Experienced LTD Attorneys
Don’t Face Your LTD Denial Alone
Insurance companies put the interests of one party above all others: the insurance company. This results in countless claim denials that deserve to be paid. If an insurance company has unfairly denied your claim, the first thing you need to do is hire Reno long-term disability lawyers with a good record of success.
Long-term disability insurance denial attorneys will take your appeal and hit the ground running. They understand the process and know how to turn a denial into an approval. It may require going to court, but it is better to file a lawsuit than to be permanently denied money you deserve and need.
To get more information, call the Reno long-term disability attorneys of Leverty & Associates Law Chartered at (775) 322-6636 today.
How Long-Term Disability Claims Should Work
When the system is working correctly, long-term disability claims should be easy to file and easy to collect. Suppose you have been severely injured or suffered a severe disease, resulting in your being unable to work. In that case, the insurance company should pay appropriate compensation for the duration of your disability.
You can’t just make a claim and expect to get paid without proof, though. You are expected to provide evidence of your disability upon making your claim. Usually, this means you need to provide medical records that reveal the extent of your disability and maybe also the opinion of the doctor treating you.
Once you have proven your claim, the insurance company should start paying compensation promptly. Those payments should continue until either you are once again capable of working or until your coverage expires.
That is the entire process. But the process fails when insurance companies deny your claim, even though you should qualify. When that happens, you need a Nevada long-term disability insurance attorney from Leverty & Associates Law Chartered to represent you against the insurance company.
Was your long-term disability claim denied? Speak to our experienced disability claim denial lawyers to get the assistance you need.
What to Do After a Denial
Appealing Your Claim Requires Reno Long-Term Disability Lawyers
Too many people simply accept that their claim has been denied and don’t even try to appeal the decision. The insurance companies want this to happen because this is how they make money.
After you’ve had a long-term disability claim denied, you must be proactive. The longer you wait to act, the harder it will be to get the money you are contractually owed.
That last point is critical. Long-term disability insurance is a contract between you and your insurance company. The insurance company can’t just refuse to pay your claim if you qualify. Denying a legitimate claim is a breach of contract that could result in your getting even more money from a lawsuit than you would have gotten if your claim was correctly paid as required.
A Leverty & Associates Law Chartered long-term disability insurance denial attorney will tell you what compensation you can expect to receive after evaluating your case. But the only way you can get the money you deserve is to act quickly and take these important steps.
Hire a Long-Term Disability Insurance Claim Lawyer
The appeals process is designed to be complicated. You will need to jump through hoops to complete the process, and many deadlines aren’t well advertised. Even a small mistake can result in your having to start over from scratch, and if you miss a deadline, your appeal can be immediately denied.
Leverty & Associates Law Chartered has long-term disability insurance claim lawyers who are familiar with this process and won’t make mistakes or miss deadlines.
Maintain Thorough Records of Your Disability
When denying your claim, insurance companies often assert that you failed to provide sufficient proof of your disability. This is why it is so important to maintain thorough records of your disability. These records include:
- Medical records
- Opinions from doctors
- Work records
- Physical requirements of your job
- Records of therapeutic sessions.
Your Nevada long-term disability insurance attorney from Leverty & Associates Law Chartered can tell you what records are most important, how to get those records, and how to preserve them. Consult regularly with your attorney to avoid making common mistakes.
Get Approval from Your Long-Term Disability Insurance Denial Attorney Before Being Evaluated by an Insurance Company Doctor
The insurance company may require you to submit to an independent doctor for evaluation before considering your appeal. But just because a doctor is supposed to be independent, this doesn’t mean they actually are. Because the doctor is paid by the insurance company, they may be biased in favor of the insurance company.
The Reno long-term disability attorneys at Leverty & Associates Law Chartered are familiar with local doctors and know which doctors provide fair assessments and which are impermissibly biased.
Your attorney won’t allow a biased doctor to give you an evaluation. Lawyers can negotiate on your behalf for more acceptable doctors, increasing the likelihood that your denial will be overturned.
File Your Appeal Promptly
Every day you delay in filing your appeal results in a bigger advantage for the insurance company. While you shouldn’t begin your appeal until you have spoken to a Leverty & Associates Law Chartered disability claim denial lawyer, that is the only thing that should delay your appeal.
Once you have consulted with your lawyer, you should file that day, preferably while you are in the office and your lawyer can provide advice.
Share All Communications with Your Lawyer Immediately
In the best-case scenario, all communication with your insurance company will go directly through your attorney. Insurance companies don’t always respect this, but you need to enforce this rule as best you can.
Anytime you receive communication from anyone involved with your long-term disability claim, forward that communication to your lawyer immediately. If you are contacted in a way that does not create records, like a phone call or in-person visit, end the communication immediately and direct that individual to speak to your lawyer.
Alternatively, say nothing and take careful notes if the former response isn’t possible. Most importantly, never agree to or deny anything without your lawyer’s input on that decision.
