If you are a nurse practitioner and have suffered a career-ending disability, do not give up if the insurance company won’t pay. Having the right team on your side can make all the difference when you’re facing a nurse practitioner disability denial. However, a successful result can only be gained by building and documenting a solid case that proves you are disabled.
Our national disability lawyers can help. For a free case evaluation with our trusted team, call 800-562-9830 or review our website for more free resources.
Nurse Practitioner Disability Denial Issues
In cases where nurse practitioners are denied disability insurance benefits, it is important to understand the connection between three key issues:
- the nurse’s actual vocational duties and the physical demands required of their profession,
- what their LTD insurance policy says,
- the disabling condition that is preventing them from performing their specific duties.
As disability attorneys representing nurse practitioners and other health care professionals, we understand how these issues mesh and interweave to form the crux of a winning disability case.
No matter what stage of the claim process you are in, our law firm will guide you from start to finish – from the initial disability application through the appeal stage, and will file a lawsuit in court if and when it becomes necessary.
For a free legal consultation, call 800-562-9830
Common Reasons for Nurse Practitioner Disability Denial
A standard denial tactic is to allege the nurse practitioner can do a wide range of “other” nursing jobs. Insurance companies are adept at claiming the medial evidence does not prove the claimant is disabled according to the policy’s definition of “disabled.” Insurers may rationalize the denial by saying that, if the nurse’s occupation is considered to be a Light or Medium exertion level, they can certainly perform “Sedentary” capacity occupations that are available in the national economy.
Other tactics may include, upon review of the a claim, granting disability benefits that cover only a limited period of time – with the award letter stipulating that the payment fully satisfies the claim.
Doctors and nurses often unwittingly compound their struggles by writing seemingly harmless statements or even talking to insurance company representatives over the phone. And like many other medical professionals, nurse practitioners may try to work through the pain or illness. Yet this effort can greatly damage a claim.
Lawyers for Disabled Nurse Practitioners
If your claim is under a group disability plan and governed by ERISA, to appeal the nurse practitioner disability denial you must exhaust the administrative remedies available under the plan. This often requires two levels of administrative appeals before you may file a lawsuit against the company. Do not delay in contacting us for assistance, as you have 180-day appeal deadline.
If your claim is under an individual or private disability insurance policy, broad protections under state insurance law are available to you. Even so, insurers may not honor their contracts. Insurance is big business where profits are sometimes the prevailing goal. Private policies may require an internal appeal to the insurance company, or a lawsuit may be filed upon claim denial.
In either type of disability insurance for nurses and nurse practitioners, to fight the denial you have tough time constraints. With experienced doctor disability claim denial attorneys representing you, you have a much greater chance of overturning a claim denial.
If you are on claim and benefits have been terminated, or you have applied for benefits and have been denied or are getting the delay treatment, we urge you to call us for a free case evaluation to see if we can assist you.
At no obligation we will review your case and present you with your legal options to best pursue the benefits you deserve. Our law firm represents medical professionals in all aspects of disability insurance claims and cases.
