Living With A Disability Claim – Knowing The Process With A Plan B
Every one reacts differently to having a disability claim, and having to depend on insurers for income. Some learn to live in a high state of anxiety, some are tearful most of the time, others can’t sleep, and still others react arrogantly as if nothing is ever...
Are People Not Getting It Or What?
I don’t want to even think about the number of articles I’ve written about surveillance. Although I feel like a broken record on the subject, I’m also hearing from clients and other insureds that basically my tips on surveillance are ignored. By...
Regular Care – Be Really Careful
All disability insurers require those who file claims to remain in “regular” care. The word “regular” means, (and this is my definition), “the frequency of medical consultation with a physician who has credentials to treat the...
Tread Carefully With Unum Settlements
We are now within weeks before the end of the 3rd Qtr. profitability close and Unum is reaching out to insureds offering lump sum settlements sometimes with 6 figures if the benefit is high enough. Apparently, Unum is testing the waters to rid their financial reserves...
Treating Physicians – Running Away From The System
Physicians have never been happy with the insurance industry that put them in the middle of risk management within the private disability review process. In some respects treating physicians have been abused and ignored by the very industry that now requires their...
Living With A Disability Claim – The Loss Of An Occupation
Unfortunately, most people in America identify themselves with what they do for a living. When asked, “Who are you?”, the most common responses include, “I’m a secretary”, “plastic surgeon” or “fireman.” Americans...
Why Insurance Phone Calls Place Risk On Your Claim
In the past, I’ve written many articles about why insureds should NOT speak with insurance companies on the phone, and for the most part I believe that the majority of people do not. However, there is still a large percentage of insureds and claimants who still...
Claimified By Lincoln And Enough Is Enough
OK folks. In the last week I’ve received over 35 calls from Lincoln claimants asking me about requests for SSDI files by a third-party paper chaser called Claimify. This has been a Lincoln issue for the last few months and I’ve written at least 2-3...
Comorbidity In Disability Claims
While most insureds are left in the dark about co-morbidity, insurance companies have always taken the opportunity to abuse claims when it is obvious co-morbidity exists. The definition, simply put, is “having more than one medical diagnosis that in combination...
Insurer Priorities Aren’t In The Past
Most of the people who are receiving private disability benefits have not thought about what the major intentions and priorities of insurers really are. Some are of the opinion that insurers are “all bad”, others believe the Almighty Net and believe...
They’re Watching You!
Insureds are phoning me like crazy reporting strange cars on their streets, familiar faces popping up in the store, spooky, burly men following them, and well, you got it, strange phone calls, and door knocks. Insurance surveillance is a normal thing, expected, and...
Unum’s Voodoo Physicians Reappear
As Unum tightens the rope around insureds’ throats to deny claims (again), the old-time, biased internal physician review re-emerges with aggressive internal non-acceptance of medical restrictions and limitations, doc-to-doc calls, and treating physician...
Lincoln Financial On A Rampage – A Word To The Wise
Looks like Lincoln Financial is on a hell-bent rampage to obtain SSDI files from their claimants. DCS continues to receive calls “checking with me” about next steps in handling the requests. Although I’ve written many articles about so-called...
Don’t Call A Mess By Any Other Name – It’s Still A Mess
I really don’t know how seriously most readers take my articles, but just today I received several email messages describing Unum’s (and other insurers’) inability to provide efficient and accurate claims management. One insured reported receiving...
Lincoln Broken Record
Apparently Lincoln Financial has taken up Unum’s SSDI scams. I received 5 calls today one right another, describing an offer of settlement, declined by claimants with resultant requests for SSDI records to calculate possible overpayment. It’s obvious that...
Communication Skills – Emails Have No Tone Of Voice
Today, every one sends emails about everything. Email to family, friends, enemies, chat rooms etc. Although businesses give lip service to not using emails, they instead created “secure” portals to communicate by email nonetheless. Electronic...
“Unable To Perform” vs. “Limited From Performing”
Although there are two basic ERISA Plan definitions of disability, claims handlers ignore the major differences in Plan language between “unable to perform material and substantial duties”, and “limited from performing material and substantial...
Demanding Surgery As “Appropriate Care”
Somewhat connected to the previous post is the issue as to whether an insurance company can threaten to deny benefits unless you have surgery. Think about this. If an insurance company could force insureds to have surgery, they could potentially kill a lot of...
Regular And Appropriate Care
Although I’ve written several articles on “Regular and Appropriate Care”, the long buried issue of Unum’s CXC Employer Plans is once again showing it’s face in the review process. In the mid-90’s and earlier, Unum’s Group LTD...
Disorganized, Inefficient And Late
Although I’ve written about the current chaotic state of most insurance companies, I wonder just how seriously insureds accept that information and run with it. Have you tried to contact a claims handler recently? Or, has your insurance company sent out a second...
