What Happens If My Hartford Short Term Disability Claim Is Denied
Understand your rights once your Hartford short term disability income claim has been denied. In this featured article and video gain insights into:
- Hartford Deadlines
- Administrative Appeal What Is It?
- Administrative Appeal Process
- Benefits of Hiring A Disability Insurance Attorney
GREGORY DELL: Hi. Im attorney Greg Dell, here with Stephen. And were going to talk about what happens if my Hartford short term disability claim is denied. Steve, this is probably what we get tons of calls for every single day. Its an ERISA group, long term or short term disability policy. The benefits have unexpectedly been denied. What does a claimant need to do?
STEPHEN JESSUP: No matter if its short or long term, in that denial letter, theyre going to explain what your rights are, that youre going to have 180 days to file an appeal. Theyll have 45 days to review it. They usually dont let the person know that there may be an extension to that review. But you at that point, at the denial, have the right to go through an administrative appeal process.
Is It Difficult To Stay On Claim Once You Get Approved By Hartford
GREG DELL: And is it difficult to stay on claim once you get approved?
STEPHEN JESSUP: With Hartford, yes, it can be very difficult to stay on claim. You know, you have the any occupations switch, usually around 24 months. Its this idea of performing any other occupation. So its a lower standard by which they deny.
Its not often that we see peoples claims actually make it through the maximum benefit period, whether theres a shelf life of anywhere from two to five years and then Hartford is going to draw a line in the sand, because this area of the law is very favorable when it gets to court. So I believe that you start to see a higher incidence of claim denials, which is, in some ways, like a strong arm buyout tactic, where they try to buy you out on the cheap.
GREG DELL: If you have a situation with Hartford or have any questions that youd like us to answer, feel free to give Stephen or any of our disability attorneys a call. We represent claimants all over the country. Were always going to provide you with an immediate free phone consultation. Whether you give us a call or email us a question, we also encourage you to subscribe to our video, which you can do below. And we appreciate you considering our law firm.
Our disability insurance lawyers are available nationwide to provide you with an immediate FREE consultation to discuss your Hartford disability insurance claim.
Short Term Disability Long Term Disability
Overview
The Hartford is the second-largest group life and disability insurer offering life, disability, critical illness, accident, hospital indemnity and leave management. Driven by our commitment to innovation, operational excellence and targeted support, were providing consumer-centric experiences, reducing implementation times and improving employee engagement for our customers. Weve spent more than 200 years helping our customers overcome lifes challenges and were just getting started.
How it helps
YouThe Hartfords disability plans can help maintain productivity by helping employees stay on the job. If they do incur an illness or injury, The Hartford can provide the resources employees need to help them return to work as soon as they are reasonably able. The Hartford goes beyond the benefit with built-in value-added services to support an employee’s recovery at no extra cost to the company or the employee.
Your Employees
Available Products
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Benefits Provided At No
The Hartford offers multiple beneficial services to policyholders who suffer a disability, including the following:
- “Return-to-workâ coordinators: Clinical specialists can help you get back to work after a disability through The Hartford.
- Residual disability benefits: Residual disability benefits pay out a partial benefit if you become disabled but can still work on a limited or part-time basis.
- Premium waiver: You don’t have to pay premiums while you’re getting disability benefits, as long as you pass your elimination period.
- Survivor income benefit: Your beneficiaries can get a lump sum equal to three times your monthly benefit if you die during a covered claim period.
- Family care benefit: If you experience a loss of income or working hours while you care for a family member, you can tap into a family care benefit. This involves caring for a family member of $350 per dependent for the first 12 months. It can amount to $175 thereafter, up to $2,500 per year .
- Travel assistance and ID theft protection services: The Hartford will help you with pre-trip information for safety when traveling. You also get ID theft protection 24/7 through educational materials to help prevent identity theft and caseworkers who can help resolve problems related to theft.
Also, you may need your desk or other spaces modified. Your employer can receive money to modify your workstation after your disability.
What Is At Stake If A Hartford Appeal Is Not Done Correctly
GREGORY DELL: to do an appeal. Why is it advantageous, though, for someone to have a lawyer when doing this appeal? Whats at stake if its not done correctly?
STEPHEN JESSUP: Well, whats at stake is your benefits. Weve seen plenty of times where people do their own appeal. Its not to say you cant win it.
But the importance of an appeal, which Hartford will never tell you, is you get one shot at it. If they deny that appeal, your claim trial closes. The record closes. Which means when you have to file a lawsuit at that point, no new information is allowed to come in for a judge to consider.
