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

A warehouse worker from Illinois began having wrist pain. His job required lifting boxes and merchandise in a retail warehouse. He regularly lifted up to 50 pounds at work. Eventually, the pain in his wrist became too much and he was forced to stop working. He applied for Long Term Disability benefits and got denied. Aetna said he could return to work, despite the torn ligaments in his wrist.

Shocked that he was denied, he contacted Fields Law Firm for help with an appeal. Our attorneys obtained all of the documentation from the insurer and our client’s treating physicians. We scoured the documentation and found that Aetna dismissed key medical records and never ordered an independent medical review for our client. The Fields Law attorneys submitted a strong appeal and ultimately Aetna overturned the denial and reinstated benefits and our client received a lump-sum check for back pay and is excited to be able to cover his medical bills while he returns to work.

A Global Data Manager from Illinois began having severe cognitive issues. His vision waxed and waned, and his short-term memory severely declined. He received multiple diagnoses including possible Multiple Sclerosis and Guillain-Barres Syndrome. His job required managing people and data across the globe and his condition made work impossible. He stopped working and was awarded Long Term Disability benefits through his employee insurance plan. After two years of receiving benefits, Aetna stopped paying, saying that he did not pursue Social Security Disability benefits, so his claim was being denied.

Confused and worried for his livelihood, he contacted Fields Law for help. Our team immediately contacted Aetna for all documentation related to the claim, and our attorneys began drafting an appeal based on an updated neurological report. The strong appeal from our attorneys changed the insurer’s decision and our client received back-pay and ongoing benefits. After the approval, our support team continued to follow up with Aetna until our client received all the benefits he deserved.

A warehouse worker was forced to leave work when he developed very severe COPD. His symptoms resulted in shortness of breath and an inability to keep up with the physical demands of his job. He applied for Long Term Disability benefits, which were paid for twenty-four months. When the definition of “Disability” in his policy changed, CIGNA denied benefits. The doctor said he was able to work with extremely severe work restrictions. CIGNA used one of its experts to argue he could secure employment despite his severe work restrictions.

He then quickly hired Fields Law Firm to appeal the wrongful decision. The attorneys at Fields Law reviewed all of the records generated related to our client’s claim. After discovering just how severe the work restrictions were, we contacted a vocational expert to determine if he could work any jobs with that limitation. The vocational expert wrote a letter describing how the severe limitations would disable our client from any occupation. The medical evidence and vocational report were attached to a legal memorandum citing federal law supporting our client’s case. CIGNA had no choice but to reverse its decision and pay our client his benefits.