As a member of the Florida bar, you are offered group disability policies underwritten by The Guardian Life Insurance of America (“Guardian”). These policies will contain specific “Own Occupation” definitions that correlate with your legal practice or specialty in the event you become disabled.
Although this is a group disability policy, it is not governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”). Since ERISA does not apply, you have more leverage as a claimant should the claim be denied, and litigation may be necessary. In this type of case, state law applies.
Submitting a Claim for Disability Benefits
If you become disabled, you should promptly notify Guardian of your intent to submit a claim. Guardian will provide claim forms that must be completed by you and your treating doctors. You will need to also send in medical records to document your proof of loss. You may also have to provide documentation regarding your occupation and/or specialty.
In most cases, claim forms and medical records are not enough. Our experienced disability insurance attorneys have handled claims for disabled attorneys and understand the complexity of proving a disability from this occupation.
Depending on your medical condition, additional evidence may be necessary. Together, we will determine what type of evidence is necessary to prove your disability. This may include outside testing and reports, including:
- Functional capacity evaluation
- Independent medical evaluation
- Neuropsychological evaluation
Our Lawyers Specialize in Disability Insurance Claims
Because our law firm has always focused only on disability insurance, our lawyers are experts in legal representation for disability insurance benefits.
That means our disability lawyers have:
- Won several major disability lawsuits that help make better law for disability claimants;
- Experience fighting every major disability insurance company, such as UNUM, Hartford, MetLife, CIGNA, Prudential, and more.
- Successfully represented hundreds of clients and won millions of dollars in disability benefits.
Because federal law applies to most disability insurance claims, we can help clients across the country.
Disability insurance companies have lawyers. You should too. Call Dabdoub Law Firm to get experienced disability lawyers on your side.
We can help with:
- Submitting a disability insurance claim,
- Appealing a long-term disability denial,
- Negotiating a lump-sum settlement, and
- Filing a lawsuit against your disability insurance company.
Call us at (800) 969-0488 or send us a message online for a free consultation with a disability attorney. You won’t owe us anything unless we win.
