Spinal cord ischemia is a difficult condition to live with. It is even more difficult to work with. We have successfully handled cases involving spinal cord ischemia.
Our client suffered from chest pains. Eventually, he underwent a three-vessel coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. During surgery, he suffered a spinal cord ischemia. This resulted in severe and chronic back pain. Years of chronic pain has caused his mental condition to worsen. As a result, he is now disabled. He filed a disability insurance claim with Prudential.
For two years, the insurance company paid disability benefits. After that, it terminated benefits upon a finding he could perform in any occupation. They relied on the following to terminate disability benefits:
- Surveillance
- Medical records review
- Vocational analysis (a review to determine what job a person can do)
Our disability insurance lawyers filed an appeal on his behalf. We argued against all three points.
How We Argued Against Termination of Benefits
First, their surveillance showed that our client bent down to pick up window blinds. In our appeal, we argued that termination based on this surveillance was unreasonable.
Our client never claimed he was completely immobile. He could still do normal daily activities. He was just very limited in how and when. He only claimed that he could not work any job, full-time.
Next, Prudential hired a doctor to conduct a medical records review. The reviewing doctor found that our client was able to work. This was inconsistent with what our client’s doctors reported. Also, this doctor never examined our client.
We had our client’s doctors give sworn statements discussing his condition. His doctors expressed disagreement with Prudential’s doctor. They also helped established that he remained disabled.
Lastly, we discredited their vocational analysis. This analysis showed that our client was capable of sedentary work. We argued that by paying our client disability benefits for two years, they had admitted that he was unable to work. This included not being able to work in a sedentary capacity.
Prudential ultimately found that our client is unable to work in any occupation due to his spinal cord ischemia.
What Our Disability Lawyers Do For You
Our disability insurance lawyers have handled many cases against Prudential. We have represented individuals with all kinds of medical conditions. This includes chronic back pain, neck pain, cognitive issues, strokes, and fibromyalgia.
If you have are having difficulty with a claim against your insurance company, please call our office today. We handle a case at any stage, from initial claim to litigation. We are here to help you fight for your benefits. We represent clients nationwide.
Because each client’s case is unique and has different facts, results similar to those in other clients’ cases are not guaranteed.
