Jacksonville Long-Term Disability Lawyer

Do you have a long-term disability that is preventing you from working and earning a full-time living? If so, you may be entitled to benefits under a private insurance plan. Depending on your specific circumstances, you might be covered by your own individual plan, or an employer-sponsored plan that is governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Unfortunately, with either type of plan, recovering your benefits can be challenging. The big insurance companies often wrongly deny valid long-term disability claims.

At Farrell Disability Law, our law firm is dedicated to helping people recover the full benefits that they are owed to them under the terms of their plan. Those benefits were earned, and they should be paid out without any unreasonable delay. Our top-rated Jacksonville long-term disability lawyer has extensive experience handling complex long-term disability claims. If your claim was rejected by the insurance company, we can help. Please do not delay in contacting us today for immediate assistance with your case.

Understanding ERISA

ERISA is a federal law that was designed primarily to help provide some basic protections to plan beneficiaries. Most employer-sponsored group health plans are regulated by ERISA. Though, there are some exceptions. ERISA does many specific things, including:

• Establishing basic plan requirements;
• Giving legal rights to plan beneficiaries; and
• Standardizing the long-term disability claims and appeals process.

If you are making (or have already made) a long-term disability claim against an ERISA plan, you need to be ready to deal with the very complex application and appeals process. Unfortunately, while ERISA was put into place to help protect claimants, the big insurance companies have figured out how to use the process to their own benefit. To level the playing field, you should be represented by a qualified Jacksonville ERISA disability claims lawyer. 

Why are Long-Term Disability Claims Denied?

If you or a loved one submitted a long-term disability application, and it was rejected, you need to understand the insurance company’s reasoning for denial. Under the law, the insurance company should send you a written denial letter with a basic explanation as to why your claim was denied. Please get this letter into the hands of a Jacksonville disability lawyer as soon as possible. Your lawyer will be able to review the denial letter, and help you determine what needs to be done next to get you your benefits. Long-term disability claims are denied for a wide variety of reasons. Some of the most common examples include:

• Application errors: Obtaining long-term disability benefits is challenging. The application process is notoriously document-intensive. Depending on the specific facts surrounding your claim, you may need to include substantial medical and occupational evidence to obtain your benefits. Little mistakes can lead to lengthy delays, sometimes even outright rejections. If you have any confusion regarding the application process, please do not hesitate to contact an experienced Jacksonville long-term disability lawyer.
• Definition of disability disputes: What is a disability? That question is far more difficult to answer than it might seem. Indeed, disagreements over the definition of the term ‘disability, are the reason for many disputes and long-term disability claim denials. To make matters even more complicated, individual insurance policies often have their own independent definitions of what qualifies as a disability under the terms of the plan. If your claim was rejected because the insurance company contends that your condition (or your loved one’s condition) does not actually meet the definition of disability under the terms of the plan, you should speak to a lawyer immediately.
• Occupational applicability disputes: Another factor that makes long-term disability cases complicated is that many of these claims are subject to occupational applicability standards. For many people, this is a shifting issue that is difficult to decipher. All too frequently, insurance companies wrongly deny long-term disability claims because of the supposed lack of occupational applicability. Remember, your insurance company does not get the final say on this or any other issue.
• Insurer errors and bad faith: Unfortunately, insurance companies do not always act in a good faith manner. While these companies are required to do so under both federal law (ERISA) and the Florida state insurance code, it does not always work that way in practice. If your long-term disability application was rejected due to insurance company mistakes or bad faith, our Jacksonville disability claims lawyer can help you fight back, to get the fair compensation you deserve. 

Was Your Claim Denied? We Can Help Appeal

With decades of experience, Thomas M. Farrell, IV has seen virtually every type of long-term disability claim. No matter your specific circumstances, Mr. Farrell will be able to help you figure out what action to take to best protect your legal rights and financial interests.

One of the most important things that you need to know is that you have limited time to file an appeal. If you are bringing a long-term disability claim against an ERISA plan, you only have 180 days from the date of your denial letter to appeal. If you are bringing your claim against a different type of plan, the timeline will vary.

Regardless, the point is clear: You need to be ready to take action. You should get a copy of your insurance policy, your denial letter and all of the medical and occupational information that you have to our legal team. With this information in hand, we will be able to comprehensively review your claim and help you take action to get the benefits that are rightfully yours.

Contact Our Jacksonville Long-Term Disability Lawyer Today

At Farrell Disability Law, our Jacksonville long-term disability lawyer has helped many people obtain their full and fair disability benefits. If your long-term disability benefits have been denied, please call us today at 904-388-8870 to set up your free, no obligation legal consultation. From our office in Jacksonville, we serve communities throughout the region, including in Duval County, Nassau County, Baker County, Clay County and Saint Johns County.