Linda Nee is a Licensed Maine Life and Health Consultant with a specialty in management of disability income and employer ERISA claims. As a former Unum Life Insurance and UnumProvident employee, Linda now owns and operates Disability Claims Solutions, Inc., a company dedicated to providing insureds with expert disability claim consulting services.
Linda’s expertise is evident in her 98% success rate in providing consultative services to her clients. Clients are referred to Linda from physicians and attorneys as an expert in the management of disability claims.
Linda provides professional case management consulting to claimants and their physicians with a wide variety of resources available to insureds. Linda relies heavily on her 15-year combined experience in actual claims management and consulting to provide insureds, counselors, therpaists, physicians, attorneys and others with information useful in managing and reporting medical informtion reported to disability insurers.
Ms. Nee is dedicated to a fair, and objective disability claims review process. Linda publishes a monthly newsletter, and writes articles educating insureds with knowledge at least equal to that of the insurance companies who review claims.
Linda’s expertise is in providing fee-based professional case management services to individuals with private disability insurance. With over 15 years experience in the disability claims review process, Ms. Nee remains dedicated to insureds and claimants who have the right to be treated respectfully and fairly by their disability insurance company.
As a result of her claims expertise Linda is retained by those with private disability insurance and has a high success rate in providing insureds with consulting strategies for improved disability claim management. Ms. Nee is a trained contract specialist and assists claimants with policies for all of the major US disability insurers and reinsurers.
Linda Nee is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine and holds insurance credentials from the Health Insurance Association of America as an Health Insurance Associate, Disability Income Associate, and Disability Health Professional. Ms. Nee is also a Licensed Maine Life and Health Consultant with specialties in case managing disability income and long-term care claims.
After graduating from the International School of Brussels, Belgium, Linda began an interesting career as a young adult in Seoul, Korea. Employed as a member of the Federal Civil Service in Seoul, Linda worked as an executive assistant to the Naval Commander, Headquarters Eighth Army preparing itineraries for notable visitors such as Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon.
Upon her return to the United States Linda joined the Women’s Army Corps during the Viet Nam war and briefly assisted the Army Central Intelligence Department with undercover narcotics operations at an Army base located in the northeast.
In Maine, Linda was employed as an Assistant Professor of Accounting for a two-year local college and was eventually promoted to Accounting Department Chairman, Vice President of Academics, and Dean of Faculty and Students.
Linda’s well diversified international background contributes to her expertise as a consultant serving insureds and claimants throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Linda appeared in a BBC News America special a few years ago exposing Unum, and assists individuals in the UK with ideas to further support a fair process of medical welfare evaluation.
Over the years Linda has also developed expertise in managing fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, HIV/AIDS and other disabilities often targeted by disability insurers. Linda’s practice includes consulting assistance with initial applicaitons, on-going case management as well as appeals.
To speak with Linda about her services please call 207-793-4593.
Please put me on your mailing list. I have been disabled with private disabiltiy insurance for 4 years due to spinal injury and loss of bowel control.
Thank you!
William Hess
You know what Linda? I am willing to work with you since these great people at Unum want me to “just go away”.
I will be a loud voice with you. I got nothing to loose scince they dropped me.
Let me know what I can do.
Linda Please help me. I have been denied by Aetna 5 times for short term diability and then finally got it. Now I am going for long term and was denied I have to appeal. I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, arthritis, some disc bulges with one slightly herniated . The reports say that my nerves have not been touched, however I can not sit stand or walk very long.I have also been diagnosed with sleep apnea, depression, anxiety, and PTSD. The meds I take like Effexor, relafen, and oxicodone create more fatigue, confusion, and forgetfulness than one could imagine. I was denied beause I have a sededary job. I have taken a CT for my lower back if a person is lying down and not sitting, standing, or walking how can anyone say that my nerves are not effected. the pain is much greater when I perform those actions. I also have pain in my neck shoulders hands and feet. My doctor’s have been sending infomation to Aetna. I think they may be getting tired of the paperwork they have been doing for me with all the denials. what exactly do these insurance companies need?
Linda- received an email stating that I should respond to you if I want toi get a newsletter
please forward the monthly newsletters to me.
I am on LTD from *** since 1996 . 1st 2 years my company actually paid std and then ltd and then it shifted to ***.
After numerous fights- Fed court ruled in my favor after *** had cut me off for 4 years. i still have investigators follow me around occasionally.
I would really just like to get a settlement and have them out of my hair- any advice on that issue ?
Some disability insurers do not offer settlements easily, or fairly. Mass Mutual, for example, says it pays claims it should pay and denies claims that should be denied rather than “getting out from underneath” with a settlement. Prudential, The Standard, and The Hartford will only consider settlements under unique circumstances. That is not to say these companies DO NOT offier settments, but settlement is not actively part of their normal claims process. In this Unum many be unique. A settlement may be possible if the resolution is a win-win situation for both parties AND Unum has made a determination the claim is payable to maximum duration. No insurance company will settle a claim it can deny outright.
I’m glad the feds decided in your favor and I realize many people would like to have the peace of mind knowing they don’t have to look over their shoulder all the tiime. Still, if you have one of the insurers I mentioned a settlement may not be an immediate option. If your insurer is Unum there is nothing wrong in requesting a “settlement review” of your claim and then consider the option. Keep in mind this is not a great time to enter into settlements. Technically, any amount received should be invested at x interest rate to yield the future value of the policy. With interest rates at 1% or less that’s not going to be possible to invest the present value to yield future value especially when Unum uses an unrealistic discount rate of 4-5%. I’d like to know where you can invest the money at 4-5% these days!
Good luck. If you have any questions, please let me know.
I have emailed to you a few times about 8 years of invasive surveillance by Unum. Is there anything that can be done to stop it?
The quick answer is that there is nothing you can do to “stop” insurance surveillance. I have a strategy I suggest to my clients and I’ve placed some very good suggestions in my newsletters on the website. Insurance companies do have a right to investigate claims and make a determination as to whether you have what you and your doctors say you have. Having said that, insurers abuse the technique by invading privacy more so than is needed, and misinterpreting what is seen.
Sometimes insureds become so paranoid they believe there is a surveillance team in every bush, so some information might also be helpful to you. Insurers always conduct surveillance for three days – either Thursday, Friday and Saturday, or Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A three day surveillance can cost the insurance company around $1,500. It is not likley any insurer will continually conduct surveillance because of the cost. If the insured is found to not be active, then insurers are smart enough not to throw good money at bad.
