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Scales tipped in insurer’s favour with LTD claims

Insurance companies are ramping up their scrutiny of long-term disability claims and employing tactics to deny benefits, Toronto personal injury and disability lawyer Nainesh Kotak tells Benefits Canada.

Kotak, principal of Kotak Personal Injury Law, says such measures are counterproductive as most people don’t want to be off the job any longer than necessary and would return to work faster if they allowed to do so.

The online news site reports that a recent study by RBC Insurance Services Inc. revealed that almost half of employees on disability said they felt pressure from their employers to go back earlier than they felt they were able to do so — a substantial increase from the previous year’s study, where only one-third of respondents said the same.

One of the issues claimants grapple with is providing insurers with the medical documentation to support the fact they’re unable to work, primarily because doctors tend to be so busy, Kotak says.

“Claimants’ physicians are often reluctant to fill out disability forms, and the brief conversations these doctors typically have with disability insurance company staff nurses often leads to mischaracterization of the doctor’s view of the claimant’s work-related restrictions,” he says. “We are definitely seeing more insurers deny claims based on what they perceive as insufficient medical information.”

That situation is exacerbated when insurance companies demand independent medical assessments or require that claimants participate in a rehabilitation program of their choosing, Kotak says.

“Often these doctors are not really independent and will give an opinion that contradicts an opinion from the claimant’s doctor that her patient cannot return to work,” he says. “The same is true when the insurer chooses a functional ability assessor or rehab program: their reports will not be favourable to the claimant.”

Kotak says insurance companies frequently resort to social media scrutiny of a claimant’s accounts as an investigation tool, an inappropriate tactic.

“People are doing things like updating their resumés on sites such as LinkedIn in the hope that they will get back to work even as insurers are using that sort of thing to question whether they’re totally disabled,” he says.

KOTAK PERSONAL INJURY LAW/DISABILITY LAWYERS CAN HELP YOU

We understand that being denied short-term disability benefits or long-term disability benefits can be frustrating and devastating. Your time to fight your disability insurance company is limited. Please do not delay in calling a disability claim lawyer at Kotak Law. We have successfully sued numerous disability insurance companies including Manulife, Sunlife, Desjardins, Great West Life, Canada Life, London Life, Blue Cross, AIG, SSQ, RBC, Industrial Alliance and more.

Call your trusted long term disability lawyers at 1-888-GOKOTAK (Toll Free for all of Canada), or (416) 816-1500 (Local Number for Ontario Residents), (403) 319-0071, (587) 414-1010 (Local Numbers for Alberta Residents). Our consultation is free and we don’t get paid until you do. We can meet you at our offices, a coffee shop, your home or a local court house. We can meet electronically though Skype, Zoom or WebEX. We represent disabled people throughout Ontario and Alberta, including Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Milton, Georgetown, Orangeville, Oakville, Burlington, Hamilton, St.Catharines, Niagara Falls, Stoney Creek, Kitchener/Waterloo, Cambridge, London, Windsor, Markham, Pickering, Oshawa, Peterborough, Keswick, Kingston, Ottawa, Banff, Brooks, Calgary, Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Jasper, Lake Louise, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Saint Albert and other locations.

Disclaimer: This article is intended to supply general information to the public. We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of this information. However, as laws change quickly, the reader should always ensure the accuracy and applicability of such information with respect to their particular case. The information contained in this article cannot replace a thorough and complete review of the reader’s situation by competent legal counsel who has had an opportunity to review all of the facts.