Disability And Injury FAQs

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FAQ: I have multiple doctors treating me for my disability. Is it okay to send for than one doctor’s letter to the insurance company?

The simple answer is “yes”. If you are seeing multiple doctors for your disability, they can and should each provide a doctor’s letter. In fact, it is a “best practice” to have at least two doctors provide you with a doctor’s letter to give the insurance company. For example, if you are being treated by your primary doctor and a cardiologist for a heart condition, you should ask both to provide you with letters. And if you are also seeing another specialist – like a hematologist, or blood doctor, you should also request a letter from that doctor.

When requesting doctors’ letters, it is best to request them from doctors that have a relationship with you. A doctor’s letter from someone you only saw once may not carry as much weight. For example, if you only saw a cardiac surgeon one time to perform surgery and the surgeon was not involved in your ongoing care, then that doctor’s opinions may not add much value to your disability claim.

It is not appropriate to ask doctors that treated you in the past, well before your disability, to provide a statement. Similarly, the statements from your physicians should only reference your current disability and you should consider whether the doctor mentions medical conditions that might either (a) have a restricted time limit for the payment of benefits or (b) exclude you from coverage because it is a “pre-existing condition”.

For example, let’s say your policy restricts payments for mental health disorders to 24 months of payments. If you ask your primary (who has been your doctor for the past 12 years) to write a statement, you may not want the doctor to mention mental health problems like depression if your physical problems are disabling on their own, separate and apart from the depression.

Moreover, if your claim has a “pre-existing exclusion” clause that may apply to your case, you may not want your doctor to include in a letter comments about a prior injury that could prevent you from qualifying for benefits. This has the potential to be used against you by the insurance company to claim you had a pre-existing condition that contributed to your disability.

Make sure that your doctors write the right kind of statement, which is referred to as an evidence statement. A good quality statement from your doctor will help your case when applying for long term disability. Your medical source statement should include:

• Physical and mental limitations from your disability
• Reference objective medical evidence to prove limitations
• Explanation of how the evidence supports their conclusions
• The treatment plan for your disability
• Examples of supporting evidence such as lab results, x-rays, MRI and CT scan results

There is also a report that can help answer many of the same questions, and it’s usually required by the insurance company called Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) report. This report should not replace your doctor’s letters but provide additional evidence that supports your doctor’s statements.

A Residual Functional Capacity report will answer questions like:

• How much can you lift? How often can you lift it?
• How much can you carry? How often can you carry it?
• How far can you walk without resting?
• How long can you stand or sit at a time?
• Can you bend, stoop, kneel, or reach overhead?

You can provide as many letters from your doctor’s as you think are necessary to prove your case. Request good quality statements from your treating doctors and ask them to cover your limitations, provide medical evidence, and outline your treatment plan.

Most long-term disability claims are denied based on the lack of medical evidence. Work with your doctor’s office to be sure you have everything you need to have your claim approved.

In Conclusion

Sending more than one doctor’s letter is completely acceptable and encouraged if you are being treated by multiple doctors for your disability. Using the guidelines we provided above, you can help build a strong claim and get approved much quicker.

If you need help, we can provide you with a free consultation call with no obligation to use our firm. During the call, we will answer any questions you may have. If you choose to use our law firm, we won’t get paid until you do!

The experienced disability attorneys at the Ortiz Law Firm can help you through the disability denial and appeals process. They only get paid if you win. You can seek help without worrying about upfront costs or unexpected bills. Our law experts will focus on your case so you can focus on your illness.

The Ortiz Law Firm has successfully represented people in disability cases across the United States. To see how we can help you win your long-term disability case, call us at 888-304-7321

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Answer: You do not have to be permanently disabled to receive long term disability benefits. It is common for people to receive benefits until the policy expiration date or retirement; it is not a requirement that you be permanently out of work. Some people even have their medical condition improve enough where they can return to work.