Also, insurers do NOT spend money on surveillance if they don’t have liability for the claim. This eliminates about 98% probability of surveillance during the initial investigation before benefits are paid, and during appeal when there is no liability for the claim. Despite what some insureds come to believe surveillance is not conducted for weeks at a time, and probably only while benefits are being paid. Obviously, the purpose of surveillance is to eliminate a payable claim.
I hope this helps you.
I know this summer, during my current appeal, that there has been some survellience going on…since my house is very private and I don’t go many places, the amount of traffic/parked cars with someone just sitting in the vehicle in the church parking lot across the street has risen dramatically though now has dropped off just as noticeably. When I see a truck parked across the street that then shows up outside of Walmart as soon as I do, it’s pretty obvious. I have taken a lot of your advice and have every license plate # written down. But I don’t let it dominate my life. I have nothing to hide and don’t do anything that I have not stated that I can do or has my MD’s approval and never have.
Unum is also still spending money on MD’s and still trying to get one of my physicians to recant my R&L’s so they can uphold the termination for my own occ policy..as recently as 3 weeks ago they hired a 3rd MD to contact my surgeon.
Linda: How can I reach you to help me deal with UNUM who is doing exactly what it says in all your blogs. Wow…6 months of a nightmare with them.
Can you e-mail me a phone number I can reach you at?
Hello,
What a truly eye opening read!!
I am on long term disability with UNUM.. I have a 24 month duration(mental disorder), I am just into the second year.
My doctor has been called by an UNUM doctor, wanting to know all about my case, this is recent. Is this normal?
SSDI has denied me twice and I am now having to go to a hearing with a judge(date not set).
SSDI application is required by UNUM to continue to receive benefits.
I refused to have my photo taken when I had a “visit” by UNUM field rep….the refusal was noted by him and the doctor from UNUM mentioned this to my doc on his recent call, is there a reason why they think a refusal to be photographed is an issue???
Is UNUM starting the denial process?
Does UNUM offer a settlement on mental disorder policies??
Thanks so much
Nicole
Hello,
I heard that disability companies inappropriately use the neuropsych IME personality tests validity scales. For example I heard they made up a bogus ‘fake bad scale’ in personality tests that brands people who have genuine symptoms as liars. Also heard that there were some cases in Florida where judges have barred the scales as evidence. What’s the deal with this? One more thing to worry about? Maybe you could do a blog on this topic?
Not sure if this is the spot to post a comment of two? I practiced endodontics and became disabled in 2004 due to chronic degenerative disc disease and stenosis. Unum started paying payments from 2004 to just last week. I never underwent one of those functionally evaluation.
I had an owner occupational policy. I received a call earlier this week that Unum was discontinuing payments now due to activity i.e.
playing tennis. Seems to me that they have not only committed a breach of contract and have acted in bad faith.
I have hardly any money to afford a big legal battle. Is there a better or less expensive way to fight this denial.
The termination letter will arrive shortly. The agent said I could appeal. Yeah I get i how that is a waste of time. Can you tell me successful are appeals?
I mean really. Have their own docs etc review the file again and change their minds???
I’m really sorry this happened to you. It would seem Unum is on another roll of claim denials. I’d like to speak with you personally if you would like to call me. I can explain to you the information you are asking. Thanks for posting and again, I’m really sorry Unum denied your claim.
are you willing to talk directly by phone. I would like to talk about what lawyers are wanting? and what is the difference between one or another. They want the same. My lawyer seems to want to take a back seat by filing papers. I don’t believe them when they tell me to skip the appeal process. I don’t have any inclination to go the appeal process unless you think it would work. they are tell me that they have a connection and so we should file an appeal with the legal department. I would like your opinion. I feel like I am educating them as to why the insurance company began making payments for my condition. None of them seem to give a crap about I as endodontist per the owner occ. policy as the position I held all day treating patients. That is the initial reason I was receiving benefits without being observed as the insurance company was paying benefits. I was initially worked up by neurosurgeons who said I need two levels fused and if I went back to work I could stand the chance of having additional levels fused if I went back to work. I have realize that maybe I need to hire an endodontist who is disabled to speak out for me. Why not go after my benefits being reinstated without the lawyers getting a percentage of a settlement? Am I wrong. is there any way I can talk to you directly?
Of course you can call me by phone anytime.
Attorneys, well that’s a tall subject. Attorneys in general do not do “case management” and that’s a good thing because very few know anything about it. Some attorneys actually tell people to “wait out” the ERISA appeal period of 180 days because they don’t want to overturn a denial, they want to take the denial to court because that’s where their money is. In my opinion that’s not ethical mind you, but they still do it. This is a major difference from consultants who have the objective of restoring or getting benefits approved, not litigation.
Please feel free to call me anytime.
Hi Linda, I appreciate your blog very much., and as a former Accountant, turned writer I can truly say we are in the minority. My quick story is this; Parkinson’s at age 33… Dr’s advised disability (insured by unum) at age 37, I waited until age 42 (saved unum $100k++).. took SS 4 years to approve (why I don’t know, PD should have been automatic). Recieved ss
Kevin thanks for posting and welcome to the Blog. Some states have a tremendous backlog when it comes to evaluting and rendering SSDI decisions. I’m glad your Unum claim is not problematic and that you can at least have peace about that. Again, thanks for writing and tuning in to the Blog. Linda
Sorry, part 2… retro pay which unum askede for back… but they made my 18 year old son file for ssdi, which he recieved (being over 18) – I am not the custodial parent (divcorce). SS told me i have NO legal right to that $. But unum says I owe them $50K IN SSDI which I never received. My appeal to their lawyer team was denied, though the contract specifically says they may only reclaim any funds I recieve, they said his reciept was considered to be my receipt (no where in the contract does it state that). They tried to get to lump sum pay the SS retro, then they would work with me on the ssdi… bull. I refused and they immediately stopped my benefit to repay their claim. I set aside the ss retro and drew it out at the same rate they would have paid me. Now exhausted, they still say I owe the $50k in ssdi. thoughts?
