Short & Long Term Disability Cases We’ve Won for Our Clients in Illlinois

A Phlebotomist from Illinois began to suffer from the effects of focal dystonia. She had lost the use of her dominant hand. Because of her condition, she was unable to continue working. Her Long Term Disability insurer initially accepted her claim and paid benefits for two years. Her claim was later denied with Liberty Mutual claiming that she had the functional capacity to perform certain occupations.

Scared and not knowing how to fight the insurance company, she reached out to Fields Law. The attorneys at Fields Law began by updating her medical records to provide Liberty Mutual with the full scope of our client’s condition. Once all the necessary records and reports were obtained, we drafted a winning appeal which led Liberty Mutual to overturn their denial and reinstate benefits.

An Administrative Assistant was unable to work due to severe back pain, neck pain, and diffuse pain from fibromyalgia that impaired her ability to sit and stand comfortably at work. She submitted a claim for Long Term Disability to her insurer. After nearly two years of paying benefits, Liberty Mutual informed her it would cease payment of benefits under the Any Occupation definition of disability. The denial letter stated she was able to perform sedentary job duties, which was very confusing because Liberty Mutual found her disabled from her own sedentary job as an administrative assistant.

She hired Fields Law Firm to file an appeal of the denial decision. Our attorneys gathered medical evidence and disability paperwork from our client’s treating doctors stating that she was unable to perform any sedentary work. Our attorneys submitted that information along with a legal memorandum arguing our client could not return to work due to her conditions. After a brief review, Liberty Mutual overturned its decision and reinstated benefits. Our client was able to use the benefits to continue treatment with her doctors.

A General Manager at a popular chain restaurant in Illinois became disabled and suffered from a multitude of physical and mental conditions for over 20 years including depression, anxiety, dementia, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, degenerative disc disease, and osteoarthritis. Her medical history was incredibly complex, and her records contained many notes supporting her diagnoses from numerous medical specialists. She applied for Long Term Disability benefits from her insurer, who initially accepted her claim. Just one year later, they abruptly cut off her benefits based on a “peer review” report written by two doctors Liberty Mutual had hired to provide an opinion on her claim. The insurance company disputed the medical opinions of the woman’s treating physicians, and claimed they couldn’t determine whether she was actually disabled.

Not wanting to be denied again, she sought out the disability attorneys at Fields Law. Our legal team immediately began working with her treating physicians to gather supportive medical documentation to build her case. The Fields Law attorneys then began carefully crafting her appeal. We argued that Liberty Mutual had breached their duty to act in the interests of their beneficiaries, claiming our client didn’t meet the definition of “disabled.” Liberty Mutual quickly overturned their denial decision and granted our client benefits and back pay. She soon began receiving benefits again and was finally able to focus on properly treating her conditions.