Some employers offer employees both short-term and long-term disability insurance. These benefits are provided to an employee when the employees is out of work for disability purposes.
Short term disability insurance usually range between 9 and 26 weeks of payments (usually a certain percentage of your wages) for an individual who is unable to work. If the company offers and the employee elected long-term disability, then after short-term disability expires, the employee could convert to the long-term disability insurance. To clarify, short and long-term disability insurance HAS NOTHING to do with social security disability. Short and long-term disability benefits are PRIVATE insurances that may be offered through your employer. Not all employers offer these insurance benefits.
Just like workers compensation, your benefits are provided by an insurance carrier. Insurance carriers are not fond of paying out claims. So they often deny at the application level, or after you have been on long-term disability benefits for a period of time, they attempt to terminate your payments. The appeals process is complicated. If you have received a denial letter from an insurance company or plan administrator stating that you do not meet the “definition of disability” for your occupation, for that matter, any occupation, you must appeal. Usually the initial appeal window is within 180 days. You must provide medical, vocational and other evidence to the insurance carrier. You must go through the administrative appeal process, which may be several levels, before you can file a lawsuit in court. Again, it can be a complicated process.
If you have been denied short or long-term disability benefits, or have had your benefits threatened or stopped, call Mooney & Associates today. Call us for a FREE consultation. Often times your long-term disability insurance carrier will REQUIRE you to apply for social security disability. Not only can we handle the application process for you, but if you are denied, we will fight for your social security disability benefits. For Disability law, you can Count on Mooney. call today at 717-200-HELP or toll-free at 1-877-632-4656.
