If your employer offers disability insurance as one of your optional benefits, it may be smart for you to select the option. Disability insurance is designed to replace a defined percentage of your income when you are unable to work because of an injury or illness. Unfortunately, Prudential Financial sometimes denies the claims that people make for disability benefits under their policies. The experience of The Law Office of Andrew Reichardt helps people with their disability denials from Prudential Financial.
BACKGROUND ON PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL
Based in Newark, New Jersey, Prudential Financial is a publicly traded Fortune 500 company. It has more than 48,000 employees and offers products and services to customers located in more than 30 countries. The company offers retirement plans, annuities, life insurance, mutual funds and other insurance products, including disability insurance.
DISABILITY INSURANCE FROM PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL
Prudential offers group disability insurance coverage through employers. Employees may choose short-term disability insurance, long-term disability insurance or both. Short-term disability insurance with Prudential offers benefits that replace a percentage of the disabled worker’s income for three to six months. Long-term coverage can start paying benefits when the short-term benefits end. There is an elimination period for both short- and long-term disability payments, meaning that you will not be able to receive benefits unless your disabling condition prevents you from returning to work for a longer time than the elimination period.
APPEALING A DENIAL FROM PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL
Unfortunately, Prudential initially denies many claims for benefits. If it denies yours, you will be notified by mail. In your letter, you will be able to read the reasons why the company arrived at its denial decision. You will also be given information about how to appeal the decision and your deadline for filing your appeal. This deadline is very important. If you miss it, you won’t be able to try again to recover your disability benefits from Prudential. You are also not able to sue the company in court without first going through its own appeals process. When you receive your denial notice, request a copy of your claim file from Prudential and bring it and your denial letter to your appointment with Andrew Reichardt.
Try to limit any discussions about your claim with Prudential and ask that all communication about it is conducted in writing. It is important that you avoid exaggerating about your symptoms. If you do, it could become evidence of malingering, making it very difficult for you to win your appeal. When you meet with Andrew, his goal will be to help you to build the strongest appeals case possible, and the advice that he gives to you will be to help further that goal.
You may need to do certain things to help with your appeal. When you add favorable evidence for your claim to your file, you are more likely to win. Andrew Reichardt might want you to submit to more tests and to get statements from your doctor and former employer about how your condition affects your ability to do your job. By getting these additional pieces of evidence, you may make your claim stronger so that winning while it is still held within Prudential’s internal process is more likely. Finally, Andrew will help you to file your appeal within the company’s deadline so that you can pursue your recovery rights. Contact The Law Office of Andrew Reichardt today to schedule your consultation.