Why Our Clients Choose Leverty & Associates Law Chartered
Reno Long-Term Disability Attorneys that Care
At Leverty & Associates Law Chartered, we try to walk in our clients’ shoes. We care about the well-being of our clients, and we feel it’s important to understand what they are going through. That is why we are attentive to their concerns. It allows us to solve their problems quickly and effectively.
Our team-oriented approach to the law ensures that each of our attorneys is familiar with our client’s case. This lets us respond quickly to any development in the case and ensures that the best lawyer for any particular development is working on the case.
When past clients recommend us to friends and family members, it is because:
- We have over 100 years of combined experience.
- We have gotten over $150 million for our clients.
- We are never afraid to go to court.
- We are licensed to practice in Nevada, California, and Washington.
- Our founder, Gene Leverty, was the Chief Deputy Insurance Commissioner of Nevada.
This is just a small handful of the many great things our clients have said about our law firm over the years. If you want to learn more, call us at (775) 322-6636 to speak with a lawyer for free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most people don’t know much about long-term disability before they suffer an injury or illness. These are some of the most common questions we get asked at Leverty & Associates Law Chartered.
The ADA defines a disability, with respect to an individual, as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits major life activities. This definition is reasonably open-ended, which means it often needs to be interpreted by the court system.
Insurance companies are not bound by the ADA definition of disability when creating an insurance policy but may use it as a starting point.
It is a good idea to carefully read the definition of long-term disability as defined by your policy. If it differs significantly from the ADA definition, your insurance company may be violating your rights. Your Reno long-term disability attorneys at Leverty & Associates Law Chartered will carefully examine the definition in the policy and compare it to your case.
The Nevada Division of Insurance offers comprehensive advice about what to consider before purchasing a long-term disability insurance policy. Important factors to consider include:
- How the insurance company defines disability
- What disability categories are covered
- The monetary value of your benefits
- Length of coverage
- Whether the insurance company waives premiums once you are disabled
- Cancellation and renewability policies.
These factors don’t matter if you have already been denied a claim. But if you are considering purchasing insurance or want to know if your insurance offers the benefits you expect, these are the factors you should consider.
You can file a lawsuit at any point, but, generally, it is optimal to wait until you have completed the appeal process before filing a lawsuit. There is a chance your denial will be overturned, making a lawsuit meaningless.
Additionally, your Reno long-term disability lawyers can use the actions of your insurance company during your appeal to strengthen your case if a lawsuit is necessary.
If you want to file an early lawsuit because you need money, Leverty & Associates Law Chartered lawyers can direct you to resources to help you stay financially stable while waiting for an appeal to complete.
The timetable for completing an insurance claim is variable, but insurance companies may not intentionally delay the process. If your insurance company is delaying the appeals process to get you to drop your claim or accept a low settlement offer, your long-term disability insurance claim lawyer from Leverty & Associates Law Chartered will immediately file a lawsuit.
That behavior is illegal, and you can be awarded additional punitive damages when we prove your insurance company engaged in it.
There are a few legitimate reasons why your long-term disability claim might have been denied. For example, your injury might not prevent you from working if you are given appropriate accommodations, or you might not have presented the right type of evidence to prove your claim.
When you have been legitimately denied, an attorney may still be able to help you get full or partial compensation or help you explore other options.
Unfortunately, all too often, clients are denied for illegitimate reasons. Insurance companies will use any excuse to deny a legitimate claim if they think they can get away with it. When this happens, you need a Leverty & Associates Law Chartered disability claim attorney scouring every detail of your case. We won’t let the insurance companies deny your legitimate claim.
Every policy is different, but the average policy will pay you approximately 60% of whatever you were making at the time you purchased your policy. While this value will vary depending on the details of your policy, as a rule, it can never exceed the amount you made when you got injured.
It is a good idea to reevaluate the compensation value of your policy every few years as your wages or salary change over time.
If you still have questions, feel free to ask as many questions as you want during your free initial consultation.
Long-Term Disability Insurance Denial Lawyers in Reno
Leverty & Associates Law Chartered Helps People Who Have Been Injured
Your insurance company has denied your legitimate claim for long-term disability insurance. What should you do? Don’t panic. Call the long-term disability claim denial lawyers at Leverty & Associates Law Chartered at (775) 322-6636 to get help today.
Attorney Patrick Leverty
With his master’s in insurance law, Patrick routinely helps individuals and businesses who are having issues with their insurance company. He also has extensive experience with personal injury actions, complex tort actions, product liability matters, and class actions. Patrick Leverty is rated AV by Martindale Hubbell (the highest rating) and has been granted membership in the Million Dollar Advocate Forum, and Multi-Million Dollar Advocate Forum. Patrick Leverty has been certified as a Personal Injury Specialist by the State Bar of Nevada. [ Attorney Bio ]
Insurance companies are part of a trillion-dollar for-profit industry. Health insurance, homeowners’ insurance, auto insurance, life insurance, and business insurance are unavoidable costs of everyday life. When you’ve upheld your end of the contract by paying your premiums on time, you shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get the coverage you deserve. Our experienced attorneys can work for your best interests, pressing insurance providers to meet their obligations for coverage.
