Lawyers for Epilepsy Disability Claim Denials

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder where abnormal brain activity results in seizures, known as an epileptic seizure.  These seizures can occur with differing frequency and severity and not all people have the same symptoms.  

Causes of Epilepsy

There is no one cause of epilepsy.   It can result from identifiable injury or illness, sometimes doctors cannot even determine the cause.  Some things we do know that can cause epilepsy are:

  • Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Brain Infection
  • Brain Tumours
  • Meningitis 
  • Strokes
  • Blood Vessel Abnormalities
  • Drug or Alcohol Abuse
  • Oxygen Deprivation at Birth
  • Congenital Defects

For some people an epileptic seizure might be nothing more than losing a sense of awareness and being unresponsive for a brief period.  For others epileptic seizures can result in uncontrollable body spasms and can result in loss of consciousness.  For those with more severe epileptic seizure symptoms, they can often cause significant harm to themselves if a seizure occurs when they are alone or in a precarious scenario, such as while climbing a ladder or driving a car.

Types of Epileptic Seizures

There are numerous types of epileptic seizures, including:

  • Focal Seizures Without Loss of Consciousness
  • Focal Seizures With Impaired Awareness
  • Absence Seizures
  • Tonic Seizures
  • Atonic Seizures
  • Clonic Seizures
  • Myoclonic Seizures
  • Tonic-clonic Seizures

It is obvious why someone who could suffer a seizure at any moment would be unfit to work in many occupations and, depending on the severity, any occupation.  However, insurance companies will often deny epilepsy related long-term disability on the basis that the seizures come and go and are not a constant issue.  This, of course, ignores the practical realities of being able to perform a job at a competitive level or at all.  Sometimes epilepsy can be well controlled by medication, so you’ll need to show the insurance company that you are under the care of a doctor and taking any medication prescribed so they can’t argue that you are contributing to your inability to work by not taking proper treatment.

If you have an epilepsy long-term disability claim that’s been denied, contact the lawyers at Taylor & Blair LLP today.