As soon as you realize that you’re having a serious medical problem and that it’s not going away, you need to file for disability benefits. Unfortunately, a lot of people just don’t know where to start or what to do. After all, how many of us really read through all of that documentation we got when we were first hired at our company? If you’ve even heard of ERISA law, the chances of you really understanding it and knowing the specifics may be pretty slim.
Steps to Start Your Disability Insurance Claim
In order to begin your claim, the first thing that you need to do is request the proper forms from the human resources department of your employer. These forms should be called the “disability benefits” forms. Your employer is required to give these to any employee that asks for them.
Next, you need to make an appointment with your doctor and take the Attending Physicians Statement form with you. After your doctor examines you, they will indicate whether or not they believe you are disabled and what condition you are suffering from.
Once you complete all of the forms, they have to be sent in to your insurance carrier. You will also have to turn in a list of all the physicians that you are currently seeing. Your insurer will use this information to investigate your claim.
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This is a process that can take some time, but ERISA law does offer you some protections that prevent insurers from dragging their investigation out indefinitely. Once the insurance company has completed their review of your application, they will contact you stating that you are either approved for your benefits and will explain the next steps in the payment process, or they will deny your benefits. In this case you will receive a letter of denial explaining why they felt that you do not qualify for benefits.
If your claim is denied, contact an experienced disability attorney immediately. Having good representation from the very beginning of your appeals process will help to raise your chances of having the denial overturned. Marc Whitehead and Associates has over 20 years of experienced with Long Term Disability claim denials and we can assist you to gain the benefits you deserve.
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