Ms. X was a senior human factors engineer in Austin, Texas, working for a biotechnology company. Hired in 2015, she excelled in her role despite health issues such as joint pain, migraines, and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Four years into the job, however, Ms. X’s health took a turn for the worse after a viral illness infection left her in a fatigued and weakened state.
As a result of her worsening condition, Ms. X began making mistakes at work. She also called out sick more than usual because she experienced brain fog and an increase in her chronic pain. As her condition deteriorated, Ms. X began working from home to accommodate her symptoms, but this didn’t help.
Ms. X stopped working on June 16, 2021. Her disabling conditions made it impossible for her to continue, so she filed a claim for short-term disability (STD) and long-term disability (LTD) benefits with Standard Insurance Company. She also filed a claim for a waiver of her life insurance premium due to her critical condition.
Standard paid for the entirety of the STD benefit period, and it approved the LTD claim, agreeing that Ms. X was disabled due to a total knee replacement, EDS, neuropathy, brain fog, femoral nerve damage, restrictive lung disease, and other disabling conditions. Things would change two years later.
Two Definitions for Disability
Standard’s policy has two definitions for disability. According to the company, a policyholder must first be disabled from their own occupation for 24 moths; if they are unable to work in any other occupation after this period, then they are again considered disabled and eligible for LTD benefits. If Standard determines that the policyholder can work in another occupation, then it can cancel LTD benefits as it did in Ms. X’s case.
Standard’s own doctors concluded that Ms. X has “no sustainable work capacity at any level” and that there are “no alternate occupations [that] can be identified at the Sedentary or Light levels.” Even so, Standard terminated Ms. X’s LTD benefits two years after her injury. A few weeks later, it also denied her Waiver of Life Insurance Premium claim.
Correcting a Serious Error
Ms. X contacted Dabdoub Law Firm for legal assistance. After reviewing her situation, we recognized that Standard made a serious error when it terminated her LTD benefits and life insurance premium waiver.
In a letter we sent to Standard, we presented the facts of Ms. X’s situation, which included various legal citations and medical documentation of Ms. X’s disabling conditions. We demanded that it carefully review the contents of our letter and strongly reconsider its prior decisions.
Although Dabdoub Law Firm is always prepared to take necessary legal action for our clients, no further efforts were necessary. Standard reversed its decision and provided Ms. X with her LTD benefits and premium waiver.
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;
- Successfully represented hundreds of clients and won millions of dollars in disability benefits; and
- Experience fighting every major insurance company, such as UNUM, Hartford, MetLife, CIGNA, Prudential, and more.
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 the 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; or
- Filing a lawsuit against your disability insurance company.
Call (800) 969-0488 to request a free consultation with a disability attorney. No fees or costs until you get paid.