I am so happy I came across this web site! I keep signing and signing and signing releases of information for my team of Dr’s who finally became so disgusted with the harassment of UNUM that one of the Dr’s, the Rheumatologist said “I AM ABLE TO RETURN TO WORK FULL TIME WITH EXTREME LIMITATIONS.” It was a trick on UNUM part the way they worded it. This is not the primary Dr that states my disability, but this could be very damaging to me. Also, I have been disabled for 3 years, but only claiming disability since April 2010. I was originally denied by UNUM. Then UNUM found out that I was approved by SSDI and then they overturned their decision. Since then I have received in excess of up to 15 mailings/requests per month. I have talked with my attorney about UNUM and he said he would be more than happy to send UNUM a letter about their behavior but, of course, I will have to pay my attorney. I wonder if there is some Federal Agency that can get involved? Well, no matter, tomorrow I will call my attorney. I do not have the strength to deal with this… I am terminally ill.
Will you please include me in your monthly blog.
thank you
h merson
Howard I think you must be thinking of the monthly newsletters which is now only sent out with a paid subscription. Thanks.
Linda, you asked me to call you subsequent to my last comment, but I cannot find your number listed on the blog…can you email it to me. Thank you so much for being an advocate and an educator…you cannot know how relieved I feel knowing that there is someone out there lending credence to the turmoil imposed on claimants by Unum and its unethical disability “insurances” and practices.
jms
Linda.
How do I subscribe to the monthly newsletter and what is the subscription cost? Also, could you advise as to the cost for your advocacy services?
I wish I’d found your information prior to applying for SSDI and my subsequent utilization of SSDC that was strongly encouraged by Unum! Do you have any pertinent information about SSDC?
The more I read in your blog, the more concerned I’ve become as to the amount of access Unum has to all of my personal information via forms I’ve probably signed in good trust, as well as SSDI claim/info via the SSDC folks.
Thank you,
PJ
SSDC’s website says the following: SSDC is dedicated to our corporate partners and our disability clients through innovation, commitment, and excellent customer service. The key here is “dedicated to our corporate partners…looking for offsets.” If you wish to obtain information about becoming a client please feel free to give me a call. Thanks for posting.
I have a question for you Linda I have 2 private disability policies I paid both for over 20 years after a cervical fracture and 2 extensive operations at age 58 in April 2007 I went on disability through my employers company the Hartford I also after wait periods went on disability with both the John Hancock and Paul Revere policy administered by UNUM. and have been on SS Disability effective oct 07 They are now after 3 years of paying asking me if I want to settle for roughly 2 Thirds of what their payments to term will be. While I could be comfortable with that amount as I have other money I am wondering if it is wise to either ask for more or tell them no Ill Take the payments over the next 36 months. two or three months ago they put me on a schedule of reporting to them only once a year with a Doctors Exam. To me admiting I am not getting better in their eyes. I would be happy with about 80% of those payments, not 60% is that reasonable?
Although Unum gives a great deal of lip service to “net present value” its real trigger for settlement maximum is 80% of the financial reserve. The question then is really what is the financial claim reserve? Generally, Unum won’t tell you claiming the information is “proprietary and confidential”. This makes offers and counteroffers a game of guessing. As you may know Unum calculates the policy present value and the offers you 60-65% of the net present value minus a mortality value. The company is also using approximately 4.2% discount rate which is unlikely to be earned in this economy.
Unum doesn’t “dicker” all that much. You can make a count-offer but again if you are asking for more than 80% of the financial reserve Unum will not agree to your counter-offer. It doesn’t hurt to ask for more money what do you have to lose? If Unum says no, you can still accept the prior offer or continue to receive monthly benefits. Good luck to you and thanks for posting.
If I dont accept can they deny payment at a future time ive heard they do that. I only need to report to them every august as of recently, can they go back to requireing more dr reports. also im 62 in june and they are using a 150% mortality rating due to my cervical fracture..that is in their interest not mine right, mortality over 3 years is a strech dont you think? thank you for your help
I have to say that Unum does not impose any type of risk penalty for refusal to accept a settlement offer. Of all the things Unum does wrong this is not one of them. You do not need to fear retribution if you refuse the offer.
You can’t really dispute mortality values with Unum. A 150% mortality means you are one and a half more times likely to die than anyone else probably related more to your age than impairment. I find that reasonable given your age.
Given our current economy decisions to accept lump sum settlements should be considered very carefully. It is unlikely the average person would be able to invest the money at x interest rate to yield the future value of the policy. This is difficult if you have to live off of the money each month.
Bye.
Hi, I just found your site and appreciate all the info provided here. I am currently on SSDI (approved 09) and have been collecting LTD payments from UNUM starting 2008.
I recently received a call advising me I am up for review and that I will recieve paperwork in the mail (which I did).
They sent a release of info request form for SSDI, I assume I have to sign it correct?
They also sent me a form for my doctor to complete re: updated medical info to include RFC info
I am fearful they are going to deny me future payments. I routinely see my doctor for treatment. My condition has not improved and is not expected to improve.
Any comments or suggestions????
It sounds as though Unum is asking for a current update of your claim which has been paid for three years. You should ask your physician to complete the form making sure he/she is very specific about your medical restrictions and limitations. Also, I would request a copy of all patient notes from all physicians since the last time you either sent them in or knew they were updated. Do this yourself so you can be sure of what Unum has and doesn’t have.
Given the current climate in how Unum is behaving I know it must be scary to be asked for an update. However, all disability insurers have the right to ask for “continuing proof of claim.” It’s not the request for an update that should bother you, but watch the written communications afterward for hints of continuing “risk mangement” i.e. requests for financial information, potential surveillance, requests for field visits etc. Do the very best job you can in providing Unum with ALL of your medical records making sure your physican fully completes the APS statement. Thanks for posting. If you have any other questions, please let me know.
I recently recieved my SSDI and retro benefits. My LTD provider took all of it as overpayment. My children that live with there mother, recieved retro benefits as well. My ex was the payee for SS. I didnt recieve there money she did. Now my LTD wants their money as well for overpayment. They have suspended my offset that I get to repay it. Can they legally make me have to pay back benefits I never recieved.
Hi Jason. In the past disability insurers took into consideration whether or not the non-custodial spouse received any actual “benefit” from dependent awards. For example, suppose your children and ex-wife received a SSDI benefit because of your disability, but you were still required to pay child support to your ex-wife. Then, you wouldn’t really have gotten a benefit from the dependent award at all, and the insurance companies didn’t offset your monthly benefit. If, however, while receiving dependent SSDI, your ex-wife forgave the payment of child support you would have received a benefit from the SSDI dependent awards and the insurer did offset for the awards. Disability insurers attempted to give the non-custodial spouse a break if in fact no real financial benefit was received.
