Short & Long Term Disability Cases We’ve Won for Our Clients Against The Hartford
Fields Law Firm successfully recovers millions of dollars each year for our disabled clients throughout the United States. Our Long Term Disability experience is matched by very few other law firms in the country and has earned us a national reputation.
Here are just a few examples of our Long Term Disability appeal case wins against The Hartford.
Kelli – Dialysis Technician – Hannibal, Missouri
Back Pain, Complications from Fusion Surgery
A dialysis technician from Missouri experienced escalating back pain after fusion surgery. She was on her feet all day for work, and her symptoms made work impossible. For a while, she received disability benefits from her employer provided insurance plan, but the payments suddenly stopped because The Hartford said her condition was pre-existing and not covered by the policy.
Worried about her lost income, she called Fields Law for assistance. Our support team reached out to The Hartford for a complete copy of the claim file. While receipt of the claim file was pending, our attorneys began drafting an appeal of the decision based on medical evidence. The first appeal was unsuccessful, but our team diligently pushed for the entire claim file and Fields Law attorneys discovered that The Hartford was misinterpreting their own policy provisions. We filed a second appeal and The Hartford relented. Our client received a lump sum payment for back-pay and ongoing monthly benefits. She is very happy with the diligent representation from Fields Law Firm.
Lisa – Finance and Administration Manager – Appleton, Minnesota
Scheuermann’s Disease, Bilateral Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
An Administrative Manager for a large railroad company developed low back and neck symptoms that made it very difficult for her to perform her normal work duties. Additionally, bilateral hand pain from carpal tunnel syndrome made it impossible for her to perform the computer work demanded of her on a full-time work schedule. At the advice of her doctors, she left work indefinitely and filed a claim for disability benefits. After receiving a few months’ worth of benefits, she was abruptly denied with little explanation.
She searched for help online and found Fields Law Firm. Our attorneys wrote requests for reports to our client’s treating providers, who were unable to offer any opinions about her condition. To assess her functional abilities, our attorneys referred her to a Functional Capacity Evaluation (“FCE”). The FCE stated our client might be able to perform some modified form of desk work. Our attorneys then submitted the FCE report to a vocational expert who concluded that no gainful work in the economy existed with our client’s restrictions and limitations. After a brief review, The Hartford agreed our client was disabled and reinstated benefits.
Cherryl – Business Technology Analyst – Eagan, Minnesota
Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Degenerative Disc Disease
A former business technology analyst contacted us when her insurance company denied her Short Term and Long Term Disability benefits, despite the fact that the she was unable to work due to her rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and degenerative disc disease. The Hartford’s denial of benefits was based on the opinion of a doctor who had never even seen our client; he merely reviewed her medical records and then gave an opinion that she was not disabled.
The Fields Law attorneys drafted a strong appeal for our client, pointing out that the doctor, whose opinions The Hartford relied on, selectively reviewed the records, and ignored vital facts. We also obtained letters from our client’s treating doctors to refute The Hartford’s denial of benefits. In the end, they reversed the denial of benefits and our client received back pay as well as ongoing monthly benefits.
