Remaining Calm Despite Adversity

You may find yourself so furious with the insurance company that you can barely think straight, but you will benefit immeasurably from calming down before you speak to the insurance company representatives and remaining calm during the conversation.

Our staff has reviewed many thousands of denied long-term disability insurance claims over the years, and while calling an attorney is one of the best things you can do once you have received a denial letter from a long-term disability insurer, there is another thing you can do on your own that runs a close second. It is exactly the opposite of what anybody would feel like doing under the circumstances, but it can make the difference between a claim being paid early in the process and a claim going into litigation.

Once you have learned that the insurance company may not pay your claim, thereby putting your financial security and peace of mind at risk, and causing you any amount of anxiety and confusion –“the doctor said I’m disabled and my body is telling me the same thing, so what else am I supposed to do?”– remember that the decision-makers on the other side of the telephone are still people.

Remember, the decision-makers with whom you are interacting are people.

They also have the first chance to pay your claim or deny your claim, or in the case of an appeal, to reverse the denial.

People, as a general rule, respond better to being treated well than to being treated poorly.

If you let go and launch all the fury and rage you want to let fly at the insurance company representative, it may make you feel better for a few minutes or hours, but it definitely has not improved your chances of being approved.

If, on the other hand, you can vent your emotions with a friend or loved one and return to battle with the insurance company when you are cool, calm, and collected, you can continue the conversation in a collaborative spirit: “OK, what additional evidence do you need to approve my claim?” “How can I help you get what you need to approve my claim?”

Making the administrator aware that you realize he or she is making the decision and empowering him to make a positive decision by complying with requests for information will go a long way to improving your chances of getting paid.

Staying calm and reasonable –and avoiding flaming the administrator– no matter how righteous your indignation– will do more for your claim than anything not written in a medical opinion up to the point that you pick up the telephone to call an attorney.

And remember — once you have received a denial letter from a disability insurance company, it is usually a good idea to get an attorney’s opinion about your claim.

You can always call an attorney at any stage in the process.  Our firm offers free consultations. If you have received a denial letter from an insurance company, please call Cremeens Law Group PLLC at 813-839-2000 for a free consultation today.