasons for denying benefits such as not having enough medical evidence or not agreeing with your doctor’s diagnosis. Some denials come from insurance company doctors who look at your file but never see you in person. These paper reviews look at your medical records from a distance and come to conclusions that often disagree with what your doctors say. We challenge these unfair reviews by pointing out their flaws and stressing that doctors who have seen you and know your case better than anyone else.
The appeals process for claims that have been denied has strict time limits that don’t allow for any delays. Most policies only give you 30 to 90 days to file an appeal and this deadline is strictly enforced without exception. We make sure your appeal is filed on time and has strong arguments that address each reason given for the denial. To win an appeal you need to do more than just say you disagree with the decision. You need to give more proof, fix any problems with the original application and make legal arguments for why you are eligible for benefits under the specific terms of your policy.
Many disability claims in Scugog are for conditions that can’t be proven with objective tests. Fatigue syndromes, cognitive impairments and mental health conditions often rely on symptoms that can’t be measured accurately with imaging or lab tests. Insurance companies are especially skeptical of these claims and may say your symptoms are exaggerated or that you could work if you were really motivated. We have developed ways to present these cases using detailed records, corroborating testimony and medical opinions that show your experience and pain are real.
Insurance investigators watching people is an intrusive way to investigate disability claims. Companies may hire people to follow you, watch what you do in public and look at your online presence to see if there are any inconsistencies with what you say you can and can’t do. This is legal but it makes you feel like a fraud instead of someone who is trying to get real benefits. We help you understand that not being able to do many things doesn’t mean you can’t work. You can’t work full-time just because you go grocery shopping, go to the doctor or go to family events. We make sure any surveillance evidence is put in the right context instead of being twisted to make it look like recovery.
When you can’t work and your expected disability benefits are denied or delayed the financial pressure becomes too much to handle. During this tough time the cost of hiring a lawyer may seem too high. We work on long term disability cases on a contingency fee basis which means you don’t pay us anything unless we win your benefits. This way everyone can get good legal help no matter how much money they have right now. Our success depends completely on your success which means our interests are always the same as yours.
We still think keeping in touch with you during your case is very important. It’s easy to get lost in the legal process and you should know what’s going on every step of the way. We use plain language to explain what’s going on and we’re always here to answer questions. You should never be unsure about the status of your case or what to do next. Regular updates and clear explanations can help you feel less anxious during a stressful time and give you the support you need throughout the process.
Your doctors treating you are important to your disability claim but they may not know exactly what information insurance companies need. Doctors are more concerned with diagnosing and treating illnesses than with writing down disabilities for insurance purposes. We work with your medical team to get full reports that go into detail about your functional limitations, work restrictions and prognosis. This may mean asking for extra evaluations or setting up specialized tests that give objective proof of your claim and make your case stronger.
Another common problem we see all the time is when benefits are cut off after they have been approved. Sometimes insurance companies will approve your claim at first but then they will say you have recovered or that you can do other work. These terminations often happen without notice and may be based on medical reviews that aren’t very good or a misunderstanding of what you do. We fight against unfair benefit terminations by showing we still have a disability with new medical evidence and by pointing out flaws in the insurance company’s reasoning and decision-making process.