The Standard is an insurer that specializes in American insurance products for an estimated 8.5 million customers, including group disability and individual disability insurance policies. The Standard is the marketing name for both Standard Insurance Company (based in Portland, Oregon) and the Standard Life Insurance Company of New York. Long-term disability insurance is intended to replace a percentage of your income if you suffer any health issues which prevent you from working – unless you are among the many claimants that receive The Standard disability denials instead of monthly disability payments.
If your employer provides group Long Term Disability (LTD) insurance through The Standard, you should receive income replacement if you experience a covered illness, injury, or pregnancy. These monthly benefit payments are intended to help with the bills, like your mortgage or rent, that continue even when you can’t work — expenses health insurance won’t cover.
The Standard Disability Denials Are Common
In 2018 alone the company collected $2.3 billion through policyholders. However, The Standard Insurance Company does not always pay on its LTD policies and often denies disability claims. You can see numerous complaints about The Standard’s disability claim handling on the Consumer Affairs website, where The Standard has a one-star satisfaction rating out of five stars (as of August 14, 2021). The consumer who wrote the review dated December 2, 2014 states, “If you have filed a claim with The Standard get a lawyer, you will need him.”
Top Reasons Why Standard Insurance Denies Claims
If your Standard disability insurance claim was denied, this video by an experienced disability attorney, Nick Ortiz, will help you understand why your claim was denied.
You can download the e-book mentioned in the video, Top Ten Mistakes That Will Destroy Your Long Term Disability Claim, for free.
We Understand the Tactics of Standard Insurance Company
The Standard denies long-term disability claims in one of two ways. First, the claim may be denied from the outset, which means that the disability application is denied. Second, the claim could be terminated and the benefits may be cut off at some point.
Such a cessation in benefits typically occurs after approximately two years of receiving benefits. This is due to the fact that many disability insurance policies have a change in the definition of disability after 24-months: the definition of “Total Disability” changes from an “own occupation” standard to an “any occupation” standard. The fine print on your plan document can affect eligibility requirements in order for you to receive disability insurance benefits, so review your policy carefully before filing a claim.
In many of our cases, the insurance company has not granted the policyholders the benefit of the doubt, despite all the evidence of the claim’s credibility. The Standard also tends to use a relatively small group of doctor consultants to pick apart cases involving a wide variety of medical conditions.
Even if you have evidence from your own doctors, you could still face a claim denial. Often doctors that intend to provide support accidentally fill out your forms or write your report in a way that leads to a delay in the claim process or even a denied claim. Having a disability insurance expert to guide your doctor through the long-term disability process could help prevent this situation or reduce your risk.
How Do I Appeal a Denied Long Term Disability Claim Denial from the Standard?
Standard disability insurance claims are frequently denied, as is the case with most disability insurance companies. Fortunately, the insurance company’s denial of your claim is not the end of the road.
You should be focused on developing weaker sections of your claim or on obtaining strong evidence. Steps you can take to prove a disability claim is true are: gaining stronger or additional types of evidence to support the claim and dispute the denial.
The Standard’s Appeal Review Process
The Standard employees are required to evaluate and review your appeal request. A claim representative may ask you for more information about your life activity, symptoms and any other disability claims that you may be filing with other insurance companies. The insurer may also request information related to any personal injury or Social Security Disability claims.
Contact Information for The Standard Insurance Company
Standard Insurance Company
900 SW Fifth Avenue
Portland OR 97204-1235
Tel: (888) 937-4783
ERISA and Long Term Disability Insurance Claims
Most group disability insurance policies are governed by the Employee Retirement Income Securities (ERISA) Act, which heavily favors insurance companies such as The Standard. If Standard denies your ERISA disability benefits claim, then you will be required to file an administrative appeal. Under current ERISA law, a person who has been denied long-term disability benefits is typically allowed to submit an appeal within 180 days after receipt of the disability claim denial.
Filing an administrative appeal in accordance with the ERISA Act is absolutely necessary and failure to do so within the allowed time frame could mean the end of your case. Federal courts are limited to seeing the medical records and other evidence that was in the administrative record (also known as a claim file) when the insurance adjuster made a decision about your disability case. Since federal courts cannot take up new evidence or updated medical records submitted during case proceedings you will need to make sure that all the relevant evidence and documentation is submitted to the insurance company or the disability plan administrator during the administrative appeal process.
Non-ERISA Claims
If you have an individual insurance policy with the Standard then you may not have a legal requirement to file an administrative appeal. This is because an individual disability insurance policy is not governed by ERISA. However, that does not mean that it would be beneficial to your claim for you to skip the appeal process. if you have an individual policy and your claim has been wrongfully denied then you should schedule a free consultation with a disability insurance attorney to discuss the pros and cons of filing an appeal in your particular case.
Work With Experienced Disability Lawyers With a Record of Success in Obtaining Long Term Disability Benefits From The Standard
If your long-term disability claim has been denied or your benefits have been cut off, you should obtain a free legal consultation with an experienced LTD attorney. The detail required to win an administrative appeal is much more in-depth than most claimants realize. Mr. Ortiz is an experienced disability lawyer who has handled numerous long-term disability claims against The Standard and many other major insurance companies like the Standard. He will review your disability denial letter and advise you as to how we can help strengthen your claim for Standard long-term disability benefits today.
Call to Request a Free Consultation to Discuss Your Disability Insurance Claim with a Disability Lawyer
If The Standard denied your claim you only have a limited to appeal a disability denial or to file a lawsuit against the insurance company, so you should contact a disability lawyer as soon as possible. Contact the Ortiz Law Firm at (888) 321-8131 for a free consultation with an attorney.
Request a Free Policy Evaluation to Discuss Your Long Term Disability Insurance Coverage
If you are considering purchasing a disability insurance policy or have recently purchased a policy from The Standard or one of the many other insurance companies like the Standard, then our law firm will help you understand what you are entitled to and whether there are deficiencies in your coverage that could lead to claim denials. It is easy for individual policyholders who are not trained to read insurance policies to misread or misunderstand the disability policy, and insurance companies will focus on the more favorable terms of a policy rather than those that could result in a denial.
As part of our evaluation, we will explain what everything means to you in your situation. Some of the aspects of your policy we will review include:
- Total versus residual disability;
- Own occupation versus any gainful occupation;
- Mental and nervous disability benefit limitations; and
- Self-reported conditions benefit limitations.
Fill out the form below to submit your request, and please allow 10 business days to receive your free Policy Evaluation Report.