Lincoln Financial long-term disability policies may evaluate disability under two different standards: “own occupation” and “any occupation.” Under an own-occupation provision, a policyholder may qualify for benefits when an illness or injury prevents them from performing the material duties of their regular occupation. Under an any-occupation provision, the insurer may require evidence that the policyholder […]

Understanding your long-term disability (LTD) insurance policy can be challenging, particularly when you are dealing with a serious illness or injury, financial uncertainty, and an insurance company evaluating your eligibility for benefits. Disability insurance policies contain specialized medical, legal, and contractual terminology that can directly affect whether your claim is approved, how much you receive, […]

You may have a valid disability claim against Lincoln Financial if you have an illness or injury that prevents you from performing the work duties required under your disability insurance policy and you can support those limitations with appropriate medical, occupational, and other evidence. A diagnosis by itself usually is not enough. The key question […]

If Prudential has denied or terminated your long-term disability benefits and you are considering a lawsuit, one of your first questions may be: How long will a lawsuit against Prudential take to resolve? A federal ERISA lawsuit against Prudential may take approximately 12 to 24 months to reach a final decision, although some cases resolve […]

If Unum denied your long-term disability claim, don’t treat the denial as the final word. Start by reading the denial letter closely and finding your appeal deadline. For employer-sponsored plans, that deadline is at least 180 days. Then request your complete claim file in writing and build a detailed written appeal that answers every reason […]

If Prudential denies or terminates your long-term disability benefits and your claim ultimately reaches federal court, one of the most important legal questions may be something most policyholders have never heard of: What standard of review will the court use to evaluate Prudential’s decision? The “standard of review” determines how much deference, if any, a […]

If Prudential has denied or terminated your long-term disability benefits, you may be surprised to learn that a lawsuit challenging the decision could end up in federal court rather than your local state court. The reason usually has less to do with Prudential itself and more to do with the type of disability insurance policy […]

If Prudential has denied or terminated your disability benefits, you may be ready to take the insurance company to court. However, receiving an initial denial does not always mean you can immediately file a lawsuit. If your Prudential disability coverage is governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), you generally must […]

If Prudential denied or terminated your long-term disability benefits, one of the most important terms you may encounter during the appeal process is the “administrative record.” It may sound like legal jargon, but for many employer-sponsored disability claims, the administrative record can become the foundation of the entire case. For claims governed by the Employee […]