Short & Long Term Disability Cases We’ve Won for Our Clients Against Various Insurers
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 various insurers.
Jason – Mechanical Designer – Kimberly, Wisconsin
Cynaide Exposure, Dizziness, Loss of Balance
A Mechanical Designer from Wisconsin was exposed to some toxic fumes at work. Over the next several weeks, he began experiencing severe bouts of dizziness and loss of balance. His doctors said there may have been cyanide in the fumes. The symptoms forced him to stop working. He applied for Long Term Disability benefits and provided medical records from his treating physicians. Much to his dismay, CIGNA denied the claim, saying that he did not fit their definition of disabled.
Upset at his loss of income, he contacted Fields Law for help. The Fields Law attorneys started by gathering additional medical records from our client’s doctors, and obtaining the claim file from the insurance company. The Fields Law attorneys sent a strong appeal, arguing that CIGNA made a mistake in denying benefits for our client. They acknowledged their error and granted a lump-sum payment for back-pay. Our client is now back to work and pleased that he can pay for his medical expenses.
Thad – Warehouse Manager – Edgewood, Washington
Femoral Nerve Injury
A Warehouse Manager was forced to leave work when he developed a left femoral nerve injury. His symptoms resulted in extreme pain with standing, walking, and even sitting. He applied for Long Term Disability benefits, which were paid for twenty-four months. When the Definition of Disabled in his policy changed, his benefits were denied. CIGNA stated he could perform work at the sedentary level utilizing his managerial experience.
After a bit of research, he quickly hired Fields Law to appeal the wrongful decision. Our attorneys reviewed all of the records accumulated during our client’s claim. We found that CIGNA’s review heavily relied on the opinion of an internal doctor that did not even examine our client. Our attorneys referred our client to a functional capacity evaluation to objectively measure his ability to work. The evaluation showed that our client simply could not perform any work on a full-time basis and CIGNA quickly reversed its decision and paid the disability benefits.
Pam – Administrative Assistant – Warrenton, Virginia
Post-Concussion Syndrome
An Administrative Manager was forced to leave work when she suffered a traumatic brain injury with post-concussion syndrome. Her symptoms resulted in ophthalmological issues, migraines, depression, and anxiety. She applied for Long Term Disability benefits, which were denied by CIGNA from the outset.
Unsure of what to do, she hired Fields Law Firm to file an appeal. CIGNA failed to handle the appeal fairly and denied our client’s benefits; relying on a doctor report that stated the woman could perform her job as an administrative manager if she limited her computer use to 30 minutes at a time with 15-30 minute breaks. Our attorneys hired a vocational consultant to state there was no chance she could perform her job if she was limited to such short periods of computer use. On the second appeal, CIGNA acknowledged the error and approved our client’s benefits. She was grateful to her attorneys for continuing to fight on her behalf, even after the first appeal denial.
