In a decision that is all-too-common among insurance companies in recent years, Aetna chose to deny a St. Petersburg man short term disability and long term disability benefits after he was diagnosed with a chronic, life-threatening circulatory disease. The extent of the harm caused by this disease that onset suddenly made it impossible for him to complete any sort of work without intense pain. Dabdoub Law Firm and our long term disability attorneys were retained to fight for his rights to LTD benefits. We are proud to announce that we were able to readily convince Aetna to provide the needed benefits after sending them a well-constructed appeal.
Details of the Wegener’s Granulomatosis Case
In the spring of 2018, our client was suddenly struck by dizziness, joint swelling, and a high fever. He was diagnosed with six separate symptoms of a serious disease, but the exact condition was not yet known. He was hospitalized for 25 days, with many of those days spent in the intensive care unit (ICU). After an initial release from care, he returned only days later for another extended hospital stay, triggered by a severe blood clot in his leg.
It was only after more hospitalization throughout 2018 that our client was diagnosed with Wegener’s Granulomatosis, a severe circulatory disease that can afflict nearly all parts of the body. The disease can occur randomly and suddenly, as it had in his case. Without treatment, the disease would likely be fatal, and the odds of a treatment actually curing the disease are miniscule. Understandably, our client could no longer return to work since most of his body’s organs — including his eyes, kidneys, lungs, throat, and heart — were affected by the disease and each day was painful.
Aetna Denied Long Term Disability Benefits Without Due Cause
The severity of Wegener’s disease can be seen with just a cursory glance made by most any medical professional. He was seen by numerous medical experts, who all concluded that the disease caused continual disability and caused a constant risk of an intense flare up. Despite these conclusions, Aetna chose to terminate his short term disability benefits and deny him any long term disability benefits.
Dabdoub Law Firm jumped into action for our client by reviewing his medical records and compiling them into a well-thought-out appeal. When faced with our argument and reshown the reality of our client’s disability, Aetna did an about-face and approved the LTD benefits he so needs and deserves. This case marks yet another great success for our lawyers on behalf of our clients.
Having an Experienced Disability Attorney Matters
Because disability insurance law is complicated, it is important to get legal help from a lawyer who focuses on disability law. As a law firm built to focus disability insurance, Dabdoub Law Firm and all our lawyers spend every day working to get our clients disability benefits from insurance companies. Because federal ERISA law applies to most disability insurance claims, we do not have to be located in your state to help.
If your claim for long term disability benefits was denied or is being delayed by an insurance company, call (800) 969-0488 us to speak with a disability insurance attorney from our firm today.
We represent clients everywhere with:
- Submitting a disability insurance claim;
- Appealing a long-term disability denial;
- Negotiating a lump-sum settlement; or
- Filing a lawsuit against your disability insurance company.
Because each client’s case is unique and has different facts, results similar to those in other clients’ cases are not guaranteed.
