LongTermDisabilityandERISAblog.com » UNUM

Paul Revere and UNUM Provident Claim’s Denial Tactics | UNUM Long Term Disability Denied Attorney

Nancy Cavey — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:17:03 +0000

UNUM and Paul Revere have been found to have engaged in “conscious course of conduct firmly grounded established company policies that disregard the rights of insured’s,” Hangarter v. Provident Life An Accident Insurance Company, 373f.3d998, 1014 (9^th Circuit 2004).

A jury returned a punitive verdict at over $10 million against UNUM Provident and Paul Revere finding that Provident had used round table reviews involving claim’s personnel, medical staff, vocational staff, legal counsel and management personnel. These round table reviews were focused on high indemnity claims, all notes about who participated in the meeting, what was discussed and the basis for any decision were destroyed. UNUM and Provident tried cloak these round table discussion “with the attorney client privilege in order to insulate the claim’s decision basis from review”.

If you are UNUM Provident policyholder and your claim has been denied as a result of a round table review, you should consult Nancy Cavey, UNUM Provident Long Term Disability denied attorney who knows all about UNUM Provident’s tactics to deny the rightful claims of Long Term Disability policyholders. Contact Nancy Cavey Now or call us today at 727-894-3188 to discuss your claim.

Complaints About UNUM Provident Insurance Company Disability Denials | UNUM Disability denied Lawyer in Florida

Nancy Cavey — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:16:04 +0000

At consumeraffairs.com (http://www.consumeraffairs.com/insurance/unum.html) has an interesting page about consumer complaints again UNUM Provident insurance company. This website is enough to get your blood boiling.

However, there is good news. If you are a UNUM Provident Insurance disability policyholder or having claims with the UNUM disability insurance claim’s process or have been denied UNUM benefits, contact a UNUM disability denied lawyer in Florida Nancy Cavey.

UNUM Fourth Quarter 2008 Earnings and Florida Long Term Disability Claims Litigation Clearwater Tampa St. petersburg ERISA Disability Attorney

Nancy Cavey — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:21:01 +0000

On February 4, 2009 there was a call with UNUM executives and a number of bank executives about UNUM’s Fourth Quarter 2008 eanings.

There is a transcript of the call and page 12 of the 22 page transcript from Tom Watjen, President and CEO of UNUM, talks about the disability claims litigation. Watjen claims that UNUM has “worked hard to restore their reputation” and that “all of our people are very intent of being sure we take the actions to be sure that we won’t let those issues of the past… back in the business. And I fee very good about that.”

Sorry, but many UNUM long term policy holders and Cavey and Barrett, Florida long term disability lawyers, are finding that UNUM is back to its old tricks in denying valid long term disabillity/ERISA disability claims.

If you or a family member has been denied long term disability compensation benefits by UNUM or any other long term disability carrier, immediately contact Nancy Cavey, long term disability lawyer, so you can timely file an appeal.

If you have any questions, please give us a call at 727.894.3188 or contact us online by clicking here.

UNUM found Guilty of Fraud by Federal Jury | New Port Richey Long Term Disability Attorney

Nancy Cavey — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 12:10:56 +0000

UNUM, the nation’s largest disability insurance company, routinely requires long-term disability applicants to apply for Social Security disability benefits, regardless of whether the applicant is really entitled to Social Security benefits. Why did they do that? Because most long-term disability policies have a provision that allows them to reduce your long-term disability benefits, dollar for dollar, by the receipt of any Social Security disability benefits you might get. If you don’t apply, companies like UNUM take the position that you are getting Social Security benefits, and will reduce your long-term disability benefits.

UNUM processed “almost 4000 disability claims in 2007, and paid out more than 4 billion in benefits.” Obviously, they want to do anything they can to reduce the payout.

Routinely requiring long-term disability applicants apply for Social Security benefits, even though the insurance company knows they are not eligible, waste valuable resources of the Social Security administration and has helped create a large backlog in the processing of valid Social Security disability claims.

A federal jury in Boston found that requiring “able-bodied people to apply it for Social Security could sometimes constitute fraud.” In an AARP bulletin by Mary Williams Walsh, it was noted that the lawsuit “was filed under a federal whistle blower statute that allows private citizens to sue on behalf of government programs if they believe they have evidence of fraud.” You can read Ms. Walsh’s article on UNUM found guilty of Social Security fraud.

UNUM, of course, plans to appeal! May be UNUM will get to experience, just like the UNUM policy holders who have their long-term disability claims wrongfully denied, how unfair the appeal process can be. I think the saying goes, ” What’s good for the goose, is good for the gander.”

If you have any questions about applying for Social Security disability benefits and the interaction with your long-term disability claim, contact Florida based long-term disability/ERISA lawyer, Nancy Cavey.

If you have any questions, please give us a call at 727.894.3188 or contact us online by clicking here.

Mistake 5 – Questions About Your Treatment and Medications | Tampa Long Term Disability Attorney

Nancy Cavey — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 03:00:17 +0000

Long term disability adjusters and investigators can read. They know what is in your medical reports and they know what you have said on your Activities of Daily Living forms they ask you to complete every month.

Yet, you will be asked questions about your treatment and medications. I hope that you have a copy of your medical records and that you review them.

If asked about your treatment, politely tell them to review your records. What they’re after is information from you about how your condition has progressed, changed, been impacted by treatment, including medication, and how you are doing generally.

You must show objective evidence of your disability. If you are not recuperating fast enough, the long-term disability carrier is going to refer to statements you made about your condition and argue that your doctor is relying on your subject of complaints to prolong your disability.

The long-term disability carrier’s doctor, who probably no longer treats patients, will refer to some practice manual that says you should recover in a certain amount of time without regard to how your actual condition is progressing.

One of the biggest mistakes I see long-term disability applicants make is failing to explain what medication they are taking, the side effects of the medication, and the impact the medication has on every day functioning. This impact can include dizziness, fatigue, nausea, frequent urination, fuzziness, confusion, irritability, and a host of other side effects.

You must be able to explain what treatment you are getting, how you’re progressing, what impact medication is having on your functioning and recommended treatment.

I assure you that you will be asked about other activities such as exercise, going in the pool, and walking. Make sure that what your doctor has said about these activities has been documented in your chart. You don’t want any questions about whether these activities are within your physical abilities.

You will also be asked about any special equipment you have like canes or scooter.

Less obvious, and often forgotten, is how you sleep, where you sleep, how much sleep you get at one time, whether you have to take naps, whether you get up and down, because you have difficulty sleeping, and how sleepy you are going the course of the day.

An experienced long term disability/ERISA disability attorney, like Nancy Cavey, should be consulted before you agree to give a continuing disability statement. You need to be properly prepared and have someone present, much like a deposition, to protect your rights before giving a continuing disability statement.

If you have any questions, please give us a call at 727.894.3188 or contact us online by clicking here.