For the last 3 and a half years, our client has been struggling with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). It took her nearly a year – and 10+ doctors – just to get a diagnosis. When her disability forced her to stop working as a District Manager at Starbucks in Sterling, IL, she was forced to file for short-term disability (STD) benefits. UNUM approved her claim and paid out all her STD benefits, then approved a claim for long-term disability (LTD) benefits.
After nearly 2 years, however, UNUM abruptly terminated our client’s LTD benefits, claiming our client was no longer disabled. Dabdoub Law Firm stepped in to set the record straight.
Every Day Is a Constant Battle with CRPS
In addition to submitting her medical records, letters from her doctors and loved ones, and every other piece of evidence UNUM could have possibly needed to approve her claim, our client kept a symptom diary.
She wrote:
“My symptoms are daily. They do not go away. Every day is a constant battle with CRPS.”
Over the years, our client has been desperate to manage her pain. Living in a small town in Illinois, she often made the trip to Chicago to pursue treatment. After the COVID-19 pandemic, she even went to Italy to try an experimental pain relief treatment.
Our client has done everything she can to treat and manage her medical condition, but she cannot do much of anything at all. She certainly cannot work with her long list of restrictions and constant pain in both arms.
UNUM tried and failed to surveil our client – twice. The insurance company did not collect any evidence that would disprove her claim because our client is disabled. She even went through a functional capacity evaluation (FCE) that was excruciating for her to attempt. Unsurprisingly, the FCE showed she was disabled.
Our client’s father is her primary caretaker and has written at length about the impact of her disability. So have our client’s medical providers.
What else does UNUM need to see?
UNUM Unnecessarily Jeopardized Our Client’s Financial Wellbeing
By overlooking our client’s “invisible illness,” and relying on its physician over CRPS experts, UNUM violated ERISA and put unnecessary financial pressure on our client. At times, our client lay in bed unable to do anything while she worried about having a roof over her head.
Dabdoub Law Firm carefully compiled all the evidence of our client’s disability and presented it to UNUM. The insurance company was able to see that our client’s condition had not improved since the time of her original approval for disability benefits. Due to a car accident that broke our client’s arm and damaged her neck and spine, in fact, she has only gotten worse.
Although our client tried to appeal UNUM’s initial denial, the insurance company just wouldn’t listen to her. Surely, it was not acting in her best interests as a policyholder.
Faced with the overwhelming amount of medical evidence and Dabdoub Law Firm’s involvement, UNUM had no choice but to reinstate LTD benefits on our client’s second appeal.
We are proud to have obtained a lump-sum settlement for our client’s retroactive benefits, as well as a reinstated monthly benefit.
Disability Insurance Companies Have Lawyers. Shouldn’t You?
Because Dabdoub Law Firm was created to focus on disability insurance, we have developed expertise in this complex area of the law.
Our expertise in long-term disability claims means our clients have the backing of a law firm with disability attorneys who:
- Are experts in disability claims.
- Have fought all major disability insurance companies and know their tactics.
- Demonstrate a track record of success at all levels of the claims process.
- Have won major disability lawsuits and improved the law for claimants like you.
- Recover millions of dollars in disability benefits.
All our lawyers commit every day of their legal career to helping people get disability benefits from UNUM, MetLife, Prudential, Northwestern Mutual, Hartford, CIGNA, and others.
Because federal law applies to most disability insurance claims, we do not have to be located in your state to help. We help clients nationwide.
Call us at (800) 969-0488 to get experienced disability lawyers on your side with:
- Submitting a disability insurance claim,
- Appealing a long-term disability denial,
- Negotiating a lump-sum settlement, or
- Filing a lawsuit against your disability insurance company.
Contact us online for a free consultation with a disability attorney.
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