Unfortunately today, disability insurers do not care whether you receive an actual financial benefit or not. If your policy says the company can offset for dependent SSDI, then most insurers enforce that part of the contract without question. The best you can do is to convince the ex to waive child support while receiving SSDI so you don’t get hit twice for dependent support.
These are issues that should be addressed with your federal senators and HR representatives so that the system can be changed. You can also write a complaint to the Social Security Administration, or send one to the Senate Finance Committee, attention: Senator Grassley.
In short disability insurers can recapture money for any policy contract provision that allows them to including dependent awards to non-custodial spouses and dependent children. It isn’t fair and we need a public outcry.
Thanks so much for your speedy reply.. She has forgiven the child support and I no longer have to worry about that. I just dont see how I can payback what I never recieved. Why do they not go to her for the money they legally say is their’s. Instead of penalizing me further..
The insurance company will come to you because you are the one who is party to the contract. The logical solution would be to negotiate with your ex to either waive the child support or pay back the overpayment. How successful do you think negotiations with the ex will be?
Not good. Write to your senator and complain.
Just wanted to thank you for the service you are providing!! I am so thankful I do not have to deal with UNUM! I count my blessing every day. I worked for a non-profit pharmacy and had no problems with my LTD. They reviewed my case last year and approved me until 2024, which is the year I would retire. I also had the full support of my Dr. and he would sit with me and we would fill out the forms together. When I had to fill out my Active Daily Living form for SSDI, since I worked in pharmacy, I had no clue how to answer the questions, and called my case worker. Since I worked 4 different pharmacies, each was different, the drugs were on different shelves, so how could I say how much reaching I did each day etc. When I explained my job to her, she understood and took care of it. Luckily I was approved in 3 months on the 1st try. I also did alot of research! The key words “extreme edema” had to be in the Drs notes, so he put them in. He also added diagnoses that he had seen me for over the last 25 yrs. and as the pain increased, he added depression and anxiety…per SSDI, these are accepted diagnoses when you are in horrible pain. I must say both LTD and SSDI looked at the whole picture. I am now helping others with LTD & SSDI so they know what to expect and can be prepared for the battle. I really can’t thank you enough for your articles on IME’s and workers comp. My nephew is having an IME on Tuesday, and now he will know what to expect. There were many many great points in your articles. To all of you that are fighting for what is yours….Keep Fighting even when you have no fight left! There is alot of great information on the web, use it to your advantage and take advantage of any influential people including the media. Whatever….don’t give up! You are entitled to your benefits! Again, thanks so much for your help!
Thank you very much for your feedback. Sometimes it seems as though the advocacy role is indeed lonely at times. But, I appreciate all of your kind words and am glad the information posted here helped. Good luck to you.
Again I just want to thank you for the information on a LTD case I am helping someone with that received a traumatic brain injury and needs some help. It was not my intention to give advice, only what I have been thru that had helped me with my LTD and SSDi. I guess I offended some people….not my intention by any means. I am sorry for that. I will unsubscribe from this site, so as to not upset anyone else. Thanks again for your information and wish everyone happy outcomes.
Thank you for your response to my inquirey above. May I ask what a APS statement is?
The paperwork they sent has the typical function listings such as sitting, standing walking etc with check boxes for never, occasional,frequent, continuous. No where does it request a description as to why. Is there specific RFC criteria that qualifies for contining disabilty?
As stated above, they are also requesting release of information from SSDI, I assume I have to sign it, correct?
Thank you for any additional advise you can provide. I echo the above poster and say thank you again for this web site.
APS stands for “Attending Physician Statement”. If you look at the title of the physician’s form Unum sends it should tell you “Physician’s Statement.”
No, you do not have to give up your SSDI file. Unum only requests it to encourage regulators into thinking it considers your SSDI’s decision when making their own. Unum really doesn’t care much about SSDI’s decision, but it sure looks good in the file if regulators are watching.
Linda,
Thank you for answering the question relative to Unum’s request to sign off on SS’s records…I have been asking everyone about this…I believe it is an audacious request and that it violates my privacy as there is other info included in the SS record that is not directly related to my LTD claim. I did not sign the first set of request documents and the Unum rep who connects with my intermediary (my sister) said they were needed and forwarded another set to me (almost within hours, it seemed). I have not signed that set either and based on your advice feel confident in my decision. Thank you so much for clarifying this for me and for your continued help and clarifications. If only we could multiply you so all the disability insurance injustices could wiped away. jm
Thank you. The only reason why Unum wants the SS file is because the multistate regulators forced Unum to consider SSA’s opinion before rendering their own. If they can at least get their hands on the file, it makes it seem as though they did even when the company completely ignored it. It’s not mandatory. The final key is that no Unum policy requires anyone to provide a copy of their SSA file. If it isn’t in the contract policy, you don’t have to do it. Good luck.
Thank you for your prompt reply and clarification on my questions.
My only remaining questions is related to how they interpret the RFC ratings, any comment?
RFC ratings? Dont’ get it.
Residual Functional Capacity
What I’m going to suggest you do is look up on the Internet the US Department of Labor’s Functional Standards. For the most part disability companies follow the US DOL standards for physical functional capacity. For example, lifting up to 10 pounds, sitting frequently with occasional standing are indicative of “sedentary” work capacity. You can print these guidelines from the Internet and keep them handy.
hi linda i had a policy with unum i was awarded 100% s.s.d. however unum says i do not meet their definition of disabeled
This makes perfect sense. Unum forces everyone to apply for SSDI and when awarded collects the retroactive overpayment. Then, Unum denies the claim alleging the insured really isn’t disabled at all. In all fairness all disability insurers do the same thing and it’s terrible state insurance commissioners allow such provisions in group policies, or the actions that take place afterward. Please make sure you appeal, or at least file a complaint with SSA and the US Department of Labor.
thank you for your responce i did appeal and unum still says regardless that i was awarded s.s.d. i do not meet their requirements
Linda,
My neuropsych IME report (severe anxiety and depression with physical symptoms) from over two years ago concluded that I’m not faking, exaggerating, nor likely to fully recover from my psych illnesses ‘in my profession’…with a lifetime benefits provision. I did find the personality test (MMPI) traumatic, post traumatic and exhausting and truly would never be able to withstand it again. I worry about this. I did research around including the DSMIV, Personality Disorders; Diagnostic Features — criteria A-F, 2011 edition 2011 —Personality testing is not normally used to diagnose recovery and that personality tresting is to establish ‘General Personality Construct’ …that the theory behind personality testing IS stability in personality, not treatment effectiveness. I fear the validity scales because I feel sooo ambivalent (due to my ‘severe anxiety’ diagnosis plus distraction) on each test item. Would they normally require re-administration of a personality test?
