[emu]

It is no secret that the private disability insurance carriers in the US are denying claims at an alarming rate. They will do whatever they can possibly do to get out of paying a claim.

If you research this on the internet you will find that the disabled people in this country who paid their premiums in good faith are being turned down in epidemic proportions when they become unable to work and turn to their insurance providers.

disabilityinsuranceforums.com is a message board that has some good information about private disability insurance. If you ask questions and search the forums don't forget these forums are hosted by professionals in the insurance business. I think they are UNUM/Provident claims managers. They still offer valuable assistance for those of us pursuing our claims, just be careful what you post.

I have found it to be a valuable tool since my DI company decided thay had paid me enough money and cancelled my claim a while back. I am on my second appeal.

Good luck to all of you going thru this process.

 

[doodlebee]

Unum Provident denied my LTD claim saying my condition was pre-existing. I didn't even know pre-existing applied to disability, and I couldn't get a copy of the policy from them to read the terms.

A few years later, I got a letter stating that my claim may have been denied in error, and I had "x" amount of time to respond and request a review. Unfortunately, I opened the letter after the deadline had already passed because I wasn't functioning much during the time it first came in the mail. I really could've kicked myself for that one!

 

[DiForums]

Hi Emu,

Just wanted to come over and let you know that the forum you mentioned above is not run by UnumProVident claims managers. I actually own and operate that site, and I run a sales agency for a completely different company. The people on the DiForums are there strictly to help people based on their experience. In the claims advice section, you'll receive advice from claims attorneys, claims advocates, agents, and others who have gone through a DI claim.

Good luck with your situation, but I just wanted you to understand who we were.

 

[emu]

Hi DiForums,

Thank you for clearing that up. For some reason I had an idea that a couple of the forum moderators worked for UNUM/Provident. Which company do you do sales for? I did figure it was set up by someone in sales.

.............. . Most of the posters are quite helpful which is why I recommend your site.

The fact that the site is owned by a carrier is reason enough to be careful what you post, is it not?

It's nice of you to host the site because it is quite helpful to read others' stories.

 

[emu]

Doodle,

I'm sorry to hear about your situation with the company. Has it been more than a year or two since you last heard from them?

You can have a condition for any number of years and not suffer from disabling effects. Most illnesses are progressive. The pre-existing condition clause is one insurance companies like to use (abuse). The mental health limitation is another one they like to try to pin on people.

If it hasn't been more than a year or two you might see if you can find an attorney to look at your case. I think you have 180 days to appeal your decision but the statute of limitations might be much longer than that due to the fact that they contacted you years later.

*edited to add - The statute of limitations varies from state to state and also depends on the type of claim you are filing. The more I mull this over the more I think that you must have at least two years to get an atty to file on this. It is worth making a phone call. Most attys will listen to your story and give you an opinion for no charge. There are attys who deal strictly with DI claims who will take your case on contingency. They typically handle the case for 30% of your winnings.*

There is no precident in law for your situation that I know of. The standard 180 days wouldn't seem to apply since they made contact outside of the time limitations set forth in their own handbook. If it can take them several years to review your decision, then shouldn't you have several years to reply. I would look into this and the statute of limitations in your state.

 

[Daisy5]

It is no secret that the private disability insurance carriers in the US are denying claims at an alarming rate. They will do whatever they can possibly do to get out of paying a claim.

If you research this on the internet you will find that the disabled people in this country who paid their premiums in good faith are being turned down in epidemic proportions when they become unable to work and turn to their insurance providers.

disabilityinsuranceforums.com is a message board that has some good information about private disability insurance. If you ask questions and search the forums don't forget these forums are hosted by professionals in the insurance business. I think they are UNUM/Provident claims managers. They still offer valuable assistance for those of us pursuing our claims, just be careful what you post.

I have found it to be a valuable tool since my DI company decided thay had paid me enough money and cancelled my claim a while back. I am on my second appeal.

Good luck to all of you going thru this process.

I am finding this also. I have had my policy since the late 80's. I have been denied, so am starting to appeal. They said if I could use my treadmill and do laundry I could still lift 50# , run specialized equipment on patients in an ICU. I can't even remember where the letters are on the keyboard, I can't think how to spell a word. I run into the walls in the hallways at home, I have started leaving the burner on or just forget I am boiling eggs and just walk off. My pcp has been sending paperwork in, I finally took pictures of my rash, receding hairline and mouth sores that according to my first rheumy don't exist and Unum says there is nothing wrong with me. My pcp liked the idea. And whats the worst your Unum contact person calls you up, when you are napping and asks "how are you doing?" You start to tell her and she just says, I'm so sorry do you have any questions.