Our client from Boca Raton, Florida, worked as a property manager and maintenance man for 30 years and planned to continue his career for the foreseeable future. In April 2020, he suffered a stroke that changed his physical and mental health forever. He was unable to work and had to receive round-the-clock caregiving from his daughter and mother afterward.
MetLife initially approved his claim for long-term disability (LTD) benefits and issued monthly payments for over a year before suddenly terminating his benefits for no acceptable reasons in March 2022. This has placed our client and his loved ones in a difficult position, especially as they have limited income sources outside of the disability benefits.
Shocked and harmed by MetLife’s insensitive reversal of action, our client and his family reached out to Dabdoub Law Firm to appeal the decision and resume LTD payments.
Our Boca Raton Client’s Stroke Resulted in Severe Cognitive Impairment
When our client experienced his life-threatening emergency in April 2020, he suffered both an aneurysm and a subsequent stroke, which severely and permanently affected his physical and mental condition.
In a letter from April 2022, our client’s primary care physician reports that despite some improvement, his “cognitive state still makes it impossible for him to be left alone.” She adds that he exhibits significant forgetfulness and even aggressiveness. His doctor concludes that he is very unlikely to ever be able to work again.
In the same month, our client’s neurologist wrote in a progress note that he still experiences short-term memory issues and has at least mild cognitive impairment.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) approved our client’s application for social security disability (SSDI) benefits after MetLife had recommended that he took this course of action. The SSA’s recognition of our client’s physical and mental impairment has remained active since then.
Our Client’s Daughter and Mother Shared Statements on His Daily Limitations
Following his stroke and resulting cognitive impairment, our client’s daughter and mother had to step in as his caregivers. Although they are grateful our client is still alive, his disability has caused much hardship for both women.
They both submitted letters detailing our client’s daily struggles and how the stroke has drastically affected his personality and mental health. His daughter also provided a recorded video statement. In all those documents, his daughter and mother report how our client’s behavior is now no more than infantile and how he cannot manage himself.
Our client’s daughter and mother have seen him:
- “Stay out in the heat for long periods of time”
- Become lightheaded after 10-15 minutes outside
- Be unable to maintain his balance
- Be unable to “remember or carry out a task”
- Require therapy “five days a week” with two of those spent on physical therapy and the others on cognitive rehabilitation
- Fight them over putting on deodorant, shaving, brushing his teeth, or any other personal cleaning
- Forget he has already eaten, be constantly hungry, and eat until he makes himself sick unless they “hide the food or lock the fridge”
They also had to upgrade our client’s pool with extended railings and widened pathways around the water to increase accessibility.
His mother and daughter have unsuccessfully tried several methods to improve his short-term memory. His daughter describes how our client went from being a dependable man she called her “savior” and “protector” to someone who needs constant supervision due to his physical and mental disability.
Our Boca Raton client’s daughter had to put her career on hold to help care for him no matter how his severe personality change has resulted in him lashing out at both her and his mother when he gets frustrated. Her father’s tantrums have involved yelling, cursing, and even biting.
MetLife Had No Acceptable Ground to Terminate Our Client’s LTD Benefits
Our client’s medical records and his daughter’s and mother’s statements show that he is unable to perform any full-time work or even basic everyday activities, including engaging in normal social interactions. He cannot resume his occupation as a maintenance supervisor in terms of intense physical demands, interacting with other people, or being mentally autonomous.
Although MetLife had originally understood our Boca Raton client’s health situation, the company breached its fiduciary duty when it defied all logic and terminated his benefits. Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), MetLife had to objectively review the provided evidence and act in our client’s best interest, which it failed to do to instead focus on its own self-interest.
Thanks to Dabdoub Law Firm’s dedication and submitting additional medical and non-medical evidence, MetLife approved the appeal and reinstated our client’s LTD benefits in the summer of 2022.
Disability Insurance Companies Have Lawyers. Shouldn’t You?
Our team created Dabdoub Law Firm to focus on disability insurance and 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 attorneys who:
- Are experts in disability claims;
- Fought all major disability insurance companies and know their tactics;
- Have a track record of success;
- Won major disability lawsuits that created good law; and
- Recovered millions of dollars in disability benefits.
All our lawyers commit every day to helping people get the disability benefits they deserve from Lincoln, Principal Financial, Ameritas, Mass Mutual, Mutual of Omaha, and other insurance providers.
Because federal law applies to most disability insurance claims, our team does not have to be located in your state to help. We help clients nationwide. You never have to worry about legal costs and fees because we do not get paid unless we win your case.
Call us today 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.
If you are ready to speak with one of our disability attorneys, contact Dabdoub Law Firm today at (800) 969-0488 for a free consultation.
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