So my question is, ” Is my research justification for either me, an advocate, consultant or attorney to resist the potential re-administration of a personality test in the future IF one were wanted by my private disability insurance company?
Bless you!
Unfortunately, the insured does not have any control regarding the “make-up” of the battery of tests administered by the evaluator. In fact, I’ve written on several occasions that many neuropsychological tests are stacked against the insured just by omitting or adding tests which disprove impairment and disability. The insured, or better yet, the insured’s neuropsycholgist does not have any input into the actual tests administered by the IME evaluator. Therefore, any IME neuropsychologist can manipulate test scores and final results just by choosing inappropriate tests which are not indicators of a particular diagnosis on the DSM-IV.
But no, to answer your question, not the insured or any representative or treating physician has any input into the actual battery of tests selected by an IME evaluator – a really sad testament to the process. Thanks for posting.
As follow up, I heard that if the treating therapist were to write a letter with this theory I described – in support of the insured/patient- about not being subjected to inaprroprite tests, then insured’s attorney could file a motion/objection in court to protect me with probable success. What do you think?
The strategies you describe are not affective and are expensive to put into play. Consider – you spend $30,000 in court costs to prevent administering certain tests. Six months later the insurance company has a contractual right to require another IME, and another, and another etc.
The better strategy here is to have the raw data from the IME sent to an independent neuropsychologist for evaluation and comment. Don’t allow the insurance company to have a medical consensus about anything.
The insurance company has contractual authority AND discretionary authority to send you for IMEs as “frequently as it deems reasonable.”
I don’t know where you are getting your information from, but if you want to be sure consult an attorney in your state to determine what legal remedies are available to you. From a claims perspective I don’t think what you describe will produce the results you are looking for.
Sis
Hi Linda
I think what you are doing for people is great. I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS but I would like to speak to you by phone or e-mail. I hope it is ok with you to do both. I have receive papers from unum and not sure what to do need help. I HAVE A LAWYER WHO IS WORKING WITH ME CONCERNING AN ACCIDENT, but I AM NOT SURE ABOUT USING THEM TO FILE For ssd. Due to some of the paper work I have to sign I don’t understand. Oh, don’t get me wrong I TRUST AND KNOW MY LAYWER AND HIS STAFF AND THEY LOOK OUT FOR ME THEY CALL TO CHECK ON ME TO MAKE SURE AM OK . BUT THE SSD LAYWER I’m not sure of. just giving you a bit about my situation. please response asap HELP!answer soon.
SIS
HI Linda my e-mail jgreen136@triad.rr.com
My husband obtained his LTD policy while working for a large corporation in Texas. His company offered him a disability policy and he paid the premiums himself. Aetna is the insurance company. My husband went on disability Feb 2009 and his job was elimininated March 2009. He is still on LTD and Aetna administers the claim.
1. Who is considered the “policy holder”
2. Who is required to provide the copy of the policy
3. Is the policy under state or federal law?
These are very good questions! Your husband’s employer is the policyholder, your husband is the certificate holder, and Aetna is the insurer. Both the employer and Aetna are fiduciaries to the Plan and are required under ERISA to provide a copy of the policy when requested. The policy sounds as though it is an ERISA policy and therefore has federal jurisdiction. The fact that your husband paid the premiums does not disqualify the policy from being an employer sponsored ERISA Plan. His policy is said to be “contributory” because he pays the premium. Nice job……the benefits will be nontaxable as well.
I received a copy of the policy from Aetna with this statement included:
“The Certificate may be an electronic version of the Certificate on file with your Employer and Aetna Life Insurance Company. In case of any discrepancy between an electronic version and the printed copy which is part of the group insurance contact issued by Aetna Life Insurance Company, or in case of any legal action, the terms set forth in such group insurance contract will prevail. To obtain a printed copy of this Certificate, please contact your Employer.”
Then, I called Aetna and the Employer and asked for the copy of the policy from the Employer because of the statement above. They WILL NOT comply. Do you think I should pursue this further or just accept the policy that Aenta sent me. Thanks jw
I would accept the copy of the policy Aetna sent to you AND at the same time report your employer to your regional EBSA (US Department of Labor)office for ERISA disclosure violations. Unfortunately, it’s getting to the point where we have to hold both employers and Plan Administrators accountable.
I am writing on behalf of my father. My father has had numerous heart attacks, a stroke, etc, and has had open heart surgery, which he was never the same afterwords. Anyways, he was on short term disability with RSLI and then that turned into long term disability. RSLI told my dad that in order for him to receive payment of long term disability that he needed to sign forms that would allow them to file for Social Security Disability Income on his behalf and that any back pay he received would be theirs (am unsure how they calculated the amount that they thought he would get back). Obviously, filing for SSDI that was the right track to take — but not through them. My dad got approved for SSDI and received back-pay (a deductible source of income/offset) totaling approximately $20,000. He allowed RSLI to auto deduct that amount from his bank account after he deposited the check. Now RSLI is claiming that they are temporarily ceasing his payment of the difference they were making-up due to the overpayment they had been paying as they didn’t receive enough reimbursement from SSDI for the ‘offset/back-pay’. They left a message for my father saying that if he didn’t pay them $10,601.41 then their payments to him would not resume until January 2012. This does not make sense to me as how are then entitled to amounts my father didn’t receive from SSDI back pay? Also, he was entitled to the payments as his long term disability claim was approved by them since he is disabled. How can they come back and apparently be seeking reimbursement for a substantial amount of money that my dad was entitled to under the long term disability policy? If my father had not been approved for SSDI, then they would be stuck paying him 100% instead of practically only half. Besides, it doesn’t make any sense for my father to pay money out of his pocket (that he earns interest on at the bank) just so he can receive those funds back as monthly premiums. Bottom line: They are wanting complete reimbursement for the claim amount paid to my dad because they are not satisfied with only receiving what my dad got from SSDI as retroactive pay. This entire thing does not make sense. Perhaps he should have hired an attorney of his choice to handle his LTD benefits and to seek SSDI on his behalf. We need some advice. Thanks.
