PROVEN LAWSUIT RESULTS

Registered Nurse - Albany, OR

Sjogren's Disease, Lupus, Adrenal Insufficiency, Thyroid Issues, Celiac Disease

“A registered nurse from Oregon was 10 years away from retirement. She had worked at the same hospital for 40 years, but had a very complicated medical history due to her clostridium difficile intestinal infections. One day she awoke to extreme pain and discovered blood in her stool. She went to the nearest emergency room and learned she had developed an autoimmune disease called Sjogren’s in addition to Lupus, adrenal insufficiency, thyroid issues, and celiac disease.

The nurse applied for and was granted short-term disability benefits, but just a month later the insurance company cut off their payments. In their denial letter, the insurer claimed the woman did not fit the definition of disability, claiming to have based their decision on an independent physician’s peer review of her medical records. She was stunned, and tried applying for long-term disability benefits without the assistance of an attorney, but was again denied on the same grounds.

The woman knew she needed help and retained Fields Disability to help fight the insurance company. The Fields team wrote a multi pronged appeal of the insurer’s decisions concerning both her short and long-term disability benefits. Our attorneys argued that the insurance company made multiple errors in their evaluation of our client’s ongoing conditions, and incorrectly limited their consideration to only one physician’s peer review.

However, the insurer decided to reject the appeals, claiming that the woman was still capable of full time employment as a nurse. The Fields Disability team filed a lawsuit in federal court. Faced with litigation, the insurance company quickly moved to settle the case and our attorneys were able to secure a large settlement for our client.”

Personnel Officer for the State - Le Center, MN

Anxiety, Depression, Panic Attacks, Bipolar 1 Disorder, ADHD

“A woman who worked for many years as a personnel officer for the state was unable to continue to work due to a number of serious and debilitating mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, panic attacks, bipolar 1 disorder, and ADHD. The insurance company accepted her claim and paid her long term disability benefits for two years under the own occupation definition of disability.

After two years, the insurance company continued to pay benefits under the any occupation definition of disability. Despite the woman’s continuing impairments and limitations, the insurance company discontinued her benefits based on an Independent Review Report prepared by a doctor who reviewed the woman’s medical records.

Confused and distraught about the insurance company’s action, the woman called Fields Disability for help. Our team immediately began working on an appeal to fight the insurance company’s discontinuation of benefits. We argued they had ignored important parts of our client’s records, which showed that her condition had not improved and that she continued to suffer from limitations that make her disabled from any occupation. The appeal was a success, and the insurance company reinstated our client’s long-term disability benefits. Our client was put at ease, knowing that she would have financial security despite her disabling mental health conditions.”

Customer Service Agent - Mesa, AZ

HIV - Immunity Virus, Chronic Low Back Pain, Coronary Artery Disease

“A customer service agent suffering from an immunity virus, chronic low back pain, and coronary artery disease was abruptly cut off from his disability benefits based on the insurance company’s selective and partial review of his medical and vocational records. In support of the discontinuation, the insurance company stated that the claimant should be capable of frequent and continuous sitting and frequent standing and walking. The insurer relied on the opinion of a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist who reviewed the worker’s file and stated that he was able to perform sedentary work.

The disabled worker called Fields Disability because he knew that his insurance company had made a mistake. Our team prepared a winning appeal for our client that exposed the inadequacy of the insurance company’s review.

In preparing the appeal, we gathered reports from our client’s treating doctors and highlighted parts of his medical records to show that he remained entirely disabled from not just his own, but any occupation. We forced the insurance company to admit its mistake, reinstate our client’s long term disability benefits and award him back pay for lost benefits.”

Black Jack Dealer - Michigan, ND

Right Frozen Shoulder

“A woman was forced to end her career as a Black Jack dealer after a series of shoulder injuries resulted in frozen shoulder. She received benefits from her long-term disability insurer for more than three years before the insurance company sent her to a doctor to be evaluated. That doctor provided an opinion to the insurance company, which stated that the woman should be able to return to work. Thus, the insurance company stopped paying he benefits. She attempted to appeal the insurance company’s decision on her own, but the insurance company refused to reinstate her benefits.

The woman turned to Fields Disability for help. We had the opportunity to file a second appeal. We used that opportunity to build up the evidence in her file. We included updated medical records and disability opinions from her doctors. Although the insurance company did not overturn their decision based on that appeal, Fields Disability was able to proceed forward with a lawsuit against the insurer because we were confident with the evidence in the file. In the end, the insurance company was willing to pay our client a substantial amount of money to settle the claim, rather than submitting the issues to a judge.”

Mixer Driver for a Concrete Company - Louisburg, NC

Chronic Back Pain, Bilateral Knee Pain

“Our client worked as a mixer driver for a concrete company. Our client became disabled from doing this job due to chronic back and bilateral knee pain. His diabetes, hypertension, and sleep apnea also contributed to his disability. The insurance company initially paid our client long term disability benefits. However, the insurance company abruptly discontinued his benefits based on an Employability Assessment it conducted, which stated that our client was capable of performing gainful employment based on his lack of restrictions and limitations, as well as his education, transferable skills, work history and residual capacity.

The disabled worker, confused and distraught about the insurance company’s actions, came to Fields Disability. Our team was able to spot critical errors made by the insurance company when it discontinued our client’s benefits. In preparing the Employability Assessment, the insurance company had based the analysis of his workability on a misleading report from a doctor. This doctor had released our client to work with no restrictions, but he only based his decision on the resolution of a temporary shoulder injury our client suffered from. The doctor did not consider our client’s disabling conditions, for which he was approved for benefits in the first place. The Fields Disability attorneys prepared a strong appeal exposing the insurance company’s mistakes, leaving the insurance company having no choice but to reverse its decision and reinstate our client’s long term disability benefits.”