If you are receiving long-term disability (LTD) benefits from your insurance company, it will routinely review your claim to determine if you continue to meet the definition of disability. Many times, the insurance company will request your medical records and ask your doctors to complete forms detailing your functionality. Sometimes, the insurance company asks you to attend an independent medical examination (IME).
In reality, however, these exams are not independent at all as they are performed by the insurance company’s hired physician-consultants. Oftentimes, these paid doctors perform dozens of IMEs each year for insurance companies, deriving a significant amount of their income from these evaluations. This can result in biased examinations and reports to keep the insurance company happy, which may not accurately reflect a person’s medical conditions and impairments.
If you receive a letter asking you to attend one of these in-person evaluations, you may wonder whether you are required to attend your disability insurance company’s IME.
Generally, if the insurance company asks you to attend an IME you should cooperate. Most group long-term disability policies have terms that require your cooperation and give the carrier the right to examine you as is reasonably necessary.
If the insurance company is being overly aggressive and your medical records and doctors support a finding of disability, you may be able to argue that the IME is not necessary. If the insurance carrier insists and you refuse, however, your long-term disability benefits could be terminated or denied.
Our long-term disability attorneys have years of experience assisting clients across the country through the claim and appeal process. If you have received a request from your long-term disability insurance company to attend an IME, contact our firm right away.
Help from a Lawyer with Expertise in Disability Insurance
This law firm was built to be a disability insurance law firm.
That focus means:
- All of our lawyers specialize in disability insurance claims;
- We have experience with every major disability insurance company;
- We have won important long-term disability lawsuits.
Our disability lawyers can help you with:
- Submitting your disability insurance claim,
- Appealing a long-term disability denial,
- Negotiating your lump-sum settlement, or
- Filing a lawsuit against your disability insurance company.
Hiring an experienced disability attorney is important. Because federal law applies to most disability insurance claims, our lawyers do not have to be located in your state.
Call (800) 969-0488 for a free consultation with an experienced disability attorney.
Pay no fees or costs unless you get paid.
