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

Our disability attorneys filed an ERISA appeal for a nurse who worked for many years on the labor and delivery floor of a hospital and in a special needs nursery. The former nurse suffered from reflex sympathetic dystrophy/complex regional pain syndrome (RSD/CRPS). The Hartford denied her disability claiming that she did not meet the policy definition of disabled and that there were no objective findings of her impairments. However, its denial was based on an incomplete review of our client’s medical records. Our client’s records were filled with evidence of her ongoing pain and symptoms, which made her simply unable to do her job.

Our team fought hard to reverse the decision of The Hartford. We obtained letters from our client’s treating doctors to refute the denial. We also supported the appeal with the Social Security Administration’s finding that our client is entirely disabled due to her RSD/CRPS. Our appeal presented the medical evidence clearly so that the insurance company could not deny that she is disabled. She was thrilled to have the decision reversed and to be awarded ongoing benefits. Since our client was injured at work, we were also able to represent her in a Workers’ Compensation claim. We helped her obtain a significant settlement from the Workers’ Compensation insurer.

A registered nurse was forced to leave her job at a hospital because she suffered from a rare pelvic condition that made her unable to work. Her Long Term Disability insurer denied her application for benefits, claiming that there were no “functional tests” in her file that supported her inability to work. She called Fields Law Firm to represent her in appealing the denial.

We were able to spot the errors that New York Life had made in reviewing her case. Given the rarity of her condition, the insurance company should have sent her to a doctor to be examined before it denied her. Our appeal highlighted this failure, along with the fact that New York Life never even talked to any of our client’s treating doctors and did not obtain all of her medical records. By reaching out to our client’s doctors and presenting the medical evidence, we prepared a successful appeal. The former nurse was happy to find out that the appeal was successful and New York Life reversed their denial. She received the benefits she deserved.

Prudential denied a welder’s claim for Long Term Disability, despite his inability to do his job due to a significant neck injury. The welder was bending over his work station when a piece of metal jumped into his welding helmet and hit his eye. He tried to stand up quickly to get the piece of metal out, but the back of his helmet got caught as he was attempting to stand up. He injured his neck. He made every attempt to return to work but it became impossible due to the pain in his neck that radiated into his upper extremities. He tried various jobs, but nothing worked.

Prudential claimed that the welder’s medical record did not support an impairment that would prevent him from performing his job as a welder. He contacted Fields Law Firm to help him stand up to the insurance company to get the benefits he deserved.

Our team drafted an appeal to show that Prudential overlooked medical evidence and provided little to no rationale for its denial. We know that an insurance company cannot discontinue benefits based on a selective or partial review of a beneficiary’s file. We provided a strong legal argument in the appeal, forcing Prudential to change its position. Our client was awarded back pay, along with ongoing monthly benefits.