Short & Long Term Disability Cases We’ve Won for Our Clients Against MetLife

Working in IT for most of her career, a 49-year-old woman became disabled and unable to perform her job due to a variety of medical conditions. Some diagnoses include lupus, fibromyalgia, GERD, anxiety, depression chronic pain, migraine headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, and carpal tunnel syndrome.

When she ceased work, she assumed she would have no problem applying and being approved for disability benefits through her insurance company. As she understood it, her insurer was supposed to pay disability benefits in the event she became unable to work. What the woman did not realize is the insurance company had the power to decide whether or not they thought she was capable of working. The insurer completely ignored her doctors, who stated she was not capable of working.

She did not know what to do next. She knew she could not work, but did not know how to prove it to her insurance company. She turned to Fields Law for help. Our attorneys worked with our client’s doctors to explain her functional limitations and after two appeals, her insurer admitted they had made a mistake in denying her claim for benefits. She was issued a check for past due benefits and the insurance company began paying her monthly benefits.

A press operator at a printing company became disabled after suffering a series of blackouts. He was unable to stand or walk for any significant period of time due to the danger of falling over. Initially, his insurer agreed that he was unable to perform his duties at the printing press. However, they then denied benefits during the Any Occupation period in the policy, stating the claimant could return to work at a number of sedentary jobs, despite the doctor telling Metlife that his patient was unable to work due to the danger of blacking out in the work space, even at a sedentary-type job.

The Fields Law attorneys collected updated medical records and a narrative report from our client’s treating physicians outlining his inability to work. The medical support was submitted with a brief arguing that our client’s blackouts would completely rule out any potential job base due to liability issues. Metlife agreed and reinstated the disability benefits and our client was able to continue treating for his blackout episodes with his financial security re-established.

A man from South Carolina was successfully working as an electrical engineer and making a great living. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with vestibular disease which caused serious symptoms of chronic dizziness, balance problems, and migraines. Due to his symptoms, he was unable to perform any work, spending many days in bed. His Long Term Disability insurer denied his claim stating that the medical evidence did not support that he was disabled from his occupation.

No longer able to work and not knowing what he was supposed to do, he found the attorneys at Fields Law. Our attorneys reviewed all of the records from the insurance company and requested updated medical records and a report from the client’s treating neurologist. With updated records and a full understanding of the insurance company’s arguments, our attorneys drafted a winning appeal which forced the insurance company to reinstate benefits. Our client was happy to know that he was going to be receiving all of the backpay he was due and would be receiving a check monthly to provide for himself and his family.