Another Q & A 7/21/2020
Do I tell my agent I’m retiring? What for? Insurance agents know enough about disability insurance to sell and deliver policies, and not a great deal about the claims process. Some insureds tell me that their “agents” are like friends of the family...
Friday Q & A
Do I have to resign when I go out on disability? This is the #1 question asked on Lindanee’s Blog and I have several good articles about the subject. Therefore, please do a “Search” from the Home Page for Resignations and read the other articles. In...
Unum – Read My File Will Ya?
Insureds/claimants are continuing to complain that they are receiving letters requesting information that was previously submitted to the file, in some cases years ago. The harassment coming to light involves the fact that social security, medical and other financial...
Unum And SSDI – Profitable Bedfellows
DCS, Inc. continues to receive many calls from claimants who are worried about recent requests to provide SSDI financial and benefit information. Unsure of what it all means, some claimants go off the wire suspecting the worse, which is understandable given...
How Is A Surveillance For A Disability Claim Conducted?
All insurance surveillance initially begins with a red flag determined by the claims handler, whether it be conflicting or lack of medical information, inconsistency of report, or any number of other conflicts in a claim that challenge credibility of it. A referral is...
Happy Fourth Of —Surveillance?
Although most of the nation seems to still be on some sort of lock-down or isolation, it is possible that insurance surveillance teams may be taking advantage of those who venture out. Insurance companies always conduct surveillance during the holidays and I suspect...
Unum – Checks Late Already
This is just a reminder that Unum Group seems to have a problem with getting checks out on time during the holidays. Claimants/Insureds already reporting late checks and we haven’t even reached the holiday yet. It is expected that in addition to Unum’s...
Unum Claimants – Nickel & Dimed
This is just a reminder that Unum is once again scraping the bottom of the barrel for SSDI overpayments to successfully queeze the last nickel and dime from its claimants. For the last month or so, Unum has been sending out letters requesting claimants send one of...
Unum – Policy? What Policy? Can’t Find It! Don’t Have It! But, “Reconstructed It!”
One of the worst things UnumProvident ever did at the time of the 1999 merger was to do away with the “policy room”, which was a paper accumulation of original policies sold to employers and insureds. Eliminating original copies of policies, particularly...
Procrastination To File IDI Claims Raises “Late Filing And Prejudice” Issues
Those who have IDI policies, (non-ERISA), and delay filing initial claims, risk getting paid for prior periods even when the definition of disability has been met for total or residual disability. The idea that because the policy is IDI, and not subject to federal...
Has There Ever Been An Investigation For Insurance Paying Off Doctors?
I received this question several times this week one specifically asking whether Unum pays-off its doctors. I think it’s fair to say that the insurance industry routinely “pays-off” its reviewing physicians all the time, and they do it on the table....
Thank You To Readers And Callers In Difficult Times
I want to thank all of the insureds who call me with their questions as well as DCS Clients who place their trust in my services and abilities. Many of my clients have been with me for more than 10 years and have reached maximum duration of claim. Yesterday to my...
Making Wrong Decisions That Will Cost You
Lately it has come to my attention just how many people are using the content of Lindanee’s Blog to manage their claims. I’ve come to know this because eventually many of the same insureds find it necessary to call me and ask for help. Although I have said...
Unum Targets HIV Old Age Claims
Within 7 days from the end of 2nd Qtr. we can easily see where Unum is focused. I’ve received several phone calls informing me that Unum is targeting HIV, near maximum duration claims. Although Unum has always denied individuals on claim long-term, this...
Unum – The Hartford Chasing The Dollar For 2nd Qtr. Profitability
For the last several years Unum Group has been extremely aggressive in “correcting”, recalculating, and estimating SSDI benefits in an effort to bolster profitability. Hiring Lucens and using Genex as its third-party paper chasers, Unum’s procedures...
Physicians Sitting On The Fence – No Benefit To You
In order to have a successfully paid disability claim all treating physicians must agree to support your disability by writing medical restrictions and limitations that preclude you from working. No medical support….no disability claim. Of late, I’ve...
Eliot Spitzer – A True Advocate For Insureds
I’ve been receiving questions about Eliot Spitzer lately; frankly I don’t know why, but it’s a very interesting story. Attorney Spitzer was the Attorney General in New York (1999 – 2006) who was just short of bringing criminal charges against...
Disability Claims vs. Narcissistic Personality Disorder
In the course of assisting insureds with their disability claims, I’ve discovered, sometimes unfortunately, that having disability claims in combination with narcissistic outlooks and behaviors on the part of insureds, often cause claims to be untimely, and...
Unum – You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me!
I called Unum today and its voice mail included a notice informing callers that not all COVID-19 claims will be paid. Why would Unum put a notice like that on its menu service? Obviously, the company is trying to discourage people from filing COVID-19 claims, which...
Prudential’s Future IMEs. What A Waste Of Time!
It came to my attention today that Prudential is pre-scheduling IMEs for future dates as if the company has a crystal ball and can predict an end to COVID-19 and a return to normal living. The claims handler I spoke to regurgitated the company’s line when she...
