No one ever wants to have to deal with a disability, but the reality is that sometimes, from injury or illness, disabilities do occur. When a disability does materialize, the hope is always to just have it be a transient issue necessitating the use of short-term disability benefits, but if your injury or illness does not resolve, you may have to move from seeking short-term disability benefits to long-term disability benefits.

The purpose of disability benefits is to help you financially at a time when you are medically unable to work. However, many rightful claims for disability benefits are denied by insurance companies. While a lawyer can help you fight against your insurance company for the disability benefits you are entitled to, the legal process usually takes quite some time. This can leave people who are suffering from a disability with the question of how to deal with the financial implications of disability denial.

The Importance of Keeping Costs Down When Disability Strikes

Living with a disability and having been denied your disability benefits by your insurance company presents unique and difficult financial challenges. The inability to work full-time, combined with increased medical expenses and the normal costs incurred in day-to-day living can be an extreme strain for most budgets. For many individuals facing these circumstances, cutting unnecessary costs becomes not just a wise choice but a necessary strategy.

The first step should be to look at your budget and cut costs where you are able, to ensure that only essential expenses, like medication, therapy, and other healthcare services are prioritized over excesses. Key areas to look at cutting costs include:

• Subscriptions and Memberships: Many people subscribe to services they rarely use—streaming platforms, gym memberships, or magazines. Reviewing these subscriptions and canceling just a few can add up to significant annual savings.
• Dining Out: Eating meals out can quickly drain your savings. Individuals with disabilities might find that cooking at home not only saves money but also allows for healthier meal options.
• Utilities: Monitoring and reducing utility bills can save money. Simple practices like using energy-efficient bulbs, unplugging devices when not in use, and being mindful of heating and cooling, etc. can lead to lower bills received at the end of the day.
• Transportation Costs: Depending on where you live and your transportation needs, travel costs can be significant. There are now many types of public transportation available, including carsharing services, electric bicycles or scooters, that can provide transportation at a reduce these expenses.
• Disability Benefits: There are many government benefit options and non-governmental benefits available for individuals with disabilities. These can assist with financial concerns, however often the issue is locating them and knowing which to apply for.

Look for Other Sources of Benefits

Just because one company denied you disability benefits does not mean all companies will. If you have been denied benefits for a short-term or long-term disability, you should make sure you canvass any other potential sources of disability benefits available to you, in one form or another. Some mortgage contracts have disability coverage built into them. Perhaps a partner or spouse has group insurance coverage through their work which also covers you for disability benefits. It can be worthwhile even looking at the coverage available through your credit cards in cases of disability.

While it may not be fruitful in the end, searching every available avenue of potential benefits is well worth the effort.

Free Disability Handbook

The lawyers at Taylor & Blair LLP have created a Disability Handbook with guidance on how to challenge the denial of your disability claim, frequently asked questions regarding disability denials, and a list of resources for individuals navigating a denial of disability benefits. When the resources are designed specifically with individuals who have had their disability claim denied in British Columbia in mind, they may be helpful to any Canadian denied their rightful disability benefits.

The free Disability Handbook can be found here.

Experienced Insurance Denial Lawyers

If you or someone you know has been denied their short-term or long-term disability benefits, the experienced insurance denial lawyers at Taylor & Blair LLP can help. Contact our lawyers today for a free consultation.