Quote:
Originally Posted by LizaJane
Fanfaire: I know you have sjogren's and a lot of myofascial pain and are getting disability. If they're disputing your claim after having paid it, there are a few things that I know happen. First, if nothing has changed since they APPROVED you, then you still have the disability THEY said you had. Only if you got better, would they have a chance.
But depending on your policy, they will fight harder or less hard. I had a policy with a cost of living rider, and which, if you were 100% disabled at age 64, paid until death. The insurance company was losing money on that one. Everyone who bought the policy saw the policy as a retirement account. Many people bought that policy for large amounts. Those they want to get out of badly. They'll fight hard for those, including surveillance over the course of years, because that's 10s of millions of dollars they could be out.
But if you didn't get better, they have a weak case, and are likely testing how you will respond.
I myself accepted a settlement. I knew they'd make my life miserable, and I'd have to put mental energy into maintaining the appearance of disability. I mean what if I had a good day and bounced out my front door? On the whole, it was a reasonable thing to do, because I really didnt' anticipate getting worse, or having other things go wrong so badly.
With Sjogren's, unless it's a good settlement, it's probably not worth settling, and is worth fighting for. Have you had abnormal nerve conductions? Do you have abnormal antibodies, or biopsy?
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Hi! I think I answered part of this in another thread. But in case you didn't see it and because it's partly pertinent to this topic....
My long term disability insurance company ignored my positive lip biopsy and positive nerve conduction tests. They instead decided I was mentally ill (which is absolutely untrue) and decided to cover me for two years only. They have known for a year that I would fight their bogus diagnosis and would fight any cessation of my benefits.
I think most of the time, if your benefits are wrongfully terminated, you will end up negotiating for a settlement. And in some ways, it's a relief for the claimant because you no longer have to waste precious energy that you don't have just to prove over and over that you are still too sick to work. The downside is of course that the amount that is offered is far less than what you would have gotten had you continued to be paid up to retirement age.
kmeb, that's HORRIBLE what happened to you during the endoscopy! I hope those responsible pay up. It's awful that you'll have to undergo dental work for damage that never should have happened.
But thanks for mentioning it. I had no idea that sort of thing could happen! My teeth are already crumbling due to the Sjogren's, so I will be on the alert should I ever need another endoscopy.
shiney sue, I understand the issue of not wanting to move and find all new docs. I had to move to South Dakota in November from Denver because my husband got laid off and my disability checks just don't go as far in Colorado. I cannot find a rheumatologist here who will even acknowledge the existence of sero-negative Sjogren's, much less support a disability claim (I'm now trying to find someone in Omaha, Minneapolis or the Mayo Clinic).
Best wishes to you, kmeb. There are a lot of people pulling for you here.
fanfaire
