Can I Travel While on Long-Term Disability?

Posted on by Brian Jacobson Posted in Long-Term DisabilityTagged

Just because you are on long-term (LTD) disability doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to still live your life to the fullest. Traveling can be an enriching experience, allowing individuals to explore new places, cultures and create lasting memories. However, for individuals on long-term disability, before you make travel plans you should carefully consider the question of how it could impact your long-term disability claim, benefits eligibility, and ongoing obligations. 

Review Your LTD Insurance Policy

Your ability to travel while on long-term disability can depend on various factors, however the most important two are usually the terms of your long-term disability insurance policy and the nature of your disability.

All insurance policies can differ, however many LTD insurance policies include specific restrictions on travel, such as limitations on the duration or type of travel permitted. The nature of these limitations can differ, with some policies only having language dealing with out-of-country … Continue reading

Understanding Long-Term Disability Insurance Premium Waivers

Posted on by David Goldberg Posted in Insurance Denials, Long-Term Disability, Long-Term DisabilityTagged , , ,

What Is a Premium Waiver in Long-Term Disability Insurance?

Long-term disability (LTD) insurance policies exist as a safety net for individuals if, through accident or illness, they become unable to perform their duties of employment. As with other types of insurance, in order to keep your policy in good standing premiums need to be paid on it, whether monthly or yearly.

But what happens when an insured is rendered disabled from work and unable to afford to pay their ongoing insurance premiums? The answer is a long-term disability premium waiver. 

In many policies, this waiver is triggered once the insured meets the plan’s definition of “total disability” under their LTD policy, at which point the insurer temporarily suspends premium payments while coverage remains in force. Although the specific criteria vary by policy, the concept aligns broadly with how disability is understood in public programs, which generally require a severe and … Continue reading

Denied Long-Term Disability Claims for Financial Advisers: Why It Happens and How We Help

Posted on by Kevin Blair Posted in Long-Term Disability, Return-to-Work ProgramTagged , ,

Financial advisers, whether you call yourself an advisor, planner, investment or wealth manager, work in roles that are cognitively demanding, highly regulated, and client-facing. When illness or injury keeps you from performing at the level the job requires, long-term disability (LTD) benefits are supposed to be the safety net. Too often, they aren’t.

If your claim has been wrongly denied or terminated the insurance denial lawyers at Taylor & Blair LLP can help.

Why financial advisers face unique disability challenges

At first glance, insurers view advisory work as “sedentary”. Insurance companies focus on the ability to sit at a computer or make calls, and they minimize the core demands of your actual occupation which are sustained concentration, complex risk analysis, relationship management, sales pressure, compliance documentation, and continuous learning.

Many conditions that are disabling to financial advisers don’t show up on an X-ray. Depression, anxiety, burnout, PTSD-like symptoms after workplace … Continue reading

Employer Paid vs. Employee Paid Premiums for Denied Long-Term Disability Benefits

Posted on by Ben Tarnow Posted in Long-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, Insurance DenialsTagged ,

Long-term disability (LTD) benefits provide financial support to individuals who can no longer earn income from their job, or any job, due to a medical disability. There are different types of long-term disability insurance policies out there with different terms and arrangements. 

One of the main differences you see are personal long-term disability policies and group long-term disability policies. Long-term disability policies through an individual’s work are almost always group policies. Under these policies, the source of funding for the insurance premiums can vary, with employers and employees adopting different payment structures.

What are Employer-Paid Premiums?

When the insurance premiums for long-term disability policies are paid by an Employer, it is considered an employee benefit, meaning that the employer assumes the financial responsibility for providing this coverage to all their employees who qualify. Employer-paid premiums are often part of a comprehensive employee benefits package offered to attract and retain … Continue reading

Denied Long-Term Disability Claims for Anxiety Disorder: Why It Happens and What to Do Next

Posted on by David Goldberg Posted in Insurance Denials, Long-Term DisabilityTagged , ,

Anxiety disorder can be disabling, yet long-term disability (LTD) insurers often deny or cut off claims.

Anxiety disorder is one of the most common conditions behind disability leave, but it’s also one of the most frequently challenged by insurers. People often assume an LTD claim is about “proving you have anxiety.” In reality, most denials come down to something else entirely: proving functional impairment. You need to show how symptoms prevent you from reliably doing the essential duties of your job, day after day.

Below are the most common reasons anxiety-based LTD claims are denied or terminated, and the steps that usually make the biggest difference in getting benefits approved or reinstated.

Diagnosis is Not the Same as Disability

Insurers rarely deny that anxiety exists. They deny that it is disabling under the definition of the policy.

Most LTD policies focus on whether you are “totally disabled” from:

… Continue reading