Resource Center

As a physician, psychologist, dentist, chiropractor or other healthcare professional, you have dedicated your life to helping others recover their physical and mental abilities. You have invested years of intense effort and significant financial resources to gain the education and experience to be able to provide much-needed services to the community. You may be carrying debt from education and certainly have regular financial obligations associated with your professional practice as well as your personal life.

So, what happens when it is you, rather than one of your patients, who suffers from a condition that makes it impossible to work? Many professionals plan ahead by purchasing private disability insurance designed to protect them financially in just such a situation. Unfortunately, the insurance companies that sell these policies often make it extremely difficult to obtain benefits when the time comes to file a claim. They often erroneously insist that a disability is not covered or that it does not prevent you from working.

At Seltzer & Associates, we understand what you’re up against. The entire focus of our legal practice is helping professionals get the right results quickly when they need to file a claim for disability benefits. When the doctor becomes the patient, they often find the experience to be unnerving and humiliating. But you’ve earned the right to focus on yourself for a change, so allow an experienced legal team to help you get the resources you need and deserve as you rebuild your life and health.

Admitting You’re Not Perfect

One reason professionals often struggle to obtain the disability benefits they need is that they tend to downplay the severity of the physical or mental condition that results in a disability. They feel they should be strong enough to overcome the difficulties quickly and that their condition is not as bad as it could be. If the insurance company asks for more evidence, professionals often let the matter drop—sometimes because they don’t want to admit to others (or themselves) how serious the problem has become.

Insurance companies are aware of this tendency, and they prey on it. But when you work with a dedicated disability insurance attorney, your legal representative can approach the issues from an outside perspective, evaluating the facts objectively and presenting the right evidence to demonstrate the extent of disabilities and the eligibility for benefits under the terms of the insurance policy. This gives a struggling professional the opportunity to focus on healing without distractions.

Filing a Claim for Private Disability Insurance

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to wait until a problem arises to seek assistance from a disability insurance attorney. In fact, we can often provide the most effective assistance when we work with you from the very start of a claim. It is best to begin the claims process as soon as you receive a diagnosis of a condition that will make it difficult (if not impossible) for you to perform your professional duties. You may have both short-term and long-term disability insurance, and a short-term claim should be filed immediately for the most effective results. However, it is also important to begin gathering evidence and preparing to file a claim for long-term benefits as soon as possible. A disability insurance attorney will know what records you need and how to present evidence to show that a disabling condition prevents you from performing the specific duties required in your profession.

By providing persuasive and complete evidence from the outset, you can avoid common problems that often cause benefits to be delayed or denied. Working with an experienced attorney during the process will ensure that all application materials are completed and filed within applicable deadlines.

Most insurers will require you to submit a “statement” about your disability. The application form often only includes a small space for an answer, leading many claimants to assume they only need to provide a brief summary of their condition. However, we know from experience that the statement is one of the most critical parts of the claims process. In the little tiny space, we type in “see attachment,” and then we help prepare a lengthy statement that includes full descriptions of all disabling conditions and precise details about the ways these conditions negatively impact the ability to perform the duties required in your profession. We know that a complete answer is the key to unlocking the full disability benefits available under the policy, so we work with applicants to ensure that all the relevant information is included.

Statements Regarding Your Treatment

Another reason that professionals often find their disability insurance benefits claims denied is that the evidence provided by their attending physician does not contain the exact information that the insurance company is looking for. An experienced attorney will know how to elicit that information and ensure it is included in the application.

An effective Attending Physician Statement should include detailed information about your condition and treatment, as well as contact data for any additional treatment providers you have worked with so that the insurance company will have a way of reaching out to obtain additional records if necessary.

Believe it or not, many professionals overlook the authorization and release documents that must be signed to allow the insurance company to request copies of records. When you work with a knowledgeable attorney during the claims process, your legal advisor can ensure that all the necessary documents are included.

Mental Disabilities Can Be Just as Devastating as Physical Disabilities

The medical profession places tremendous strain on practitioners physically, mentally, and emotionally. Between the constant stress, worry, and long hours, many physicians and others in the healthcare field find themselves struggling with anxiety and other mental health conditions that prevent them from functioning the way they need to in order to serve patients properly.

Acknowledging these problems can be extremely difficult. When medical professionals recognize that they need time to recover, they should be applauded for taking the steps necessary to protect their patients. Instead, insurance companies often insist that they are not actually disabled, and they refuse to pay the benefits that they are under contract to provide.

Physicians and other medical professionals do not want to call attention to their problems, whether physical, mental, or emotional, so it can be difficult to properly pursue insurance claims. This is where the assistance of a dedicated disability insurance lawyer can prove invaluable. An experienced attorney can pinpoint the evidence needed to succeed with a claim and present the evidence in the logical progression required by insurance claims evaluators so that medical professionals can receive the benefits they are entitled to under their policies without unnecessary drama.

Seltzer & Associates is Dedicated to Helping Professionals Succeed with Disability Insurance Claims

Doctors and other medical professionals have numerous obligations to uphold professionally and personally, so being unable to work is a frightening and disorienting experience. Allow our experienced legal team to assist. At Seltzer & Associates, it is our mission to help you get the money you need to restore your life.

We understand the challenges you face and the most efficient way to succeed with disability insurance claims. We can not only assist with filing claims or appealing denials but also with regular maintenance of claims to ensure that benefits continue as contracted under your policy. If you have questions about private disability insurance or need help with a claim, we invite you to contact our team for a free consultation to learn more about the ways we can provide support.