A resident of Fort Lauderdale, FL reached out to Dabdoub Law Firm after Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company wrongfully denied him the short-term disability (STD) benefits he deserves for major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Keep reading to learn more about this recent success story in Florida.
Dabdoub Attorney Successfully Appeals to Reliance on Client’s Behalf
After Reliance wrongfully denied a disabled Florida resident the disability benefits he deserves, he turned to our seasoned disability insurance lawyers for help to right this wrong. Fortunately, Attorney Emily Quirino successfully appealed to Reliance on our client’s behalf, proving that he is indeed disabled under the terms of Reliance’s short-term disability policy.
Attorney Quirino explains that her client spent over 23 successful years as a Senior Financial Analyst at North Broward Hospital, during which he spent decades climbing the corporate ladder and forging a hard-earned professional reputation. Sadly, he was forced to step back from his career after he began to struggle with debilitating anxiety and depression, rendering him incapable of working by February 2022.
“Things began to get stressful, and [my client] started to struggle,” Attorney Quirino remembers, adding that “it all started slowly” for her Florida client. Every morning, he found it more difficult to rise than the previous morning.
“I would stare at my computer screen seeing nothing unable to connect to reality,” her client admits, a sentiment is echoed by the medical experts who have treated him—including his physiatrist, Dr. Walker, who confirmed that his Fort Lauderdale patient has “extreme anxiety where [he] feels ‘paralyzed’ and finds it difficult to complete tasks.”
Nonetheless, Reliance saw fit to abandon their fiduciary duties under ERISA law by wrongfully denying our Florida client the STD benefits he deserves, prompting our experienced Dabdoub attorneys to take matters into their own hands.
Beating the Stigma: Disability Benefits for Clients with Mental Illnesses
In addition to “paralyzing” anxiety and depression, our Florida client also suffers from brain fog, forgetfulness, and physical ailments like hip and back pain. By denying his claim, Reliance also chose to deny extensive medical evidence of our client’s disability, including diagnostic imaging, treatment records, and notable medical visits.
In February 2022, his psychiatrist recommended “additional time off” for disabling anxiety and depression. In the several months that followed, our client's primary care physician, Dr. Walker, noted that his patient's condition remained “unchanged.” In fact, by April, our client's physicians opted to increase his medication dosage due to the lack of improvement.
By May, Dr. Walker confirmed that his patient struggles with “even the smallest tasks” at home, as he expressed being too paralyzed to make decisions. By June, another treating physician described his patient as “very depressed,” adding that his concentration is poor, he “is very forgetful,” and “the patient seems quite ill.”
Even so, Reliance's reviewer denied our client's claim, wrongfully claiming a lack of evidence to justify it. Attorney Quirino wasted no time reminding Reliance that this couldn't be further from the truth, successfully holding the insurance accompany accountable for this act of wrongdoing and restoring the short-term disability benefits that our Fort Lauderdale client needed and deserved from the start.
Help from a Lawyer with Expertise in Disability Insurance
Disability insurance law is complex. Hiring an experienced disability attorney is essential. Because all disability lawyers at this law firm focus on disability insurance claims, we proudly offer significant expertise in disability insurance law.
The Dabdoub Law Firm has:
- Experience with every major disability insurance company;
- A proven track record of success in winning major disability lawsuits; and
- Recovered millions of dollars in disability benefits for clients.
We never charge fees or costs unless our clients get paid. Our firm can help at any stage of your disability insurance claim, including:
- Submitting a disability insurance claim;
- Appealing a long-term disability denial;
- Negotiating a lump-sum settlement; and/or
- Filing a lawsuit against your disability insurance company.
Because federal law applies to most disability insurance claims, our lawyers can represent clients across the country.
Call (800) 969-0488 or contact us online to speak with an experienced disability attorney. Consultations are free.
