According to Bharat Bhise, when you’re filing for long-term disability claims, you need to be very thorough and proactive. It has strict guidelines, and the complicated process doesn’t make it any easier. Let’s check out the things you need to know when filing for long-term disability claims.
The Details
1. Submit your claim ASAP – First of all, you need to file your claim as soon as possible. Insurance companies usually give you a period of two months or less to file for the benefits after the injury or diagnosis. If you miss that window, insurance companies have the perfect excuse to deny your claim.
After the claim is filed, the insurance company would try to delay performing a thorough and fair review. So even if you have a hard time obtaining the documents for the initial application, file the claim as soon as possible to make up for that delay.
2. Keep communication logs – When you’re communicating with your insurance provider about long-term disability claims, make sure to keep detailed logs. It doesn’t matter if you communicate over the phone, via email, or by any other means.
For emails and mail, the record is saved for you by default. To manage it better, you can create a dedicated physical folder or a folder in your email and sort out those emails by date. While communicating over the phone, make sure to record all the calls and save them to the cloud. The same holds for other forms of communication.
You keep all these communication logs so that you have better leverage against the insurance company if they try to reject the claim. Your lawyer is going to have an easier time when he has detailed logs.
3. Collect all medical evidence – Ideally, you should gather all the medical records necessary for the claim before you file it. You obviously would get the diagnosis or surgery report or other relevant medical records from the hospital or clinic for the long-term disability claim. However, that’s not the end of it.
Other medical records can also become useful for your claim. For instance, someone who has behavioral health challenges would need to show historical medical records of the condition. While physical injuries can happen in a moment, behavioral health issues manifest over a long period and hence it makes sense that you’ll need past medical records for that.
The main takeaway is to gather all medical records in one place, one folder. After that, you can scan and digitize those documents and provide digital copies of your records to your insurance provider or your long-term disability lawyer. Also keep collecting new medical records for appointments, medication, and other forms of care you may get after filing the disability claim. You never know if they’ll come into play in the future.
Conclusion
Bharat Bhise suggests that you use the above-mentioned tips and information to file your long-term disability claim successfully. Remember that your insurance company is against you and will try to deny your claim with the smallest excuses. That’s why you need to be well prepared.