Weve talked in videos about you know litigating these things. But to give you the importance of what to do with the appeal itself, there are no jury trials. You dont testify. Your doctors dont testify. A lot of times, the judges dont even want to hear from the attorneys. They just want motions.
And that judge is only going to look at you or your administrative record, which is your claim file. Thats what Hartford created in reviewing and what you submitted in it. And as a standard default, the way a judge looks at is a 2-step process.
One, they determine is there enough information youre disabled. If yes, it goes to a second one. Did Hartford act arbitrary and capricious? Or did they have a reasonable basis to deny a claim?
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How Can I Contact You
When you call us during normal business hours you will immediately speak with a disability attorney. We can be reached at or . Lawyer and staff must return all client calls same day. Client emails are usually replied to within the same business day and seem to be the preferred and most efficient method of communication for most clients.
What Is The Administrative Appeal Process
GREGORY DELL: And what is an administrative appeal process? Does that mean immediately you have to hire a lawyer and go to court?
STEPHEN JESSUP: No. No. Youre not going to go to court first. So under ERISA, the statute thats going to govern these policies, it mandates that you have at least one level of mandatory administrative review. So you submit an appeal back to Hartford. It goes to an appeals department, someone whos never looked at your case, new medical reviews. And they have a fresh set of eyes to determine if the people who initially denied the case made the right decision. Obviously, there is a conflict of interest. Hartfords already denied you. Now youre relying on other people at Hartford to say their colleagues were wrong.
GREGORY DELL: So we have done videos, which I encourage our viewers to watch, as tips for a successful Hartford appeal. You mentioned that somebody can do you dont have to have a lawyer
STEPHEN JESSUP: Correct.
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Do You Work In My State
Yes. We are a national disability insurance law firm that is available to represent you regardless of where you live in the United States. We have partner lawyers in every state and we have filed lawsuits in most federal courts nationwide. Our disability lawyers represent disability claimants at all stages of a claim for disability insurance benefits. There is nothing that our lawyers have not seen in the disability insurance world.
What You Need To Know About Hartford Claims
Hartford alleges that one of the benefits of getting disability insurance through them is that they have a claims management system that allows the right people to pay quick attention to the claims that come through. However, they have been known to delay claims by making the insured person jump through many hoops and have even denied claims for no apparent reason. If this happens, its best to discuss next steps with a disability lawyer. First, understanding how to properly submit a claim is important.
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What Are Your Fees
Since we represent disability insurance claimants at different stages of a disability insurance claim we offer a variety of different fee options. We understand that claimants living on disability insurance benefits have a limited source of income therefore we always try to work with the claimant to make our attorney fees as affordable as possible.The three available fee options are a contingency fee agreement , hourly fee or fixed flat rate.In every case we provide each client with a written fee agreement detailing the terms and conditions. We always offer a free initial phone consultation and we appreciate the opportunity to work with you in obtaining payment of your disability insurance benefits.
Understanding Disability Insurance From Hartford
Hartford offers employers both short-term and long-term disability insurance to help protect their employees from losing any portion of their income while theyre unable to work. Hartfords disability insurance plans can either be an individual plan or a group plan and can be offered as short-term insurance, long-term insurance, or a combination of the two.
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How Long Does A Hartford Short Term Or Long Term Disability Claim Last
Hartford disability income policy holders expect Hartford to pay their Short Term & Long-Term disability insurance benefits, if continuously disabled, until the policy holders social security retirement age. That isnt always the case. In this video and article learn about:
- What is the length of your elimination period and the length of your benefit period
- Limitations & restrictions for: mental health, substance abuse & physical conditions
- Hartfords policy language in the Terms & Conditions of your disability insurance policy
- Learn what Any Occupation means
- Is it difficult to stay on claim with Hartford?
GREG DELL: Hi. Greg Dell, with Attorneys Dell and Schaefer, and every day, we do a new question of the week that seems to come in from people around the country. And todays question was, how long is Hartford short-term disability? And see if you can expand upon that, and also maybe talk a little bit about how long is a long term disability claim, so that people understand both of those scenarios.
Filing A Disability Insurance Lawsuit With The Hartford
And then with a very poor appeal, if you then decide to hire a lawyer after that, which the only remaining remedy is to file a lawsuit, youre going to have almost no chance of winning that lawsuit because the judge ends up reviewing the appeal basically. I mean, yes, hell look at the underlying claim. But then hes really looking at what was submitted on the appeal to see the type of review that was done and what additional information the claimant submitted.
And if they dont submit anything good, then its going to be almost impossible. So easy solution for people out there who have been denied and are trying to figure out what to do is give us a call. Any of our lawyers will immediately review your denial letter. No matter where you live, were going to provide you with an immediate free phone consultation.
