According to the United States Census Bureau, 10% of the Jacksonville population under the age of 65 suffer from a disability. This is equivalent to 1 out of every 10 Jacksonville citizens being unable to work due to an injury or illness. If you suffer from a disabling condition in Jacksonville, you can be sure that you are not alone.
While you are unable to work you may be eligible to receive disability benefits from the Social Security Administration or a long-term disability insurance policy. Ortiz Law Firm represents claimants in Jacksonville, Florida, and the surrounding areas, including Daytona Beach, Deland, Deltona, Flagler, New Smyrna, Orange City, Ormond Beach, and Palm Coast.
Ortiz Law Firm Handles Jacksonville Long Term Disability Claims
Unfortunately, many Jacksonville residents who are disabled and unable to work will not receive the benefits they deserve. At the end of the day, disability insurance companies are a business, and they do not make a profit by paying claims. They will use tricks and tactics to deny your claim in an effort to save money. However, an experienced long term disability lawyer can help you recover the benefits you deserve.
You should speak with a Jacksonville long term disability attorney to learn more about getting your long term disability claim approved or reinstated. They can provide guidance to help you through the administrative appeal process, filing a lawsuit against the disability insurance company, or even negotiating a lump-sum settlement.
We Represent Claimants Nationwide
Many of the claimants that contact our office ask the same question: “Can I hire you if I’m not in your local area?”
The answer is yes! We can represent individuals anywhere in the United States, even anywhere in the world! Below we’ll explain to you why.
The Ortiz Law Firm is based primarily in Pensacola, Florida, but because most group plans are governed by ERISA, Nick Ortiz can handle a case anywhere in the United States, and even claimants around the world (prior clients have lived in Morocco and the Philippines, for example).
Many long term disability claims (not all, but most) are governed by a federal regulation called ERISA. Under ERISA, you do not have the right to a jury trial, and – in most cases – you do not have the right to engage in extensive discovery. This means that most of the work is paper-driven, involves a lot of brief writing, and a lot of correspondence by mail. It is highly unlikely that a court appearance will be required, and as a result, we can handle a federal court case anywhere in the state.
Our firm is equipped to communicate with you regardless of your location. We use an electronic signature service for most of the correspondence, and we also e-mail and fax and communicate by phone. Everything that we will need to do can be handled with mail, fax, and e-mail.
There are some cases where we may not be able to represent a claimant due to their location, but we still evaluate each case on a case-by-case basis. Nick Ortiz can either be admitted to your local federal court by what we would call a pro hac vice admission, or he can file a lawsuit here in the state of Florida. If we cannot assist you, we will attempt to refer you to another law firm that can.
Jacksonville Courts, Government, and Department of Insurance Information
United States District Court | Middle District of Florida | Jacksonville Division
United State Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Official government website for the State of Florida
Florida Office of Insurance Regulation
Our Jacksonville Long Term Disability Lawyer Will Fight for the Benefits You Deserve
Most long term disability appeals must be submitted to the insurance carrier within 180 days of the date of the denial or termination. If you fail to submit your appeal within the specified time frame may be ineligible to receive the benefits you deserve. Under many long term disability insurance policies, you cannot file a lawsuit against the insurance carrier unless you have “exhausted” your appeals. Therefore, you should speak with a Jacksonville long term disability lawyer immediately after receiving your denial or termination letter.
ERISA laws are very complex, but a Jacksonville long term disability lawyer will understand the administrative deadlines and critical issues that must be addressed for a successful claim. While the insurance company will explain your right to submit an appeal, they will not usually disclose that any future lawsuit will be limited to the evidence submitted during the administrative appeal process. It is essential that an experienced long term disability lawyer review the claim file at the appeal stage in order to determine what additional medical and/or vocational evidence needs to be added to the administrative file and to determine what adverse information needs to be rebutted.
Jacksonville Social Security Disability Claims
Although we are based in Pensacola, Florida, we do represent Social Security claimants in Jacksonville and the surrounding areas. Whether you are just beginning to research how to file an application for benefits or you have a hearing scheduled with an Administrative Law Judge, the Ortiz Law Firm will fight for the benefits you deserve. The Jacksonville Hearing Office services the following locations:
- Daytona Beach
- Deland
- Deltona
- Flagler
- Gainesville
- Jacksonville
- Lake City
- New Smyrna Beach
- Orange City
- Ormond Beach
- Palm Coast
- St. Augustine
Jacksonville SSA Locations and Resources
Directions to the local Social Security Administration Offices
Call Ortiz Law Firm for a Free Case Evaluation with a Jacksonville Disability Lawyer
In summary, you should not allow our geographic location to limit your contacting us to see what we can do to help you. Ortiz Law Firm offers a free case evaluation for long term disability claims that have been denied or terminated and Social Security claimants from the initial application process to the hearing stage. We have recovered millions in benefits. Please give us a call right away at (866) 853-4512 to discuss your free consultation with a Jacksonville disability lawyer. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss your legal rights with you.