When you are suffering from an illness or injury, you are required to use the rest of your short term disability benefits before applying for long term disability.  Click here for information to keep in mind when filing a short term disability claim.

Just like when you are unexpectedly involved in an accident or diagnosed with a severe illness, your recovery period can also be surprisingly long. Although you may want to return to work, you may not be able to quickly.

Here is an example: You are diagnosed with Hepatitis C and begin treatment, which the doctor says will only keep you out of work for up to 12 weeks. After your first treatment, you experience liver failure due to an unexpected complication and have to wait for a transplant. Or you are involved in an accident that requires extensive physical therapy. 

Can you still receive long term disability benefits if you go back to work?

The answer is yes and no. If you return to work, even on a part-time basis, you will probably no longer qualify for LTD benefits. You must review your long term disability insurance policy to determine whether part time work or work in another capacity still qualifies you for benefits.

But you could still receive benefits from the time that you were disabled and unable to work. If you lose your benefits and then discover that it’s too hard to continue to work, you will have to refile, which leaves you without monthly income.

Total Disability

Although permanent disability is not required to receive benefits, total disability is. Total disability is when you will no longer be able to do any substantial work or return to the workforce.

 

Some Other Frequently Asked Questions:

Can you receive long term disability benefits after termination?

Yes. If you become disabled during the time you were employed and you meet the minimum qualifications for your policy, then you can apply for long-term disability benefits.

Can the insurance company make me file for Social Security Disability (SSD)?

Yes. The insurance company can require you as a part of your benefits to apply for Social Security Disability benefits as well. This will help the insurance company offset the cost to them. If approved for SSD, then LTD benefits will only be supplemental to SSD benefits.

Can the insurance company make me file for Workers Compensation benefits?

You must review the terms of your long term disability policy for the answer to this question. But – typically – yes. The insurance company can require you as a part of your benefits to apply for Workers Compensation benefits as well. As with SSD benefits, comp benefits will further help the insurance company offset the cost to them.

Do I have to wait to get a check?

Most long term disability policies have a waiting period of 90 -180 days; This means that you will have to wait between 90-180 days to receive your benefits even if you are disabled. Make sure you have made payment arrangements with your creditors and talk with your family about your situation so you can be more prepared during that waiting period.

Will the insurance company put me under surveillance?

When filing for LTD benefits, you may be under surveillance. It’s not uncommon for insurance companies to have people put under scrutiny when applying for benefits. Always follow your doctor’s orders; you never know who is watching. This also goes for social media. More insurance companies are monitoring the social media activities of claimants. If you are not supposed to be lifting or bending, but they see a picture of you rock climbing in the mountains or even see you lifting your grandchild for a photo, they may assume you are not truthful about your pain level.

Can I receive a lump sum payment for my disability?

Yes, read our article on lump sum settlements.

The process of applying for long-term disability benefits can be tedious. The process involves a lot of gathering information and can be overwhelming to some. If you have questions, you may want to consult an experienced LTD attorney.

Although based in Florida, the Ortiz Law Firm represents claimants across the United States.

If you’d like to speak to one of our Pensacola Long-Term Disability Insurance Attorneys about your denied claim, contact us at 850-308-7833 to schedule a consultation. We can help you evaluate your claim to determine if you will be able to access Long-Term Disability Benefits and how to move forward with the process.

 

Related:

Four Traps That May Disable Your Long Term Disability Claim

Long Term Disability Process with Our Firm

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The Required Administrative Process in a Claim for Benefits under ERISA

The key to an ERISA disability benefits claim is make sure to follow all required steps in the administrative process.  Claimants must “exhaust” their administrative remedies before filing a lawsuit.  Failure to exhaust one’s administrative remedies may result in significant limitations on the standard and scope of court review in a lawsuit.  This is why everything you do in the the administrative claims process may determine whether you are ultimately successful in your claim should you have to go to court.

