After being diagnosed with tardive dyskinesia, our client’s cognitive impairment prevented him from continuing work as an Executive Vice President of Media, Advertising, and Brand Engagement in Miami Beach, Florida. Although he earned more than $190,000 annually, our client was forced to give up a lucrative career he had spent a lifetime preparing for.
At first, our client felt fortunate to have a disability policy with Hartford to help him make it through his disability and into retirement. Based on his diagnosis, Hartford approved our client’s long-term disability (LTD) claim and began paying benefits. Two (2) years later, however, Hartford suddenly and mysteriously reclassified our client’s neurological disorder as a mental health condition and terminated his benefits.
Not only did Hartford’s denial not make sense based on tardive dyskinesia alone, but the company also ignored evidence of our client’s physical disabilities – including back pain and HIV.
Hartford Insists on Impartial Evaluation and Throws Medical Evidence Out the Window
First, Hartford misclassified our client’s medical condition. Then, the insurance company tried to claim that our client’s condition was pre-existing. Our client filed an appeal to Hartford’s termination, and Hartford denied it.
Because our client was disabled due to more than just tardive dyskinesia, however, Hartford still had to make up other reasons to deny his claim. Instead of considering the medical evidence our client provided, Hartford asked him to attend an “independent” medical evaluation with a doctor who infamously sides with insurance companies.
At this point, Dabdoub Law Firm challenged Hartford’s conduct and expressed concerns about the doctor. Hartford cancelled the independent medical evaluation only to reschedule it with the same doctor a few months later. With our firm’s help, our client completed 2 independent medical evaluations – one with Hartford’s doctor and one with another doctor – and submitted this evidence to Hartford.
Hartford threw any information that did not favor its termination of benefits directly out the window. Although the insurance company never mentioned its questionable doctor by name, it relied heavily on an impartial evaluation that lasted for 25 minutes and was comprised mostly of “chit-chat.”
At this point, Hartford had:
- A functional capacity evaluation (FCE)
- Two (2) independent medical evaluations
- A neuropsychology evaluation and file review
- An independent functional capacity evaluation review
- An independent vocational assessment
- Medical records
- Doctor’s notes
- A long history of diagnoses and treatment
Even with this overwhelming amount of evidence, Hartford denied our client’s appeal. Only when Dabdoub Law Firm threatened litigation did the insurance company stop acting in its own best interests and start upholding its duties under ERISA (the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974).
Hartford fought our client every step of the way – even when our legal team was there to help. Imagine what the insurance company would have tried to get away with had Dabdoub Law Firm not been involved.
Disability Insurance Companies Have Lawyers. Shouldn’t You?
If you are facing a long-term disability claim denial or termination of benefits, you should consult an experienced disability lawyer. Our lawyers specialize in disability claims with insurance companies.
Why Dabdoub Law Firm?
- Our team has expertise in disability insurance claims.
- Our firm was built to fight for people who were wrongly denied long-term disability benefits.
- We have fought every major disability insurance company and recovered millions of dollars in disability benefits for our clients.
- We have a proven track record of success in major disability lawsuits and have helped improve the law for claimants like you!
Because federal law applies to most disability insurance claims, we do not have to be located in your state to help.
All our lawyers commit every day to helping people get disability benefits from insurance companies. Reach out to get help 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.
Call us at (800) 969-0488 or contact us online for a free consultation with a disability attorney.
