When a shopper with severe knee surgical procedure issues was denied a long-term incapacity declare from one of many nation’s largest insurance coverage firms, Michael Horrow and the group at Donahue & Horrow LLP had been capable of safe a really favorable settlement to assist the shopper concentrate on his restoration.
In December 2017, after a lifetime of arduous work, our then 58-year-old shopper was compelled to cease working after his third knee surgical procedure, as a consequence of issues from a revision of a previous left complete knee alternative. Whereas our shopper had been capable of return to work after his prior surgical procedures, he by no means totally recovered from his third knee surgical procedure. He turned to his long-term incapacity provider and filed a declare for incapacity advantages beneath the ERISA-governed profit plan supplied by his employer.
The insurance coverage firm agreed that our shopper was not capable of work and initially authorised his incapacity declare. For the following two years, our shopper constantly supplied up to date medical information to the insurance coverage firm. This included information from rotator cuff surgical procedure and plans for a fourth left knee surgical procedure that needed to be delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
After 24 months of receiving advantages, the definition of incapacity modified, as is typical in ERISA-governed incapacity plans. Initially, our shopper solely needed to reveal that he was unable to work the job that he carried out on the time of his incapacity, that of a manufacturing supervisor, with a purpose to qualify for advantages. Nevertheless, after two years, our shopper was required to indicate that he couldn’t “carry out the duties of any gainful occupation” with a purpose to qualify for advantages. Instantly after the change within the definition of incapacity, our shopper continued to obtain month-to-month profit checks. Nevertheless, after three months, the insurance coverage firm arbitrarily and all of the sudden denied our shopper’s declare— as a result of an underqualified in-house nurse reviewer employed by the insurance coverage firm believed our shopper may return to work.
This led our shopper to strategy Donahue & Horrow LLP for assist with an enchantment of the wrongful denial of his declare. The Agency took over all communication with the insurance coverage firm and ensured that the insurer obtained all of our shopper’s up to date medical information in addition to stories from a Useful Capability Evaluator and a Vocational Analyst additional supporting the declare.
When the insurance coverage firm refused to reverse its declare determination on enchantment, Donahue & Horrow LLP filed an ERISA criticism in the USA District Courtroom for Central District of California’s Los Angeles courthouse. Ultimately the events performed a mediation, throughout which the insurance coverage firm agreed to pay our shopper a considerable settlement in alternate for a dismissal of the lawsuit. With the settlement, our shopper was capable of keep away from the uncertainties inherent in litigation and was additionally free of having to make month-to-month stories to the insurance coverage firm concerning his medical situation. Now, utilizing the cash from his settlement, alongside along with his month-to-month Social Safety Incapacity Insurance coverage advantages, our shopper is ready to spend his time specializing in his restoration and spending time along with his household, quite than combating with the insurance coverage firm.
For those who imagine your incapacity insurance coverage, life insurance coverage, AD&D or long run care insurance coverage declare was improperly denied by your insurance coverage firm, name Donahue & Horrow LLP at (877) 664-5407 for a free session.