Step One

Step One is to bring a claim to the plan administrator. A claim is a “request for plan benefit . . . made by a claimant in accordance with a plan’s reasonable procedure for filing benefit claims.” 29 C.F.R. §2560.503-1(e). As set forth in Abdel v. U.S. Bancorp, 457 F.3d 877 (8th Cir. 2006), a claim for benefits is made when claimant seeks benefits.  Compare another case, Layes v. Mead Corp., 132 F.3d 1246 (8th Cir. 1998, wherein the court decided that there was no claim for benefits until formal procedures for filing claim are satisfied.

Typically, an application for benefits consists of three parts: (1) an application with detailed information from the claimant, (2) detailed information from the employer, and (3) the attending physician statement. Failure to complete any of these forms can be fatal to a claim. In the case Mitchell v. Equitable Life Assur. Soc’y of U.S., 310 Minn. 219, 224, 245 N.W.2d 618-620-21 (1976), the claimant was barred from filing suit for failing to supply the employee’s statement and physician’s statement.

There is also usually a requirement of timely notice of claim and a proof of loss or proof of claim consistent with your state’s insurance laws.  However, late notice will usually only bar a claim where there is prejudice to the plan’s insurer. The notice prejudice rule that applies to an insured ERISA plan was set forth in UNUM Life Ins. Co. of America v. Ward, 526 U.S. 358, 369 (1999).

Step Two

Step Two is to exhaust all mandatory administrative appeals. Most long term disability insurance policies/plans have an internal appeal process, whereby you have the right to file an appeal of a denial directly with the insurance company. This right becomes a duty if you want to file a lawsuit. That’s because you cannot file a lawsuit unless you have gone through all mandatory appeals directly with the insurance company.

Most LTD policies have one of the following appeal structures: (1) two mandatory appeals; (2) one mandatory appeal; or (3) one mandatory and one “optional” appeal.

Why is it so important that I appeal?

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What Social Security Counts as SSI Income

Under SSI, income includes cash, checks and other things you get that can be used for food or shelter. Here are examples of income:

• Wages from your job, whether in cash or another form;
• Net earnings from your business if you are self-employed;
• The value of food or shelter that someone gives you, or the amount of money some gives you to help pay for them;
• Department of Veterans Affairs benefits;
• Railroad retirement and railroad unemployment benefits;
• Annuities, pensions from any government or private source, workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance benefits, black lung benefits and Social Security benefits;
• Prizes, settlements and awards, including court ordered awards;
• Proceeds of life insurance policies;
• Gifts and contributions;
• Support and alimony payments;
• Inheritances in cash or property;
• Interest earned, including interest on savings, checking and other accounts;
• Rental income; and
• Strike pay and other benefits from unions

 Items that do not count as income

The following items are not income:

•  Medical care and services;
• Social services;
• Money from the sale, exchange or replacement of things you own (though the money may count as a resource if you retain it until the next month);
• Income tax refunds;
• Earned Income Tax Credit payments;
• Payments made by life or disability insurance on charge accounts or other credit accounts;
• Proceeds of a loan;
• Bills paid by someone else for things other than food, clothing or shelter;
• Replacement of lost or stolen income; and
• Weatherization assistance.

Some things Social Security normally counts as “income” will not reduce your SSI payment. For example, under certain conditions, home energy assistance provided by certain home energy suppliers is not counted as income. Food, clothing, shelter or home energy assistance provided free or at a reduced rate by private nonprofit organizations also is not counted. Even though these items may not count, you should still tell Social Security about them.

Keep records of your earned income

Social Security will need to verify your wages or self-employment income. It is important that you keep all your pay slips, including pay slips for overtime, vacations or bonuses. If you are self-employed, you should keep your completed federal/state income tax forms.

If there is a change in your resources

Tell Social Security if there is any change in what you own. A single person can have resources worth up to $2,000 and still get SSI. A couple can have resources worth up to $3,000.

