Try A New Normal Of Thinking About Insurers
If anyone has been through the hoops with disability insurers I would be my top pick. I worked through the Unum Life Insurance years, the UNUMProvident years, Unum Group years and now the post CO_ID years. A great deal changed in these time periods, and as a result of...
Friday This N’ That
Did you know that insurance companies have many different versions of forms? Claims handlers are often told to “use up the old forms first” before sending out the new ones. In addition, there are Questionnaires, Narratives, and Physician forms that many...
Watch What You Say To Insurance Reps
There are still many insureds and claimants who are speaking on the phone with insurance companies looking for evidence to deny claims. Despite “best practice” recommendations, it appears insureds may feel more in control of situations if they speak...
Questionnaires, Letters And Other Writings
Since we are coming up on end-of-the-year profitability targeting, I am once again reminding everyone of a few basic “best practice” rules when it comes to filling out insurance Questionnaires. Your responses could mean the difference between a paid claim,...
What Does It Mean? “Material and Substantial”
If I were to ask the average claimant what “material and substantial” means relative to an ERISA Plan or IDI claim, the response would most likely be, “important.” However, it might surprise claimants and insureds to know that there is a...
It’s Time For Tax Return Requests
Insurance requests for tax returns always brings up the question, “Do I have to give them my tax return?” The answer depends on the circumstances, and is a conflict for the insured with a 50% win potential. Very few Plans and policies actually require the...
Caution With Medicare Advantage Plans
Although I don’t mention it very often, I’m also schooled and credentialed in Health and Life Insurance. Therefore, I’m taking the opportunity to speak to “Medicare Advantage Plans”, which may or may not be a good choice for you. I think...
End Of The Year Reviews
This is just a reminder that we are nearing end of the year claim reviews. Many claims may already be targeted with IMEs, surveillance, and phone interviews with treating physicians. It’s time to pay attention to what insurers are asking for, or trying to obtain...
Long-Term Care
Most people receiving Medicare Parts A&B probably don’t realize that it doesn’t cover the costs of a live-in nursing home. Although Medicare pays some costs for Home Health Care, it does not cover the expense of admission to a full-care nursing home....
Be Smart And Know What You’re Doing
More insureds than ever are trying to manage their own claims to save money. I get it. Expert assistance is not cheap and it certainly isn’t free. However, there are several aspects of claims management that are absolutely essential for success. Therefore, here...
Going Back To Work
Of the thousands of people I’ve had as clients over the years nearly 100% expressed an optimistic view of returning to work “someday.” The thought of “not working” is as unAmerican as it gets. And yet, despite the longing to return to...
Suggestion Box
I know it’s hard to believe, but after 20 years of writing Lindanee’s Blog I’ve run out of interesting subjects to write about. Yep, I began this Blog over 20 years ago starting with Newsletter articles in a column called, “Inside...
Need To Know Information Part I- For The New Insured
This article might just be one of the most important articles you’ll read concerning your disability claim this year. There are certain protocols, and understandings all insureds need to have in order to properly protect yourselves against insurers who...
Consultant vs. Attorney
In the last month or so I’ve been contacted by several people looking for appeals help because their claims were denied, mostly ERISA. Unfortunately, I am not permitted to be “out front” for claimants or insureds on appeals, but am only permitted to...
How Short-Term Disability Works
Short-term disability is not reviewed in the same way as LTD. Those of you who are just starting your claims may have already noticed how time intensive it is to manage a short-term disability claim. Most advocates, lawyers included, fail to realize the review abuses...
A Word About Treating Physicians
While today there are many disability physicians who freely give their time to document disability, there are just as many physicians who are easily persuaded to throw their patients under the perverbial bus by unethical insurance physicians who leave their medical...
Saturday That N’ That
Communicating with claims handlers by email is not a good idea and isn’t recommended by DCS. I understand that the trend today is to use texts and emails, but it could result in disaster for those with disability claims All written documents are discoverable in...
Sunday Tidbits And This And That
I am so often asked what the state of the claims processes are these days and I haven’t really taken the time to explain. First, I think we need to recap what’s happened over the last few years that continues to affect the way disability claims are now...
From Lighthouse Of The World To Outhouse Failure
Part I of my book is now published on my website located at http://www.disabilityclaimssolutions.com. Attorneys who litigated claims between 1996 and 2000 might be interested in reading the cultural history of Unum as well as the claims practices that were used during...
Unum’s Predetermined Recovery Periods
Recent letters from Unum show indications that the company is once again using some sort of software (or review tactic) to arbitrarily assign recovery dates to claims. For the last twenty-five years Unum used, off and on, a desktop software called MDA, to identify...
