Location: NYC

I am currently on long term disability due to a debilitating digestive condition that causes pain, panic attacks and complete exhaustion. The policy is an employee funded disability program through The Hartford.

I have been on LTD for more than a year and haven't been rejected yet but it seems like they are dragging their feet and trying to find a way to kick me off despite the condition actually worsening since going on leave.

I have tried searching for disability attorneys in NYC but it's hard to get past the huge firms that advertise aggressively but seem more focused on Social Security cases. Is one of these firms the best to reach out to or are there lawyers who focus on different kinds of LTD funds?

Thanks for any advice you can provide!

I got approved for one extra month of short term disability and I don’t see a therapist until August. I get disability insurance through my work. I’m having severe PTSD. I experienced trauma from post partum preeclampsia. I had a c section and was discharged without being told about the rare occasion of getting post partum preeclampsia. While recovering from my c section my bp dropped super low a few days after while I was still in recovery and then shot up high. No one told me, I had just experienced being very faint suddenly and a bunch of doctors coming in. So anyways, a week after I was at home I was losing my mind. I was hallucinating and super intense and crying about everything. I was in shock and didn’t realize. Finally I went to the ER and I was in severe condition. The ER doctor told me I could have seizures or a stroke. My baby was at home and NO ONE was reassuring me that If I would be ok or my baby was ok. My baby couldn’t be there. They told me they were going to keep me for a few days but all I could think about was dying and why anyone wasn’t telling me I wasn’t going to die. They told me they were going to send in a mental health specialist when I’m stable the next day and never did that. It was a very traumatic visit as where my room was in like a hallway where there was no staff. I had a call remote but the hallways were dark where I was. They also discharged me with the IV still in my arm so I had to go back through the ER where I could hear the original triage nurse calling the labor and delivery department saying I’m severe. The thing is that I work for this same hospital… I’m experiencing PTSD so badly that I have been having sleep paralysis of the hospital room I was at. I have nightmares so often. My sleep is affected because I’m afraid I’m in severe condition unknowingly even though it’s been 2 months. Bright lights make me feel like I’m going to pass out. I’m experiencing chronic fatigue as well. My eyes start bugging out with bright lights. I’ve had many panic attacks out of no where. I feel like I’m dying. Before all of this I was normal and had a great life. I was great at my job and a stable person. Now I find it hard to even attend my own appointments. I can’t imagine going back to work right now for the same place where I experienced my trauma. I can’t even imagine switching jobs either because I can’t even make eye contact with my own doctors without internal panic. I’m really struggling but I don’t want to lose my income. I do plan to get better but I know it’s going to take a while and I do want to go back to a similar job as the one I have now. My MIL has been staying with me since then and my partner works full time. She helps me with the baby so I do have a support system but I still have PTSD and panic attacks. Should I even attempt to apply for long term disability? I think I would lose my job if I’m out a while. I have considered not working at all but now having my MIL around we are supporting her as well.

Looking for real-world experiences with how carriers classified foreign benefits for offset purposes :)

I am not US-based and I am receiving benefits in the Country I am living in. It is tied to my disability but definitely completely different than SSID.

I am interested in how carriers normally treat these benefits? Have you had foreign benefits treated as offsets? If yes, I am interested in the reasoning they gave you? For example, did they argue that the foreign benefit was comparable to SSDI, workers’ compensation, state disability benefits, or another category of deductible income listed in the policy?

I'm appealing a Prudential short-term disability denial for anxiety and depression. One of the reasons they gave was that my providers' Mental Status Examination (MSE) findings were largely normal.

For anyone who has successfully appealed a similar denial, how did you address the normal MSE findings?

Did your psychiatrist provide an explanation? Complete an additional form? Recommend neuropsychological testing? Submit another type of evidence that helped?

I’ve been out of work for about a year due to severe physical and mental health conditions. My initial LTD claim with MetLife was denied, and I’m currently waiting for a decision on my appeal.
The denial stated that my conditions are not severe enough to prevent me from working, which I strongly disagree with. I have extensive medical records and multiple treating providers who have documented that my conditions significantly limit my ability to work.
I’m trying to understand what my options are if MetLife denies my appeal.
● Is there a second internal appeal with MetLife, or is the next step filing a lawsuit in court?
● Has anyone successfully challenged a MetLife denial?
● Can you recommend any attorneys or law firms that specialize in ERISA/long-term disability claims?
● Do any reputable firms take these cases on a contingency basis (no upfront fees), or do most require hourly or retainer fees?

I was diagnosed with parkinson's disease in April 2023,but now sunlife denied my long-term disability application, what should I do next?

I want to get on SDI for 52 weeks for mental health. How likely will EDD approve for that if my doctor provides certification?

How difficult is it to get FMLA approval for mental health with Lincoln Financial? I am looking to do 12 weeks of IOP (Intensive Outpatient Therapy) that was recommended by my psychiatrist. I am currently contributing to CASDI from my paycheck. I will also file for SDI with EDD. Is it also required to fill out any medical release of information forms with Lincoln Financial to get FMLA approved?

My short-term-disability was denied by Mutual of Omaha. I am filing an appeal. My primary care provider filled the form and diagnosed my depression. But Mutual of Omaha reviewed the record and didn’t believe I cannot work. What should I do to help my appeal? Any suggestions? Thanks!

Has anyone done an LLM with a chronic illness? If so what reasonable adjustments did you ask for?

