Many employers offer group disability insurance from Sun Life Financial as a part of their benefits packages. Choosing disability coverage through your employer may help you if you ever suffer a disabling condition that prevents you from returning to work for a short time or for a longer period. The company sometimes denies claims when they are first made. If this happens, the professional team of The Law Office of Andrew Reichardt is ready to help you with your appeal.
BACKGROUND ON SUN LIFE FINANCIAL
One of the biggest life insurance companies in the world, Sun Life Financial is based in Toronto, Ontario. The company was founded in 1865, and it has around 30,000 employees. It offers a broad variety of products, including life, health, dental and disability insurance along with a suite of retirement and financial planning services.
DISABILITY INSURANCE FROM SUN LIFE FINANCIAL
Sun Life Financial offers short-term disability insurance and long-term disability insurance through employers. These group plans are customizable so that employers can choose the features of the disability benefits that they offer to their employees. Short-term disability through Sun Life offers benefits for up to 26 weeks to employees who are unable to return to work for a few weeks or months. Long-term disability coverage offers benefits to employees who are unable to return to work for long periods of time.
APPEALING A DENIAL FROM SUN LIFE FINANCIAL
Sun Life Financial sometimes denies claims for disability benefits. When it decides to deny a claim, it notifies the claimant by mail. If you receive a notice of denial, read it carefully. It should explain why the company made its decision and how you can appeal. Your appeal must be filed with the company within the specified deadline, or you will be prevented from later trying to recover benefits for your disability from Sun Life. You also cannot skip the company’s internal appeals process but instead must exhaust the process it offers before you will be allowed to file a lawsuit in court.
Request that Sun Life Financial sends you a copy of your claim file. It will have all evidence and information that the company used to reach its decision to deny your claim. Bring your file and your denial notice to your appointment with Andrew. He Will review the information that you bring and advise you on the best approach to take. Andrew will also work to help you to file your appeal within the required time frame.
It is important for you to continue seeing your doctor while your claim and appeal are pending. Some people stop seeing their doctors because they think that doing so won’t help them. By keeping your medical appointments, you will be building a strong medical record that supports the basis for your disability claim. We may also ask that you undergo additional tests and evaluations to add more favorable evidence to your file.
When you work with The Law Office of Andrew Reichardt, we will try to make your appeal as strong as possible so that you are more likely to succeed without ever having to file a lawsuit. If you do exhaust your remedies within Sun Life’s internal appeals process, we will use the additional evidence that you have added to your file to help with your subsequent lawsuit. To learn more about your claim and appeal, call The Law Office of Andrew Reichardt today to schedule your consultation.