Connecticut Disability Lawyers
Disability Insurance Claims in Connecticut
Most disability insurance claims in Connecticut are governed by a federal law known as ERISA. Generally, if you received your long-term or short-term disability benefits through work, your disability claim will be covered by ERISA. If ERISA applies to your case, it is important to have an attorney with experience in this area of the law represent you.
Dabdoub Law Firm Can Help
Insurance companies have lawyers experienced with disability insurance law. You should too.
Dabdoub Law Firm is a disability insurance and ERISA law firm that represents people who have long term disability claims. Because the firm was created to be a disability insurance law firm, every lawyer focuses on helping people whose disability claims were delayed or denied. Millions of dollars in disability benefits have been paid to our clients.
More About Disability Insurance Law
ERISA sets strict deadlines and standards. Importantly, if your benefits are denied or terminated, you must pursue an appeal with your insurance company prior to being able to bring a lawsuit. Generally, you have 180 days to do so. ERISA also sets deadlines for the insurance companies. It is important that you have an attorney that understands these deadlines.
Connecticut is part of the Second Circuit, which has issued an important decision regarding how these deadlines are enforced. In Halo v. Yale Health Plan, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the doctrine of “substantial compliance.” Prior to the Halo decision, if an insurance company missed its deadlines, but still “substantially complied” with them, there were no consequences.
Now, because of the Second Circuit’s decision, it is more likely that an insurance company that ignores its deadlines would be held accountable. Usually, this is done so by giving the claimant a more favorable standard of review in court.
Following the Second Circuit’s decision in Halo, the District of Connecticut recently decided a case called Schuman v. Aetna Life Ins. Co. In Schuman, the court applied Halo and found that the insurance company would not receive the more favorable standard of review because of multiple violations of ERISA claim regulations. Essentially, because Aetna did not follow the rules it was supposed to, it would not be given the benefit of the doubt when the court decided whether it had reached the correct claim determination.
These cases from the Second Circuit and the District of Connecticut are important to ERISA claimants across the country.
At Dabdoub Law Firm, we know disability insurance law. Call to speak with a disability lawyer today.