Things to know about insurance company surveillance

From time to time, insurance companies may use the services of a private investigator to conduct surveillance on a claimant. While this isn’t something to live in fear of, it is something to recognize.  Surveillance may result in subjective video that could cause your benefits to be denied or terminated.  While you might reasonably assume that normal activities of daily living shouldn’t result in a denial, they can.

For example, a very large box delivered at your front door that contains two ultra-light plush pillows just shows you carrying a very large box.  A gallon of milk weighs eight pounds – so it can impact the case of a claimant with a five-pound lifting restriction. Claimants who push themselves because that is their personality type, often fare poorly on surveillance.  As a general rule, you should assume the insurance company may be watching when you have disability insurance benefits at issue.  This is particularly true when the insurance company has scheduled you for a medical examination.