LTD Approved In Less Than A Month

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

Applying for benefits under a group long term disability (“LTD”) plan typically takes a fairly long time. Therefore, I was surprised when Unimerica Life Insurance of New York approved an LTD application for an elementary school teacher less than a month after I submitted it.

Along with the application forms, I provided a detailed vocational analysis specifying the physical demands required of an elementary school teacher. I then demonstrated how the medical forms that the claimant’s neurologist, physiatrist, and orthopedist completed showed how the claimant lacked the ability to perform the physical demands of the occupation. In addition, I submitted diagnostic MRI and EMG reports revealing numerous objective findings consistent with the treating doctors’ opinions.

Technically, the claimant was only supposed to file the LTD Plan application forms when applying. However, the additional physician and test reports made it unmistakably clear that the claimant lacked the ability to continue working, especially when those reports were examined in the context of the vocational data. Had I not supplemented the LTD Plan application forms with the additional medical records and vocational information, then I am sure that the claim would not have been approved as quickly.

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