Long-Term Disability Denial Attorneys Battling Insurance Companies For St. Louis Workers

You paid into your disability policy for years, trusting it would be there when you needed it most. Now, when a serious illness or injury prevents you from working, the insurance company has denied your claim, leaving you terrified about lost income and medical bills.

At Schuchat, Cook & Werner, we understand you are not asking for a handout, only what you have earned. We provide a steadfast partnership to disabled employees across Missouri and Illinois. If your benefits were wrongfully denied, we will be your fierce advocate, taking on the insurance company lawyers to secure the monthly benefits you rely on. If your Long or Short-Term Disability claim has been denied, call us at 314-621-2626 or 888-365-0445 or send an email today.

Understanding Short-Term Versus Long-Term Disability

When you cannot work due to sickness or injury, disability insurance replaces a portion of your lost income (usually 50% to 66%). We assist people with claims from employer-provided plans, individually purchased policies and retirement plan provisions.

It is important to know the difference between the two main types of coverage:

• Short-Term Disability (STD): This coverage typically lasts a matter of weeks up to a year. It generally kicks in after a short waiting period (often 7 to 14 days) and covers your inability to perform your own job duties.
• Long-Term Disability (LTD): This coverage begins after your STD or sick leave expires (often after a waiting period of 90 to 180 days). LTD is designed to replace income for years, sometimes until retirement age, but its definition of disability often changes, requiring you to be unable to perform any job for which you are reasonably qualified.

Understanding your specific plan’s definition of “disabled” is the first step in winning an appeal.

The Denial Trap: Why Companies Fight Your Claim

Insurance companies are profit-driven, and LTD claims represent a massive financial liability for them. They look for any reason to deny coverage and force you to quit the fight.

They often deny valid claims by:

• Claiming “lack of objective medical evidence”: Arguing that your pain, fatigue or chronic symptoms are not sufficiently documented by tests, even when your doctors disagree.
• Misinterpreting the policy: Applying strict or narrow readings of complex policy language, such as when the definition of “disability” changes after 24 months.
• Ignoring cumulative evidence: Focusing on a single piece of favorable medical record while dismissing years of evidence showing the true severity of your condition.
• Using surveillance: Hiring investigators to watch your daily activities, hoping to find evidence they can use to discredit your limitations.

These tactics are designed to frustrate and exhaust you; our role is to build an irrefutable case that holds the insurance company accountable for its promises.

Our Persistent Appeal Strategy To Fighting Back Against Denial

When your LTD claim is denied, you must file a mandatory administrative appeal, which is often governed by the complex federal law known as ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act). The process is highly technical, and mistakes made at this stage can permanently destroy your ability to sue later.

You need veteran attorneys with a deep knowledge of these laws. We provide relentless pursuit of justice by:

• Filing the mandatory appeal: We meticulously prepare the entire appeal package, submitting detailed legal arguments and medical evidence before the strict 180-day deadline.
• Developing medical records: We work directly with your doctors, making sure their reports clearly define your physical or cognitive limitations in the precise language required by the insurance policy.
• Building the administrative record: We compile and submit all necessary documentation, securing deposition transcripts, vocational assessments and other records necessary to protect your rights in federal court.

We take the burden of this complex, time-sensitive process off your shoulders, preparing the case as if it were going to litigation.

Our lawyers stand by disabled employees across St. Louis and statewide Missouri, fighting to restore the financial security you paid for.

Our Long And Short-Term Disability Group Of Attorneys