Resources Social Security does not count

Social Security does not count many of the things you own. Your home and the land that it is on do not count if it is your primary residence. Depending on how much they are worth and how they are used, household goods, personal property and a car may not count. Life insurance with a face value of $1,500 or less per person usually does not count. Up to $1,500 in burial funds for you and up to $1,500 in burial funds for your spouse do not count. Burial plots for you and your immediate family also do not count.

Resources Social Security counts

Some of the things Social Security does count are:

•  Cash;
• Your checking and savings accounts;
• Christmas club accounts;
• Certificates of deposit; and
• Stocks and U.S. Savings Bonds.

Any payments that you get from SSI or Social Security for past months will not be counted as a resource for nine months after the month you get them. If there are any past payments left over after the nine-month period, they will count as resources.

What you need to tell Social Security

If you are single, tell Social Security if your resources are more than $2,000. If you are living with your husband or wife, tell Social Security if your combined resources are more than $3,000.

If you have a child who gets SSI, you should tell Social Security about changes in the things the child owns AND the things you and your husband or wife own.

If you agreed to sell property so you could receive SSI, you should tell Social Security when you sell it. If you do not sell the property, you may not be able to get any more SSI payments. And, you may have to return any payments Social Security already sent you.

If your name is on any bank account with another person, you must tell Social Security about the account, even if you do not consider the money to be yours. You must tell Social Security about the account, even if you do not use the money or account. If someone wants to add your name to an account, check with Social Security first. If the money is not really yours, or if it is for a special purpose like your medical expenses, Social Security can tell you how to set up the account so it will not affect your SSI.

If you (or your husband or wife) buy, sell or become the owner of any real estate, a car or personal property, you need to tell Social Security.

Call Social Security if you are not sure if something counts. Social Security will help you figure it out.

If you get help with living expenses

Let Social Security know if someone gives you money, food or free housing. Also, tell us if anyone helps pay for your food, utilities, rent or mortgage or if the amount someone pays you changes. If you used to get help with expenses and do not get it now, tell us that, too.

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Note: Please be advised that the Ortiz Law Firm now handles Short Term Disability claims, even where the claimant has “exhausted” all available administrative appeals and must file a lawsuit.

Short Term Disability benefits (sometimes referred to as “STD” benefits for short) provide vital income protection to individuals immediately after the onset of a disabling condition.

Short Term Disability insurance is designed to replace a specific percentage of your pre-disability income during the first few weeks or months after the onset of a disabling illness or accident. Policies typically provide coverage for a period of six months to a year. Short Term Disability benefits are often an important source of income until Long Term Disability benefits begin.

You can typically purchase Short Term Disability Insurance benefits from an insurance agent or through your employer.

Some benefits you might obtain include:

• Weekly benefit payments, which will pay you a portion of your pre-disability earnings on a weekly basis for term length of your policy;

• Comprehensive Rehabilitation Program benefits, which can provide benefit incentives related to vocational (job) rehabilitation, dependent (child) care, workplace modifications and more.

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SSI Disability Benefits for Surviving Spouse Where Decedent Passes Away While Waiting for Decision

If you are the surviving spouse, you may be eligible to pursue the claim and receive payments. For an adult SSI claimant, only the claimant’s spouse is eligible to receive payments; no other surviving relatives can substitute in for the claim, including children and parents. However, you must have been living in the same household as the deceased claimant at any time during the month of death or the preceding six months. See, 20 C.F.R. §416.542(b)(1).

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There are a number of circumstances in which the Federal government can garnish “regular” Social Security benefits (See below, SSI benefits can never be garnished). They include:

• To enforce child support or alimony obligations under Section 459 of the Social Security Act;
• Internal Revenue Service (IRS) can levy against benefits to collect unpaid Federal taxes according to Section 6334(c) of the Internal Revenue Code;
• IRS can collect taxes due by levying up to 15 percent of a monthly benefit until the debt is paid;
• IRS allows beneficiaries to have a portion of their check withheld to satisfy a current year Federal income tax liability according to Section 3402 (P) of the Internal Revenue Code;
• Other Federal agencies can collect money from benefits to pay a non-tax debt owed to that agency according to the Debt Collection Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-134); and
• Under the Mandatory Victim Restitution Act, certain civil penalties provide the right to garnish benefits under 18 USC 3613.

