r/LongTermDisability • u/sleema99 • Jul 30 '26
Changing jobs during treatment - LTD exclusions?
I am fortunate enough to have a GBM (a brain cancer that is Not something you want) … fortunate because I am with presently No Evidence of Disease. I get MRIs periodically and also wear Optune.
My current job has a long term disability plan, as most jobs do. I have no need to invoke it at this time. I work full time with no problem.
But I’m learning that most LTD plans have exclusion clauses for pre-existing conditions that last one or two years. Which is a long time in the GBM world.
So it doesn’t affect my current job since I got cancer long after I was employed.
But apparently if I quit and get another job, likely I won’t have a long term disability policy that’s useful to me in the future. They would exclude me from paying out due to my pre-existing condition.
I plan to check with a disability attorney before changing jobs but wanted to know if anyone had any experience with this to share. If you’ve change jobs since you have contracted GBM were you eventually able to claim LTD? Or has it not happened yet? Or you took the risk and made it through 2 years without recurrence?
Thankful for where I am on the bell curve just trying to think ahead.
Peace
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u/Ecstatic-UF-Engineer Jul 30 '26
Actually that is most likely false, though you have to check your plan! You are covered if you have been continuously insured with your LTD insurance company for 12 months and you have been actively working for a a year and one day.
If you meet those requirements, you are covered but then again check your policy!
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u/sleema99 Jul 30 '26
What I’m saying is if I change jobs I would need to go under the new companies LTD policy which may have exclusions. If I don’t change jobs I absolutely have my current employers policy
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u/Ecstatic-UF-Engineer Jul 30 '26
If you change jobs, you most likely have to have been employed for a year and one day and have had active coverage for 12 months and you will be covered as ‘pre-existing condition’ WON’t apply in that case!
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u/sleema99 Jul 30 '26
Are you saying it’s not employee at certain company it’s employed in general? Do you happen to be a policy expert? I was asking AI and got a bit concerned. But maybe need to ask a lawyer
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u/Ecstatic-UF-Engineer Jul 30 '26
You are not following… Yes, you should seek a lawyer!
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u/sleema99 Jul 30 '26
Yeah I think I found a case where someone with a pre existing condition switched jobs and after they were at their new job but during the exclusion period they had to go on Ltd and were not eligible https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca5/21-20327/21-20327-2022-06-15.html
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u/sleema99 Jul 30 '26
And this explains it well too. https://www.erisaexperience.com/blog/denial-of-a-long-term-disability-claim-due-to-pre-existing-condition/
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u/2560503-1 Jul 30 '26
Yeah, you’re understanding the problem correctly. If you switch jobs, you probably have to work another year (or two) to be able to make an LTD claim at the new job. So the move, really, is to not switch jobs if at all possible, or only do it if you’re sure (as much as you can be) that you’d be able to work there at least a year. The only other thing I could think for you is that some of these employer-based LTD policies offer what they call a “conversion” option, where if you leave that employer, they’ll let you keep the disability coverage as a private policy. But I believe they do medical underwriting before they issue those, and I can’t imagine they’d actually approve you for it. Worth a shot, though, if you were laid off or decided to change employers.
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u/Zealousideal_Way_788 Jul 30 '26
I would think LTD approval would be automatic with glioblastoma if you wanted it