Attorney for Long-Term Disability Denials from Lincoln Insurance 

Being denied when making an insurance claim can be stressful, especially when the payments will make a huge difference in whether or not you can support yourself and your family.  Long-term disability is meant to cover your needs if you are unable to work, but claims do not always go through as smoothly as you might expect. 

Working with an attorney to fight a denial from Lincoln Financial Group can help put you on track to get the benefit you need.  A lawyer can help appeal your case through Lincoln’s internal processes to try to get the denial overturned.  If that does not work, we can take your case to court and fight to get the claim accepted and paid at its full value. 

For help fighting denial and getting the benefits you are owed, contact Young, Marr, Mallis & Associates today at (215) 515-2954.  Our attorneys for long-term disability denials from Lincoln insurance are available to talk to you about your case. 

Appealing Denials from Lincoln Insurance in Pennsylvania

If you have long-term disability insurance provided by your employer through Lincoln Financial Group, you may be able to get any denials overturned by working through Lincoln’s internal processes.  When insurance companies deny claims, they usually do so because of technicalities or missing information, and appealing to the insurance company with additional information and evidence can often get them to overturn their denials. 

It is important to follow the terms and requirements of your specific policy.  This means making sure that you meet all deadlines Lincoln imposes and that all paperwork is completed in full.  Your lawyer can help with all of this to make sure your case is as strong as possible when you re-submit it to your insurance company. 

If the claim is still wrongly denied after you appeal within Lincoln’s internal systems, you can often take your case to court. 

Filing a Lawsuit Against Lincoln for Denied Long-Term Disability Benefits

Most long-term disability benefits are provided as benefits through your work.  When employees get benefits that are denied to them, those cases can usually be filed in court under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).  When you win an ERISA claim, the insurance company is required to pay the original benefits that they were supposed to pay at their full value. 

Going to court can take the decision away from the insurance company – which may want to deny claims to save money.  If the insurance company cannot be convinced that they need to pay your claim, a judge can hear your case and make the decision instead.  After your attorney presents evidence of what the policy requires, what your long-term disability is, and why the claim should be accepted, the judge may rule in your favor. 
Typically, the only damages paid through an ERISA claim for long-term disability benefits from companies like Lincoln Financial Group are the payments originally required under the terms of the insurance policy.  Additional punitive damages are not typically available in ERISA claims, even if the insurance company was acting unreasonably when denying your claim. 

Reasons Long-Term Disability Claims Might Be Denied by Lincoln Insurance

There are many reasons that a company like Lincoln might try to deny your disability claim.  Sometimes, the denial is unjustified and no actual reason is given.  These kinds of issues could be considered “bad faith” insurance situations, but the remedy is the same: file an ERISA suit.  If there is an actual reason attached to your denial, it might be easier to get the denial overturned; knowing what is wrong with your claim allows you to correct it. 

Missing Information 

If the forms and documents you submit are missing information, the insurance company might not be able to verify the information they need to approve a claim.  For instance, if your personal info is incomplete, they cannot verify that you even have an insurance policy with them, so they will deny the claim.  Moreover, if there is missing medical information, they will not be able to verify your condition and cannot pay your claim.  Correcting all forms and providing any missing information may get this kind of denial overturned without the need to go to court. 

Inability to Confirm You Have a Covered “Disability” 

If your condition is not covered by the insurance policy, then the insurance company might deny your claim.  Additionally, the insurance company might not believe that your claim is actually a “disability” that falls under the policy.  Some conditions might be serious, but they might not last long enough to get coverage under your long-term disability plan.  Other conditions might be long-term, but they might not be bad enough to keep you from working and supporting yourself, so insurance will not pay.  If the insurance company is wrong in their assessment of your injury, additional medical evaluations and documentation might be necessary to change their mind. 

Clerical Errors 

One common reason for denials is missing information from the claimant, but it is also common for insurance companies to make mistakes that get claims denied by accident.  If Lincoln insurance made a mistake involving the wrong policy information, insured name, or employer info, their system might have automatically rejected the claim.  It is also possible that human error or problems with their system could simply result in a claim being delayed or misfiled, and it could take some time to find and correct the error.  Sometimes, insurance companies think they can save money by not bothering to track down these errors, with the cost falling to insurance customers who cannot get the benefits they need.  Getting a court order to pay the claim might be the only way to change the insurance company’s decision. 

Call Our Long-Term Disability Denial Lawyers for Lincoln Financial Group Claims

If your long-term disability benefits provided by your employer through Lincoln insurance were denied, call Young, Marr, Mallis & Associates.  For a free case consultation with our attorneys for long-term disability denials from Lincoln insurance, call (215) 515-2954.