Long-Term Disability Lawyer Serving Medfield, MA
When you develop a medical condition that impairs your ability to work, you may need to file for long-term disability (LTD) benefits. This process can be complex and stressful, especially when you are trying to manage your health.
Whether you are filing an initial claim or appealing a denial of benefits, you do need to do it alone. A long-term disability lawyer serving Medfield, MA from Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick is ready to assist you. It does not matter where in the process you are. Call us today at 800-544-9144 for a free consultation with a member of our team.
A Long-Term Disability Lawyer Is Beneficial When Filing an LTD Claim
The disability rate in Medfield, MA between 2015 and 2019 was 2.9 percent. Many claimants decide to handle their LTD claim by themselves; however, the process is complex. While it is possible to handle such claims alone, it is beneficial to have a long-term disability lawyer to help guide you through the process.
When you file a long-term disability claim, you must procure a lot of documentation and evidence to support your claim. First, however, it is important to understand your LTD policy. A long-term disability attorney can thoroughly review your policy. Every policy contains a definition of disability that you must prove you meet to receive LTD benefits. Therefore, it is vital to collect the right evidence to prove this definition.
Moreover, there are numerous rules and deadlines to which you must adhere. If your employer provides your policy, then ERISA law governs it. ERISA law is complex and carries with it additional deadlines and regulations that are stringent. For example, missing a single deadline is enough to receive a denial. An ERISA attorney understands the complexities of such claims and will track all deadlines. By tracking ERISA deadlines, we ensure that the insurance company receives everything on time.
Our legal team has over three decades of collected experience dealing with insurance companies and understands how to handle them. A long-term disability attorney will fight for your benefits and free up your time so that you may focus on what is most important: your health.
Our Medfield LTD Lawyers Will Gather Evidence to Prove Your Claim
Medical records are ordinarily your primary source of evidence, but these records are rarely enough to win a claim or appeal. Often, you must submit supplemental evidence to reinforce your claim and prove your policy’s definition of disability.
CCK utilizes a variety of supplemental evidence and can gather this evidence for you. Some types of supplemental evidence we can gather include:
- Specialized reports from treating physicians: Obtaining a specialized report from your treating physician(s) is vital for your claim. These reports can provide insights into your condition that normal medical records cannot. It is important to maintain an open dialogue with your doctors. This open dialogue ensures that they can fully and accurately describe condition.
- Witness statements from family, friends, and coworkers: Oftentimes, the people who see you every day can provide objective evidence for your claim. Witness statements from your family and friends show how your condition affects you at home. Moreover, witness statements from coworkers show how your condition prevents you from performing your job. These statements can show how far-reaching your condition is and why you need disability benefits.
- Additional evaluations from outside experts: It is beneficial to include additional evaluations of your condition when possible. CCK works with a variety of outside experts that can perform these assessments. These additional evaluations are great sources of objective, third-party evidence. CCK can help you obtain functional capacity, neurophysiological, and vocational evaluations.
CCK Can Alleviate the Stress of Dealing with the Insurance Company
Insurance companies should handle every LTD claim neutrally, but this does not always happen. In fact, insurance companies often prioritize their financial needs over the health needs of their clients. As such, they try to avoid paying claims whenever possible.
For example, it is not uncommon for an insurance company to employ surveillance tactics (i.e., hiring a private investigator to “spy” on claimants) or subject claimants to biased independent medical exams (IMEs). In either case, they will use the findings to create doubt and thereby give reason to issue a denial.
However, the long-term disability insurance attorneys at Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick know how these insurance companies operate. It is our goal to make sure these companies handle your claim fairly. We understand how stressful it is dealing with such companies. Therefore, CCK acts as a point of contact between you and the insurance company, so you never have to deal with them directly.
The process of filing a long-term disability claim is already stressful without having to deal with the insurance company. Even after your insurance company approves your claim, they may still ask for additional information and documentation. Our legal team can continue to represent you to ensure that your insurance company receives this additional information on time so that you may retain your LTD benefits and avoid a termination of your benefits.
Contact CCK Today for a Free Consultation
When you develop a medical condition that prevents you from working, you must consider filing for long-term disability benefits. The long-term disability lawyers serving Medfield, MA from Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick are here to help.
Call us today at 800-544-9144 for a free consultation concerning your claim or appeal and see how we may be able to help you.
Medfield Blog Posts
- Six Reasons You Need a Long-Term Disability Lawyer
If you have long-term disability (LTD) insurance, then you know it is a safeguard against losing your income if you find yourself unable to work due to a disabling health condition. You can generally purchase a long-term disability plan through your employer, or you can opt for a private plan purchased directly from an insurance […]
- Own Occupation vs. Any Occupation Long-Term Disability Insurance Policies
Your long-term disability (LTD) insurance policy will specify what definition of disability you need to meet in order to receive benefits. Many definitions of disability contain language specifying what occupation(s) you must be disabled from in order to meet the definition of disability. LTD policies commonly refer to these definitions as own occupation and any […]
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