Your employer may offer you both a short term and long term disability policy, what are they? What should you choose?

Short term disability policy normally pay 70-80% of your income for periods generally up to 6 months.

Long Term Disability policies will pay you 40-60% of your income and potentially can pay you benefits up to retirement so long as you meet the definition of disability.

Did you know that over 50% of all mortgage foreclosures and 20% of all personal bankruptcy in 2001 were caused by disability? You need to protect your income and your family’s well being.

If you have a choice, Pinellas and Hillsborough County certain long term disability attorney Nancy Cavey suggests that you get both short and long term disability coverage to protect your income.

If you have questions about which policy is right for you, you can order Nancy Cavey’s free no obligation book, Robbed of Your Peace of Mind. In this book it explains everything you need to know about your short term or long term disability claim.  If you have other questions, call us today at 727-894-3188.

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Long Term Disability policy premiums depend on your age, gender, health history and your occupation.

An important factor is the policy elimination period. This is the length of time you go without getting benefits. Sometimes people choosing a ninety-day period of time to go without benefits at the onset of their disability. When the time is up, the Long Term Disability carrier will start paying your benefits. The longer your elimination period, the cheaper your premium. I’ve seen elimination periods as long as a year and I would not encourage that.

I would suggest a ninety-day elimination period.

You also get to choose how long you will get paid benefits. Most companies will let you chose benefits that last between two, five years to age 65, 67 or for the rest of your life. Quite frankly, it’s very difficult to find a policy these days that will pay a medical professional for the rest of their life and more commonly these disability policies will pay through the age 62 or 65.

Regardless of the price tag, remember you are insuring you and your ability to work. As the breadwinner you have the obligation to yourself and your family to provide them with support even in a time of your disability. If you have any questions about the Long Term Disability process, contact us today so we can get you on the right track in your claim. 727-894-3188.

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Many long term disability policies require that you apply for Social Security Disability benefits. They’ll even make recommendations for Social Security Disability representation. Hartford, for example, will refer you to a company Crowe Paradis for Social Security representation.

You may even get a letter from Crowe-Paradis making it clear that they are not affiliated with Hartford. But they will request what’s called a limited power of attorney that will allow Crowe-Paradis to transfer any past due Social Security Disability benefits you get to Hartford.

You need protect yourself by avoid using companies such as Crowe Paradis or even Allsup that are recommended by long term disability carriers. Why? Often they will try to win your Social Security disability case by arguing you have a psychiatric disability while your long term disability policy LIMITS your LTD benefits for 2 years if you are disabled because of psychiatric problems.  It is in your best interest to secure the services of your private Social Security Disability attorney. You should pick an attorney, who preferably, has experience in handling long term disability benefits and Social Security disability, so that you don’t lose valuable benefits by having the wrong medical condition be the basis of your SSDI claim.  Don’t let companies like Hartford, Crowe Paradis or Allsup compromise your benefits. Contact ERISA | Social Security Disability attorney Nancy Cavey at 727-894-3188

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If you live in the 11^th United States Circuit of Appeals, which covers Florida, Georgia, and Alabama the answer, unfortunately depends. In Willy Arthman v. ABB, Inc., the panel of the 11^th United States Circuit of Appeals judges found that absent a specific provision in your Long Term Disability contract entitling you to interest, ERISA doesn’t allow you to sue of for interest on past years ERISA plan benefits.

Therefore, and unfortunately, the Long Term Disability carrier can deny your benefits, hold on to the money, earn interest, and then when they decide to reinstate your benefits, only pay you what they owe without interest. This is just another reason why the ERISA law defies Long Term Disability policyholders of their peace of mind. Nancy Cavey, Orlando, Fort Myers, Miami Long Term Disability attorney has written a free consumer guide “Robbed of Your Peace of Mind,” that talks about the policy terms that you don’t want to see in your Long Term Disability policy. For a free copy, click the above link or fill out the form to the right of this page and we will rush you your consumer guide right away.

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Well, the real answer is that it depends! Many Short and Long Term Disability policies can provide for both the receipt of both Workers’ Compensation and disability benefits. Others will take a complete reduction of benefits, while others will pay a monthly minimum. How does this work?

To figure the amount of your monthly benefits for Long Term Disability benefits Nancy Cavey, Florida Long Term Disability and Workers Compensation attorney does the following:

1. Multiply your Long Term Disability basic monthly earnings by the benefit percentage shown in the policy.

2. Take the lesser of the amount: a) determined in step one, b) maximum monthly benefit shown in your policy.

3. Deduct any income benefits, which can include Workers Compensation benefits.

That’s confusing isn’t it?

Real numbers always help:

A $3,000 monthly wage, Long Term Disability benefits 60% or $1,800 per month, Workers Compensation benefits are $1,000 per month, Social Security benefits are $1,000 per month.

After your offset, you would be entitled to a minimum monthly payment which can be anywhere from $50 to $100 per month.

Is that worth pursuing? Yes! Because you potentially are entitled to Long Term Disability benefits.

It is important that you read your Short and Long Term Disability benefits and consult with a lawyer, such as Nancy Cavey, who handles Short and Long Term Disability, Workers Compensation and Social Security Disability claims. She can help you integrate all of these benefits and help you through the minefield of Workers Compensation, Short and Long Term Disability and Social Security Disability benefits.

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I explain present value in several different ways. It can be considered that money today is worth more than the money we get tomorrow. In other words, if you get $10 today and invest it at a percentage for twenty years, it may yield $15.00, if you get $10 in fifteen years it’s still $10.00.

Would you prefer $10 today or $10 in fifteen years?

In evaluating Long Term Disability claims we will look at the total amount of benefits due over the life of the policy and then reduce it to present value. In other words, what is your policy worth today as opposed to over the life of your plan?

Another way to look at it is if you have won the $20 million jackpot and you want it now, you’d only get $6 million or you can get the entire $20 million by waiting and getting it over time. Present value is what that $20 million jackpot is worth today.

If you have questions about the value of your Long Term Disability case, contact ERISA disability attorney, Nancy Cavey, who handles ERISA Long Term Disability claims in the Southeastern United States including Florida, Georgia and Alabama.

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What a great question, there are two main kinds of disability policies. One is called “denovo” which means if the Long Term Disability carrier denies your claim, the court gets to review the entire file and make its own independent judge without having to give any deference to the Long Term Disability carrier’s denial decision which is generally made in their own selfish interest.

Obviously, the denovo policy, which is more favorable to you as a Long Term Disability policy, is more expensive and provides greater rights to sue for punitive damages and a jury trial.

The other kind of disability policy is a “discretionary policy.”

Many employers offer Long Term Disability policies to its employees, which, unfortunately, are “discretionary policies”.

Discretionary policies mean that the Long Term Disability carrier can deny your claim and does not have to justify the same in the court of law.

If you have a choice, Nancy Cavey, a Tampa Bay based Long Term Disability attorney recommends that you purchase your own private disability denovo policy.

She has written a free consumer guide Robbed of Your Peace of Mind, which explains the policy terms that you don’t want to see in your Long Term Disability policy.

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