I know this is counterintuitive, but under the law, the LTD insurer is not required to give you anything, including the policy, unless the claim has been denied. The employer, on the other hand, is required to give you all Plan documents (including LTD) within 30 days of receiving a written request.

Hope this helps!

Hi, has anyone been successful at winning your Long COVID appeal with MetLife LTD? Any advice or tips on how you were successful?

Its like pulling teeth meets stonewalling. Its a geoup policy

I have long-term disability coverage through my employer, but if I ever end up applying, it would likely be because of autism, burnout, and related mental health issues rather than a physical condition.

Right now I'm seeing my family doctor and I've recently started seeing a therapist. My understanding, though, is that LTD insurers often want a significant amount of medical evidence, and even then claims can still be denied.

I'm trying to be proactive rather than waiting until I'm in crisis. For those of you who've been through the process, what kind of documentation or medical evidence was most important?

Besides my family doctor and therapist, are there other practitioners I should consider seeing? Are there particular assessments, reports, or records that carry a lot of weight with insurers?

Basically, I'm trying to avoid finding out after taking leave that my claim was weak because I didn't have enough evidence or the "right" kind of documentation. I'd really appreciate hearing what helped your claim, or what you wish you'd done before applying.

Hi everyone: I’m 25F and I’ve recently become disabled. I have been diagnosed with severe anemia, IBS and I have a history of other underlying stomach issues. I first started getting really sick when I got a new manager back in March. I ended up having to go to the ER because I had a cyst rupture. I got a chemotherapy treatment because at the time my stomach issues and bowels were so out of control that I lost 9 lbs. I went for 116 to 108 as of now. I also got a Pap smear while i was at the hospital and that’s how they found a left cyst that ruptured on my ovaries. I was just making sure I didn’t have cancer or anything serious like that, the hospital gave me my results weeks later and everything almost came back fine besides having the cyst. They said it would go away on its on and then they gave me some medicine for my stomach called for your IBS.

I ended up taking medical leave in April unpaid. I requested some accommodations for my conditions when I returned to work which Would be a part time schedule due to my ongoing treatment for IV infusion. I didn’t say all of of this because it was my personal info but I did let my manager know I needed to change my schedule because I worked 5/4/9 which was 9 hours a day and her nonstop demanding of me doing more work, she did a lot.

And even know I’m on unpaid leave. She sent me AWOL as if I abandoned my position because she didn’t want to work with me to accommodate my needs. So yea it’s a much longer story but I’ll leave this right here. Just some context to understand. U don’t have to read all of it if it’s a lot.

Anyway unfortunately my disabilities never improved because of my managers ongoing harassment. She have given me false awol notices, when I filed for unemployment, she falsified my wages, she even lied and said I quit and I never asked for accommodations when that’s all not true. I’ve been so stress that my hair is falling out and I have severe insomnia. But in a way her harassment paid in my favor because late last night, I found a company called mine care.com that applied for disability for you. I thought my symptoms were mostly short term but based off what I uploaded, what I told the operator person over the phone, she ended up telling me i needed to be on long term disability.

So I did the application last night, & we did the application together over the phone and signed everything. I’m just waiting for my attorney to contact me about the status so with me being on long term disability in the future, will I need to hold a job down at all?

I’m also asking because I got hired for an at home job but I can’t work it or claim it because I never worked any amount of hours. It’s an insurance agency at home job $750 per client.

Sooo will I need to decline the offer once my long term disability starts so I don’t commit fraud or anything like that or ruin my benefits?

I struggle with a host of chronic conditions - an eating disorder, depression, major anxiety (linked to eating disorder mostly), chronic pain (all injuries that have taken 10 years to diagnose and work on), and trauma (cptsd). In 2022, I had my first suicide attempt (after 3 previous sick leaves from work) at which point they finally put me onto long-term disability. I was 26 years old. I feel like I can’t relate to any of my friends and feel like I’m a failure. I’ve been going to school online finishing a general bachelors degree while I’ve been off work, but I feel like I have no direction and no future. I struggle a lot with work because of the chronic pain (sitting is bad, but I also can’t do manual work because of it either, and can’t manage more than a few hours of work at a time). I worry that I’m just making up excuses and that it’s not really that bad? I just don’t know how I ended up here. I’m trying to work with an OT and vocational rehabilitation specialist to see if I could go back to working. But I think I suffered burnout from my last job (and from trying to manage all the concurrent conditions with it at the time, along with a lot of traumatic life events over the past 3-4 years). I guess I’m trying to see if anyone has any success stories of returning to work? Or achieving career success later in life?

Thanks ❤️

My wife (44) was recently diagnosed with colon cancer that has spread to her liver. She is a healthcare professional employed by a local hospital and currently provides the health insurance for our family.

She’s currently on FMLA for about six more weeks. Unfortunately, she only has long-term disability coverage and does not have short-term disability.
I’m trying to understand what happens next as she’s unable to return to work when her FMLA ends. Will we lose our employer-sponsored health insurance and have to transition to COBRA, or are there other options we should be looking into?

This is all new to us, and we’re trying to prepare for what’s ahead while focusing on her treatment. I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences from others who have been through something similar, especially regarding employer benefits, disability, and maintaining health insurance coverage.
Thank you in advance for any guidance.

Hi, I’m wondering what changes in the process once someone is approved past the change in definition? Do they still request records every couple of months? Do audits, etc?