How Medical Reviewers Impact Your Rights To Long-Term Disability Benefits In Florida

When long-term disabilities prevent you from working, you may be entitled to benefits that can help make up for lost wages. You may have long-term disability insurance available through your employer or be eligible for Social Security disability benefits. In either case, you will need to submit a claim and provide medical records as evidence.

Medical reviewers will scrutinize these records, in order to determine whether you have a qualifying condition and are otherwise eligible. Our Jacksonville long-term disability lawyer explains more about this process and how it could impact your rights to disability payments.

Medical Reviews In Disability Claims

If you are one of the estimated five million that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports suffer from some type of disability in Florida, it is important to be aware of your rights to benefits. You may be entitled to long-term disability benefits through insurance policies your employer has in place, or through the Social Security Administration (SSA). In applying for these benefits, you will need to take the following steps:

• File a claim, either through the insurance company or the SSA;
• Provide details about your disability and how it impacts you at home and on the job;
• Provide medical records, including physician’s reports, diagnostic test results, and other documents detailing your condition;
• Submit to all insurance or SSA processes and provide additional information as needed.

As part of the claims approval process, your medical records will be carefully looked over by a team of medical reviewers. Their job is to ensure you have a qualifying health condition and are otherwise entitled to receive long-term disability payments.

Problems In the Medical Reviews Process

Unfortunately, getting through the medical review process is often the most aggravating and time-consuming part of filing a long-term disability claim. Problems that often arise include:

• Delays in processing: Issues concerning the medical review process that have nothing to do with your specific claim, such as short staffing and overwhelming case counts, can result in lengthy delays.
• Excessive requests for information: There are laws in place that prevent medical reviewers from requesting excessive amounts of documentation or requiring you to submit medical records numerous times.
• Disputes over your condition: Medical reviewers may point to certain evidence, or a lack thereof, to dispute whether you have a qualifying condition and can be considered disabled.

During the medical review process, it is important to remain in regular contact with the insurance company or the Social Security Administration, whichever you are dealing with. Failure to respond to communications on their part or failing to provide requested documentation will result in denial of your claim.

Enlist The Help Of Our Florida Long-Term Disability Lawyer

Medical reviewers can stand in the way of getting the long-term disability benefits you deserve. To avoid problems throughout the claims approval process, enlist the help of our Florida long-term disability lawyer. Call or contact Farrell Disability Law online today and request a consultation in our Orlando or Jacksonville office.

Sources:

cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/impacts/florida.html

ssa.gov/benefits/disability/