Sabrina-so sorry to read about your father’s health. All I can recommend is to hire Linda to help him. I did and am extremely pleased! My LTD claim was approved at the 24 month change in definition because of Linda’s assistance. Lawyers are a huge rip-off. Linda charges a very fair fee for her services. Good Luck to you and your father.
Hi and thank you.
I am on LTD through Unum. They’re annoying but I’m doing ok with them. It has been 6-7 Months since I was injured, about 4-5 since short term ended and long term began. I understand that they must pay me up to 2 yrs as long as I cannot do my specific job, and after that if I cannot do any job. However if my employer replaces me this month, am I still entitled to 2 yrs. of benefits, assuming all parties agree I still cannot do the duties of that j0b? or do I now have to demonstrate I cant do any job, because that job has been given to another person? Thank you so much if you can answer this. I know they will replace me at work this month and I am worried about losing my benefits even though I am still too disabled to do the work I was doing.
Linda, thank you so much for all your information and support. With luck, I have come upon your website with great timing. I have a private long term disability insurance policy through new york life insurace which I had for over 17 years. I was diagnosed with fibro and lupus. For the past 3 years, I have been receiving full disability benefits administered by Unum. I have been working hard to return to work (not in my former occupation but in another which will accommodate my restrictions/limitations) with support from my doctor. Several days ago, I was informed by Unum claims handler that I must submit to an examination by their IME. Your website was of tremendous value in waking me up to what Unum plans to do; however, I am very unclear about my rights with respect to what Unum can dictate (such as reservation of rights) versus what is defined in my original NYLC policy. What has your experience been like dealing with NYLC insurer with Unum as third party administrator? Also, what is the best way to contact you as I reside in California. Looking forward to your feedback.
Field Interview Requirement Question.
I have received a letter from Unum requiring I meet with a Personal Visit Consultant.
My question is: Two weeks prior to this letter I given my Unum Claims Representative (I consider them a Unum Rep.) all the time they wanted (63 minutes) on a phone interview am I required to meet with a Personal Visit Consultant within such a short time frame?
My policy has this statement: “We may require you to be examined by a physician, other medical practitioner and/or vocational expert of our choice. Unum will pay for this examination. We can require an examination as often as is reasonable to do so. We may also require you to be interviewed by an authorized Unum Representative.”
Within two weeks of the phone interview I received a letter dated Sept. 1st saying, “We have received updated records from doctors and have determined that we need additional information from you.” “In order to obtain the information needed to better understand your current condition(s) we are requiring you to meet with our Personal Visit Consultants. “We are requiring that you schedule a time and date to meet with our consultant within the next 30 days”. “Failure to comply with out request may jeopardize your eligibility for additional benefit consideration.” “Once we have reviewed the additional information requested we will inform you of our decision.”
A bit of background. I’m a former retail manager who was required to work in excess of 40 hours per week. My policy states in the Material and Substantial Duties clause: “Unum will consider you able to perform that requirement if you are working or have the capacity to work 40 hours per week.”
A lower back injury left me unable to perform my management job with numerous physical restrictions including my being restricted from working more than 30 hours per week. Because my employer could not make exceptions I lost my job of 31 years. I “wanted to work’ but because of the limitations no one would hire me so twice I tried to start my own business thinking I could work around the restrictions as my own employer. I found that when I got stressed or my customer needs pushed me closer to working 40 hours a week I would experience a flare up of back and leg pain preventing me from getting things done or being dependable to my customers. Not profitable and very frustrating causing more stress. The pain flare ups radiate down my leg and make it very hard to walk more than a few feet and even effect my ability to think clearly.
I’ve been on LTD for almost 9 years 7 of which I sincerely tried to work so I could get off disability. After 6 years of trying I quit my business 19 months ago when flare ups started getting more frequent and painful. Though I’m not working now I continue to have flare ups for reasons unknown. Years ago my Doctors told me this would happen and I needed to be careful or I could end up in a wheel chair. Mostly due to financial reasons I have just dealt with my random flare up periods. The doctor told me years ago I could expect this so I didn’t go to the doctor knowing they would subside after a while.
I’ve seen my general doctor over the past couple years for basic checkups and discussed my back problems with her, not her specialty. Last year when I was having a bad flare up she sent me for an X-ray then referred me to my original back doctor. I went. Believing I was just going to have to deal with a permanent condition I had not seen him for several years because of this he couldn’t really tell me much and suggested doing another injection for which I didn’t have the money to do. Realizing that I need to have my conditioned monitored more frequently I have just contacted my former back doctor to see if he will again take me on as a patient for my own concerns as well as being able to provide Unum with the physician information they want. My Unum Rep had told me not to worry about it when these recent doctor visits resulted in the doctors saying they couldn’t really provide the information Unum requested about my condition.
Hello, thank you for the great information on this blog! I am currently out on disability due to cardiac arrhythmia, depressive disorder, anxiety state and other symptoms that go along with it. All of these are directly related to work as I have been in an abusive environment where I have been yelled at, hung up on, and asked to violate policy. This has been ongoing for six months (it started after a new office location assignment – I have been with the company for several years). HR did nothing to help me until it was too late.
Aetna has denied my claim for short-term disability benefits. Although my doctor has stated all of the above in my charts and letters Aetna states, “We are unable to recommend support of functional impairment without clinical information to substantiate a functional impairment from your own occupation. In order to substantiate functional impairment, your provider would have to submit clinical information that indicates specifically why you are unable to perform the essential functions of your job.” What exactly are they looking for? I am at a loss here.
Thank you!
Hello, I am interested in consulting you – how can I reach you? I am a middle aged insured who is looking at buying more private disability insurance. I have held policies since I was a young person and never filed a claim. However, my coverage is not quite adequate and I think I need more protection. Although I could get employer sponsored policy, which would be cheaper, this is not portable and in this job market putting money in that seems pretty risky. On the other hand, I wonder if I should take the risk of being under insured when I read about how hard it is to get paid on a claim I love working and like most people fear disability and am willing to pay for peace of mind. But this seems all about risk weighing: maybe there is risk in paying major money in premiums for a policy that I never need; or that I need but won’t pay out. My insurer is one of the bad faith companies – originally I dealt with Guardian but they seem to have sold the policy to Berkshire. Is there a way to speak with you to find out if it is worth buying more?
I’d love to speak with you. My contact information is in the “About Linda” tab. Thanks for posting. Your comments and concerns are very typical for the current environment.