However, if a creditor other than the federal government tries to garnish your Social Security benefits, inform them that such an action violates Section 207 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 407).

Section 207 bars garnishment of your benefits. It can also be used as a defense if your benefits are incorrectly garnished. Our responsibility for protecting benefits against garnishment, assignments and other legal processes usually ends when the beneficiary is paid. However, once paid, benefits continue to be protected under section 207 of Act as long as they are identifiable as Social Security benefits.

NOTE: Supplemental Security Income payments cannot be levied or garnished.

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There are at least five separate types of Social Security disability benefits:

• Disability Insurance Benefits is the most common and important type of Social Security disability benefits. It goes to disabled individuals who have worked long enough in recent years (five out of the last 10 years in most cases), and paid sufficient Social Security taxes to qualify.
• Disabled Widow’s and Disabled Widower’s Benefits are paid to individuals who are at least 50 and become disabled within seven years after the death of their husband or wife. The deceased husband or wife must have worked long enough and earned enough credits under Social Security to be “insured”.
• Disabled Adult Child Benefits are available to disabled adult children of persons who are deceased or who are currently drawing Social Security disability or retirement benefits. The adult child have become disabled before the age 22.
• Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) benefits are payable to individuals who are poor and who are disabled. It does not matter whether an individual has worked in the past or not in order to qualify for SSI.
• SSI child’s disability benefits are SSI benefits paid to children under the age of 18 who are disabled. The way in which disability is determined is a different for children than it is for adults.

For Disability Insurance Benefits, Disabled Widow’s Benefits or Disabled Widower’s Benefits and Disabled Adult Child benefits, it does not matter whether the disabled individual is rich or poor. Benefits are payable based upon a Social Security earnings record.

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I get e-mails asking this question frequently, but often worded differently.

• “How do I get an SSDI or SSI decision faster?”
• “How do I speed up my Social Security disability?”
• “What can I do to get a quicker decision on my SSD or SSI claim?”

They all mean the same thing. The bottom line is people want to know how to speed up the process of getting their Social Security disability. They want to win fast, and I am going to list some ways on this site that can help that happen. However, keep in mind that pretty much nobody who decides to apply for Social Security disability will have a quick and pleasant experience. Some form of financial hardship must be expected.

Frankly, it has never been easy to speed up an SSDI or SSI decision, because the Social Security Administration simply can’t put every suffering person on the fast track to disability benefits. In fact, in recent years, it has become more difficult than ever to get rapid decisions on Social Security disability claims. The chief reason for this increase is just how many more cases every year Social Security has to make decisions about at all stages of the process, from the initial application through to the final hearing.

To help make your Social Security disability experience faster on your end, I am going to give you some basic tips, including how to request a quicker decision with a “dire need letter.” I will also overview the new Social Security disability process that helps speed up cases for thousands of claimants and explain how veterans are entitled to a speedier application process and decision:

• How to Speed Up Social Security Disability Claims

I and other Social Security disability lawyers have seen the claims process become more and more difficult to push through, but that’s why you need an experienced lawyer like myself to provide the professional aide that will get you a decision as painlessly as possible. If you have questions or need any assistance, please call my office at 850-898-9904 or click the link below for a free case evaluation.

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If you applied for benefits, you can check the status of your application online.

Your application status shows:

• The date Social Security received your application;
• Any requests for additional documents;
• The address of the office processing your application; and
• If a decision has been made.

If you receive an error, it may be because:

• You entered an incorrect Social Security number or confirmation number;
• You did not complete the application; or
• Social Security made a final decision on your application more than four months ago.