Research conducted by the United States Census Bureau revealed that 12.4% of individuals in Philadelphia under the age of 65 were living with a disability for the years 2014-2018. Employer-funded disability insurance policies (as well as those paid by the employee as part of a group plan benefit with the employer) may provide short term disability benefits and long term disability benefits. If you suffer from an illness or injury that prevents you from working, you may be eligible to receive such benefits. If your condition lasts or is expected to last a period of 12 months or longer you may also be eligible to receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits.
A Philadelphia disability lawyer at Ortiz Law Firm can help you get the long term disability and Social Security Disability benefits that you deserve.
Philadelphia, PA Long Term Disability, ERISA, and Disability Insurance Claims
The job of a disability lawyer is to make the insurance company pay the benefits you are owed and maximize your recovery under your LTD policy. We offer a no recovery, zero-fee guarantee, so we never charge any attorney fees or costs unless we recover benefits for you. A long term disability lawyer can assist you with the following:
- If you have been denied benefits, we can help prepare and file your administrative appeal with the insurance company.
- If your benefits have been cut-off or terminated, we can help prepare the appeal to have your benefits reinstated.
- If you have exhausted your administrative appeals with the insurance company, we may be able to file a lawsuit against the insurance company.
- Our firm does not typically handle short term disability cases. However, if your short term disability benefits have been denied and you have long term disability coverage that may be impacted then we may be able to assist you with that claim as well.
- If you have been offered a lump sum settlement offer, we can help you evaluate the fairness of the offer and possibly negotiate for a higher settlement amount.
Ortiz Law Firm Represents Philadelphia, PA Long Term Disability Claimants
One question that we get all the time is, “Can I hire you as my disability lawyer if I’m not in your local area?”
The answer is yes! Nick Ortiz and the experienced legal team at Ortiz Law Firm can represent individuals in Philadelphia, PA – in fact, anywhere in the United States – and we’ll explain to you why.
Ortiz Law Firm is based primarily in Pensacola, Florida, but because most group plans are governed by ERISA, Nick Ortiz can handle a case in Philadelphia, PA. In fact, in the past few years, he has represented individuals from Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and even claimants around the world (prior clients have lived in Morocco and the Philippines, for example).
Most long term disability cases (not all, but most) are governed by a federal regulation called ERISA. Under ERISA disability law, 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. What that means is at the end of the day, most of the work is paper-driven, involves a lot of brief writing, and a lot of correspondence by mail. There are very few court appearances required of you or disability attorneys, and as a result, we can handle a federal court case in Philadelphia or anywhere in the state.
In terms of communicating with you, we use an electronic signature service for a lot of the correspondence, and then we e-mail and fax and communicate by phone, so everything can be done by mail, fax, and e-mail.
We 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. Again, what we do is we evaluate each case and the applicable disability law on a case-by-case basis. Before you move forward with your claim you should request a free consultation from an experienced disability attorney.
Philadelphia, PA Courts, Government, and Department of Insurance Information
Eastern District of Pennsylvania| United States District Court
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Official government website for the State of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Department of Insurance
Eastern District of Pennsylvania Case Summaries
Video Surveillance May Offer Significant Support For Denying A Long-Term Disability Claim
Traumatic Brain Injury From Playing Football In The NFL
Court Dismisses Case for Failure to State Claim
Court Rules Denial of Benefits Was an Abuse of Discretion
Court Rules Reliance Did Not Act Arbitrarily or Capriciously
Philadelphia Social Security Disability Lawyer
Coping with a disabling illness or injury is difficult enough, so let a Board Certified Social Security Disability lawyer fight for the benefits you deserve. Although our office is based in Pensacola, we assist Social Security Disability claimants in Philadelphia, and even nationwide. The Social Security Disability program is part of a federal benefits program, so you are not restricted to working with an attorney in Philadelphia. In addition to working as a Social Security Disability lawyer in Philadelphia, PA, we help residents of Berks County, Bucks County, Chester County, Montgomery County, and Delaware County, Pennsylvania, as well as Camden, NJ, and all of Southern New Jersey
Get Help with Your Claim for Social Security Disability Benefits
Filing a claim for Social Security Disability benefits can be overwhelming, so it’s no surprise that many claimants seek the assistance of an experienced Social Security Disability lawyer . A lot of disability attorneys will not accept a Social Security Disability case until it has been denied, but we help with the Social Security Disability initial application process. If your claim is denied, our Social Security Disability lawyers will continue to help you through the reconsideration appeal and at any hearings before an Administrative Law Judge.
We also handle select claims for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Child Supplemental Security Income claims. SSI claimant’s must start the process by filing the initial application to confirm that they meet the Social Security Administration income and asset limits for SSI. If you meet the non-medical requirements, and your SSI claim is still denied, we can then assist you in appealing the denial and, if necessary, will represent you at your hearing before an Administrative Law Judge.
Philadelphia Social Security Administration Locations and Resources
Directions to the local Social Security Administration Office
Schedule a Free Case Evaluation with a Philadelphia Disability Lawyer
If you are unable to work due to your illness or injury 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 consultation for individuals whose disability insurance claims have been wrongfully denied or terminated. We also offer free consultations for individuals seeking Social Security Disability benefits.
If you’re in the state of Pennsylvania and unable to work due to an illness or injury, then please give us a call right away at (888) 321-8131 to discuss your legal rights. We review each claim on a case-by-case basis, regardless of your location. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss your claim with you.