As a client of DCS I want to tell everyone that reads this blog how extremely satisfied I am with the service I receive. Thank you Linda and DCS!
Linda- I find your website very helpful. I have been out on disability for almost 2 years and my claim has been classified as a mental and nervous claim. I orignally became disabled in december of 2009 with a diagnosis of severe depression and anxiety. One of my problems was a cognitive deficit with short term memory loss which was confirmed by a board certified neurologist whose reoprt shows cognitive impairment, demential, frontal lobe syndrome. My disability has been confirmed by neuropsycological testing a full day. I was awarded social security on first try. Over the past two years I have pursued my cognitive disorder with many physicaans and was evaluated for chronic fatigue syndrome and had mris and mras of my brain.
I have an individual policy with mass mutual which limits benefits to 24 mos for mental and nervous disorders as any disorder classified in the dsm,etc. I am in the process of being evaluated by a famous reputable medical center in new york city who has a memory disorders program and just completed a new test to diagnose alzheimers. I am awaiting the results but the doctor has indicated that I probably have alzheimers which was the root of my symptoms-memory loss- inability to learn new things, confusion, etc.
If I am diagnosed with alzheimers do you think the insurance company would reconsider my case for benefits beyond the 24 month mental limitation?
I have done some research on the dsmIV and it is decades old. It is in the process of revision and michael first, md the cochair of the dsm iv tr (text revision) says that the dsmIV tr (test revision will contain a “cautionary statemenIt is to be understood that inclusion here, for clinical and research purposes of a diagnostic category does not impy that the condition meets legal or other non medical criteria for what constitues mendtal disease, mental disorder or mental disability.” He alsoHe also indicates
None of the diagnoses in the dsm system were intended to define mental illness
None of the diagnoses in the dsm were intended to inform third party payments.
The dsmiv tr includes “anything that mental health clinitians, researchers or other proffessionals might discuss. Goal was to be inclusive as possible
Please keep in mind the intent of the DSM-IV and how insurance companies choose to use it are two different things. I do understand its use by psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, however, the DSM-IV is used by disability insurers to its own advantage and end. As with many other things an insurance company does, there is always an agenda and strategy to use diagnostics to discount disability. Thanks for your post!
HI Linda. I work in the medical profession and never new how complicated applying for disability could be. In 2006 i had 3 stents put in my LAD (left anterior descending artery). I had 2 MIs (myocardial infarction) but no damage to the heart. last year failed my stress test and had PCI to baloon artery open and was fine. After being out of breath for 8 months, failed stress test went though PCI and they found 100% occluded LAD. Apparently i should have been dead 8 months ago, but grew collateral circulation (natural bypass). problem is that i still have trouble breathing. I tried going back to work but found that cant due to shortness of breath. I have had unum for last 3 or 4 years. Will they deny my disability claim and claim that its a preexisting condition? If so, isnt this a violation of 1997 HIPA act? I guess what im trying to find out is what exactly are my chances of getting STD/ LTD?
Hello George. Insurance company decisions are so flaky I never give probability answers. We just don’t know what the insurance company will do with any one claim, and it would be inappropriate for me to give you an answer one way or the other. What I CAN tell you, is that if you meet the definition of disability in your policy, the insurer should pay you. From what you’ve told me, and depending on the material and substantial duties of your occupation, you may not be able to work. Cardiac claims are reviewed looking for stress test results including METS, Ejection Fraction, fatigue, shortness of breath, and exhaustion levels. If you are having SOB, your EF may be less than 50% which is considered impairing. Ask your cardiologist to well-document your medical restrictions and limitations including your surgeries and procedures. Obtain all of your patient notes.
Clearly, an individual who is having SOB can’t work in an occupation which requires significant physical activity. However, if you have a disability policy and meet the definition of disability therein, you should file the claim. Good luck to you.
Hi Linda
I have been on SSDI for 4 years AND a private disibility company for the same. It is an old policy , noncancelable with a good tax free payment to 65.
I’m 57,with a rare pelvic Nerve Pain in the wrong place issue big time. In 4 years I have had 20 procedures ranging from Nerve Block To RF Ablation, Botox shots, Neurostimulater implant along with many other medical issues. I was dumbfounded when the carrier Mass Mutual made me a Settlement offer-me with 7.5 years to go until 65.Obviously it is for substanial less then I would have received in full at 65. The potential loss is 85k if I made it to 65 either ok or somehow they cancel benefits. It’s very lucky for me that I bought this 27 years ago and kept the $1000 yearly premium paid. It is not involving workers comp and the monthly is no-taxable as should the settlement. I feel targeted by them and now will perhaps be followed and watched. I have not much life with burning nerve pain in 2 wrong places, and ready for another specific block.
I feel that if I cave in on the cash(we can get by without it) but everyone iws warning me that the Insurance Company will make me even more miserable and with more pain.
If you email me I’ll share the numbers and in need of advice. This is very hard!
It sounds as though you have Pudential Pelvic Disorder which is indeed very painful. I have assisted many insureds with claims for such disease. Insurance settlements are life choices and rarely will the insured be offered the future value of the claim. If an insured is only willing to settle for 100% of the future value, then an insurance settlement is not for him/her. Most insurers will not offer more than 80% of the financial reserve and expect to realize at least 20% profit on any settlement offer. Further, in today’s environment it is unlikely any insured would be able to invest the lump sum at x interest rate in order to earn the future value. Generally, insureds who must live on the settlement money each month, as opposed to otherwise being independently wealthy, will have a hard time paying bills long-term.
Having said that, some insureds want to “get out from under” the insurance company at any cost. Some people cannot tolerate the constant “looking over their shoulder” that disability insurers put people through.This is why I often say “settlements” are life choices. If an insured can say specifically receiving benefits from an insurance company “adds” or “contributes” to their medical disability in any way, such as increasing pain, depression or stress, then it might be time to settle the claim and move on in life. Whatever your circumstances are, no insurance company “settles” for the full future value of claims. Good luck to you.
Linda – I am a working tax attorney and the firm has a Unum LTD policy that provides the 2 year limitation for “all disabilities due to mental illness and disabilities based primarily on self-reported symptoms. According to policy “Mental illness” means a psychiatric or psychological condition classified in the DSM. Such disorders include, but are not limited to, psychotic, emotional, or behavioral disorders, or disorders relatable to stress. Unum will not apply the mental illness limitation to dementia if it is as a result of: Alzheimer’s disease; or other conditions not listed which are not usually treated by a mental health provider or other qualified provider using psychotherapy, psychotropic drugs or other similar treatment. I have just been diagnosed with Diabetic Encephalopathy. Am I stuck with the 2 year limitation?
