Every disability claim is unique with its own set of circumstances, medical reports and history. The idea that one can “look up”, or research other cases on the Internet, and put together their own strategy from the tales of someone else is pure lunacy.
Contrary to popular belief, the Internet is NOT a good resource to use about disability claims mainly because people only publish horribly awful case studies. To apply what happened to someone else to YOUR claim is never a good idea, but you would be surprised at the number of calls I receive from insureds who have done just that.
After all, I spent 9 years working at Unum, 3 years as an expert witness, and 25 total years as a Disability Consultant. I have alphabet soup after my name, and took a rather complicated test in order to get licensed. This is what makes me qualified to give advice concerning disability claims. Insureds and claimants on the Internet only have their own personal experiences that they share, but “What THEY did, is not what YOU SHOULD DO.”
In general, the Internet is not a good source of information for most things. Social media accounts place disability claims at high risk. LinkedIn accounts should be immediately closed by disability insureds because the site’s purpose is to find work, and Facebook is an absolute no-no for those receiving benefits. What is everyone thinking these days?”
The old saying from the 50’s, “Well, it’s in the paper so it must be true”, should be interpreted today as, “Well, it’s on the Internet, so it’s not credible.” Certainly, this is true in trying to manage disability claims. Nothing should jump off of your computer screen into your claim file.
Still, people spend unreasonable amounts of time trying to find out what this Unum insured did, or what that Guardian person did. To what end? Most people come away from that disappointed, fearful, and prepared to do exactly the wrong thing.
My recommendation is to NOT use what someone else did to manage your own claim. Your claim is totally unique and won’t ever be the same as other claims. Don’t make the mistake of taking advice from inexperienced, or unknowledgeable persons when it comes to YOUR claim either. Rely on the people who know.