And its a very simple process. Well be on the phone with you for as long as it takes to explain to you your current situation. We dont charge you any fees or costs unless we win your appeal. So theres really no risk whatsoever for you to work with us. And we appreciate you considering our law firm.
Hartford policyholders who need to file an appeal after Hartford has denied your disability income benefits can reach out to the disability insurance attorneys at the Dell & Schaefer. We help claimants nationwide and we always provide a FREE initial consultation of Hartford claim denials.
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Hartfords Policy Language Of Short Term & Long Terms Disability
STEPHEN JESSUP: All right. So short-term is just that. Its short-term disability. Its going to be based on the policy language. A lot of times, its usually, at a minimum, 90 days, sometimes out to 26 weeks or 180 days, six months. Your short-term disability period is also the elimination period for the long term disability. So to get on long term, you have to show that youre disabled during the elimination period, which is the short-term period. So depending on how your policys written, they usually are but up once again each other.
And then most of the Hartford disability policies are written that they will go out to your social security retirement age. There are still some thatll say out to the age of 65, but you also have to be careful. Hartford does write policies Ive seen where its been a maximum of five years, or its only for as long as youve been employed by the company.
So there are some weird variations, and thats really going to be based on what the premium rates your employer wanted to pay for the policy. But as a general rule of thumb, short-term is going to be around 90 days, maybe out to 180. And if you maintain all of the requirements of the policy itself, it could pay you out to your social security retirement age.
How Do I Submit A Claim To Hartford
Depending on the type of disability plan, the form thats required to submit a claim may differ.
Hartford short-term disability claim
The form required to submit a claim for Hartfords short-term disability has four sections that need to be completely filled out:
The employee should be sure to scroll past the actual form and take a look at the example Hartford provides. The example has the form completely filled out along with comments on the side.
When the employee is ready to submit the claim, they can do so by submitting it through The Hartford At Work portal.
Hartford long-term disability claim
This form also has four sections, but it also has one subsection. Most of the information that Hartfords long-term disability claim for requests is the same as the short-term form. They include:
Employees can submit the long-term disability claim through The Hartford At Work portal, as well. If assistance is needed to fill out an application, this can be done with the help of one our lawyers.
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How Much Does The Hartford Disability Insurance Cost
On average, disability insurance from the Hartford costs 1 to 3 percent of your annual income. Since most plans from Hartford are flexible and vary by case, it is hard to make a correct assumption on the cost you will pay. For most consumers that have an annual income of $100,000, you can expect to pay $1,000 to $3,000 yearly for your plan.
In other cases, the cost can vary due to the plan being paid for by the employer, employee, or a group disability insurance plan. Although most of their policies will cost around the average in the United States, they pay more per person depending on which specific life insurance plan you have.
The Hartford has flexible funding options, and you can work with a representative from Hartford to find a plan that fits you perfectly.
The Hartford Disability Insurance Review
6 mins
The Hartford, one of the oldest financial companies in the United States, was founded in 1810. The company offers a comprehensive array of insurance products for individuals and businesses, including disability insurance for employers and their employees. Companies can choose from a series of benefit options among Hartford’s short-term or long-term disability policies.
The Hartford offers great disability options due to its portability and perks for different policies include features other insurers charge for, like a survivor income benefit.
In general, The Hartfordâs offerings target individuals 50 and older, particularly due to its partnership with AARP. The Hartford may make sense for that age group as well due to its group benefits, business insurance, and mutual fund options. However, it’s still worth exploring the benefits that Breeze offers to determine which company offers the best benefits, particularly when comparing it against individual versus group insurance.
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What Do I Do If Hartford Denies My Claim
If one of your Hartford insurance claims were denied and you were interviewed by a Hartford representative regarding your disability or were sent to a doctor under Hartfords request or had your medical records sent to a doctor under Hartfords request, theres a good chance that you need the help of a disability lawyer. There may be other methods that Hartford employed to justify their denial of your claim, but those methods will typically not hold up in a court of law. This is why the help of a disability lawyer is essential when it comes to helping you appeal the denied claim.
Appealing a claim that was denied by Hartford
If your claim was denied, Hartford should have sent you a denial letter explaining the reasons for the denial. Youll want to pay attention to the postmark date as youll have a certain amount of days from that date to file the appeal. The denial letter may include the deadline to appeal the denial. Youll want to make sure the appeal is extensive and meticulously written. If youd like assistance with appealing your denied claim, our lawyers can assist you from beginning to end.
To learn more about your rights, contact the experienced lawyers at Osterhout Berger Disability Law today to schedule your consultation.