The mental and nervous provision does not pertain to you. Your primary diagnosis of diabetic encepthalopathy can be clearly and objectively diagnosed by your endocrinologist as a serious side effect of your diabetic condition which is physical. Even though you may suffer from cognitive issues, your diagnosis is physical in nature resulting from a diabetic condition that was uncontrolled, or not very well controlled for some time. Another way of looking at this is that diabetes is the underlying cause of your permanent disability, not the encephalopathy.
It would not surprise me if Unum requires you to submit to a neuropsychological evaluation to deterine whether or not the encepthalopathy is severe enough to preclude work. However, the condition should be considered physical and not mental. Please make sure in your patient notes and forms your doctor fills out that he/she specifically describes the physical nature of the condition, causes, and severity. If Unum gives you a hard time about this, give me a call and consider coming on board as a client. Thanks for posting.
Dear Linda, I am getting an enlightenment reading some of the questions and responses in your blog. I am writing about my wife, Kim, who has been collecting LTD since 2001 from the Hartford, luckily without any significant negative ins./claim issues. We live in Mass. and my question is that she only applied( and was denied) once soon after leaving work due to Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis. She now has 2ndary progressive M.S. with mobility and cognitive issues. Should she try to re apply for SSDI, even though we were denied due to her”not working enough quarters” to qualify. She was supposedly about 6 months short , due to here working years being in the private sector first and then mostly with the State Of Mass. Any help or referrals would be appreciated. Would help from an attorney or alternately someone with your expertise better serve our situation? Thanks for having such a big heart and helping out the people that are writing in these blogs. It’s hard to find usable and worthwhile info. re: these matters. Regards,
Bob and Kim B.
Hello Bob, thank you so much for posting. Well……not having sufficient quarters to qualify for SSDI (or not having worked within the last several years) is pretty definitive. Unless your wife returned to work to add more work history I’m afraid she will not qualify. She should, of course, be qualified to obtain state disability and/or retirement benefits though. Unfortunately, a good SSDI attorney probably won’t be able to help if your wife doesn’t have enough quarters to qualify for SSDI or SSR. I’m sorry my answer couldn’t be more positive.
Thank you for posting and good luck to both of you.
Hi Linda,
My wife currently receives a disability payment from Unum, but they make a deduction from her payment for ‘state benefits’ they calculate to be receivable by her (we’re based in the UK).
The problem is that they’re not actually receivable at the moment – the policy states that these are calculated at the start of the policy year in which the claim was made, which is fine but then the law changed between then and the date my wife made her claim. The result is that she can’t claim any state benefits (because of her Unum income), when Unum are making a deduction from her payment on the basis of the old rules, which assume that she can get state benefits. (Confusing!)
It strikes me that this is not a fair result. Unum will argue that it would have been possible for my wife (/her employer) to take out a policy which only deducted the amounts actually received by the beneficiary, which carried a higher premium. But I think this is only relevant when we’re talking about immaterial movements in benefit rates, not when we’re talking about getting no benefits at all, as here.
So, I couldn’t see anything about this on your blog, and wondered if you had any thoughts on the matter?
Your blog has been a revelation for me, by the way, and it’s great to find someone out there who *gets* the anxiety that is caused by all of this.
Thanks and best wishes,
Benjamin
Offsets from benefits are only made for “sources of other monthly income.” If there are no “sources of monthly income” there should not be any offsets from the benefit amount. Some policies get around this by writing provisions which say benefits “eligible” to be received. However, since your wife is not actually receiving the benefits there should be no offsets. I’d protest the offset with as much paperwork as you can find proving your wife has no opportunity of receiving the state benefit at the moment. Good luck and thanks for posting.
Thanks Linda – very helpful as usual. That gives me the courage to pursue my appeal – it’s hard to keep going when you think you’re going nowhere.
Thanks again.
Hi, my husband has been on LTD from his company who carried the policy with Hartford, He has been on LTD for Migraines and depression since April 2009 and just had an investigator come to house for a functionality test,, we looked at the surveillance didnt show alot husband going to dr and the next day ran a few errands with a visiting son we only see once a yr,, my question is whats next the termination letter saying he can work any job? All his Dr have said he can not return to work. so the Hartford has all his medical info from the dr.We found this to be so unsettling ,, and someone with chronic migraines and depression well lets say he wont leave the house now! not even on a good day. When he was asked about bending,lifting,sitting etc my husband responded depends on if i have a headache ,as he never knows except they are several times per week. I would love any input you might have.
thank you
gg
Sometimes it is very difficult to NOT allow an insurance company to dictate the quality of life you have while on disability. I don’t understand “just had an investigator come to house for a functionality test”? Did your husband’s policy contain contractual language allowing that? I wonder.
As we all know disability insurers have their own medical staffs “stacking the deck” against insureds medically. All that’s needed is an internal review and several “chiefs” to back up the report and claims can be denied. Quite often it does not matter what the treating physicians report; insurance companies can deny claims indiscriminately if they really want to.
Insureds and claimants need to provide insurers with the best possible medical defense for continued disability benefits. Ranting, arguing and being deliberately contentious as we’ve read recently on this blog is probably the worst possible reaction insureds can have. In other words, “less argument, more proof.” In addition, there are those who because of an overabundance of fear and stress actually become paranoid and a second disability results in addition to the claimed disability.
Everything from seeing surveillance ghosts around every bush and tree to buying counter-computer software to ward of “the spy who came in from the cold” creates insureds who are unprepared to deal with and make good decisions concerning disability claims.
Over-reaction in many respects is worse than not reacting at all. Once an insurance company documents over-reaction by a claimant a “red flag” goes up and the claimant receives a lion share of risk management activities possibly leading to a claim denial. In this situation, claimants brought their own demise upon themselves. Listening to those who know is the first step toward knowledge and common sense.
DCS, Inc. advocates for knowledge about the claims process, reacting sensibly, and thinking through responses to disabilty insurers. I also support the fact that disabled persons “have a life” (if they allow themselves to) and that physical activity is allowed as long as it has not been restricted or limited by a treating physician. All insureds should discuss their allowed activities with their physicans and clear, specific medical restrictions and limitations should result.
Then…..strive for a quality of life within the limitations you have and be happy.