David,

FAR more difficult, and if approved by SSA they say their standards are lower and your approval for SSDI means nothing.

Almost 20 years ago I was approved for LT disability for a group policy. It was a nightmare and they make it so. Lost documentation that they suddenly find when you provide FedEx numbers, being a PITA to your physician, etc. They approved me 7 months after the policy said they had to respond. The state insurance agency was useless.

Short-term disability is not really that hard if injured. But you ABSOLUTELY MUST have your doctor showing hard testing as well as backing your application 100% to the point of his taking it as an insult if they question his diagnosis that you are unable to perform your job. Also, check your policy. It might read that after 2 years, any job you can do alleviates them from paying you for own-occupation. . You need a lawyer as you are to NEVER speak to them by phone or even allow a visit to you. They are in the business of paying you nothing. Sorry if this is all new to you, but I tried to help people for years and I am burnt out from hearing horror stories. I decided to respond to this as my good deed for the day.

They are all the same. Do a search term using "disability denial" with Hartford, Unum, Provident, Met-Life, they are all the same. They have a number of "in-house" doctors who will question your doctor's testing. If they can figure a way to deny you, they will. Since you have a group policy they have nothing to lose as ERISA does not pay any damages for bad-faith (extra financial award) court cases thanks to our lovely government and judges who take junkets interpreting the laws and setting precedent. An individual policy is usually a state contract law issue and you will have more rights and possible damages for messing around with you.

7 years ago I settled for 50% of my annuity. A TOP national law firm asked me questions and inside of 30 seconds told me I had no case to fight them. Why you might ask? They will request 10 years of all you finances down to the lint on your body AFTER they have a private investigator tail you and they get together to write why you can go back to work. They will find something they will claim is inconsistent with your claim and deny you if they wish to. If someone has a back problem, don;t carry those grocery bags to a car or you are finished. A balance problem? Don;t be seen 3 steps up on a ladder. One instance is all they need and they will say, "take us to court". A friend of mine was a trial lawyer for an insurance company for 8 years. He quit one day knowing full-well that half the cases he won were where people deserved benefits. He is in AA now as his drinking started to kill the pain for all he had done to people.

I wish I were making this up but I have lived it and they have very much ruined my life. I'm not that old a man and in 10 years I will be close to broke. People do not hire the disabled. I urge anyone who is thinking of going on disability to try your hardest not to as your benefits, unless you are visibly disabled and all your testing shows that you really are in bad shape, will not be there after age 60. I tried to work for 4 more months after my doctor told me I was at a health risk at work (I prefer to not divulge my malady) but I was making 3x my insurance and felt I could not stop.

The lawyer I spoke to said of the thousands and thousands of clients they won benefits for, very few had their benefits after age 60 unless they were close to being in an iron lung. Most policies are group policies and if you find a lawyer to take your case, he gets 35-40% and will probably urge you to settle for 60-65% prior to the case starting. So what are you left with? Very little.

I wish you the best of health and luck! I also hope you take what I said to heart. I have seen them ruin lives to the point of a few people in support groups over the years taking theirs. It is an adversarial position when you try to collect. They are never your friend and every word you say has meaning. A lawyer can say something and retract it stating he misunderstood you. Never represent yourself with an insurance claim. You are finished before you begin.

Mike