Short & Long Term Disability Cases We’ve Won for Our Clients Against CIGNA

An installation coordinator for a sign and graphics company in Kansas had chronic pain in her hip. She was forced to stop working because her condition required shifting positions every few minutes and her employer could not accommodate her. She applied for Short Term Disability benefits through her employer’s insurance plan but was denied. While she was considering her options for Short Term Benefits, enough time passed that her claim converted to a Long Term Disability claim.

With two separate but overlapping claims pending, she called Fields Law to help determine the best course of action. The Fields Law attorneys reviewed the denial documents from CIGNA and our support team gathered updated medical records from all our client’s physicians. Our attorneys found that the insurance company disregarded important findings from our client’s doctors and drafted a strong appeal to CIGNA. The appeal was successful and our client received a lump-sum payment for back pay and ongoing monthly benefits. Our client was pleased with the representation Fields Law provided and was happy to have her monthly income restored.

A Distribution Coordinator for Driscoll’s suffered from severe back pain and depression. His condition prevented him from performing his job, which required him to be on his feet for many hours per day. His insurer initially approved his claim for Long Term Disability benefits, but his claim was later denied. CIGNA asserted that they found he had no activity restrictions that were medically supported and that they had identified occupations he could perform.

Clearly unable to work and unable to fight the insurance company, he reached out to Fields Law. His attorney reviewed CIGNA’s file and developed a plan to fight the denial. He updated medical records and requested reports from our client’s treating doctors. With the updated records and reports, our team then drafted a winning appeal. CIGNA reversed their decision and reinstated our client’s monthly benefits and paid all the past-due benefits. The client was so thankful to get his benefits back and relieved that he would no longer have to worry about finding income to support his family.

A warehouse worker was forced to leave work when he developed very severe COPD. His symptoms resulted in shortness of breath and an inability to keep up with the physical demands of his job. He applied for Long Term Disability benefits, which were paid for twenty-four months. When the definition of “Disability” in his policy changed, CIGNA denied benefits. The doctor said he was able to work with extremely severe work restrictions. CIGNA used one of its experts to argue he could secure employment despite his severe work restrictions.

He then quickly hired Fields Law Firm to appeal the wrongful decision. The attorneys at Fields Law reviewed all of the records generated related to our client’s claim. After discovering just how severe the work restrictions were, we contacted a vocational expert to determine if he could work any jobs with that limitation. The vocational expert wrote a letter describing how the severe limitations would disable our client from any occupation. The medical evidence and vocational report were attached to a legal memorandum citing federal law supporting our client’s case. CIGNA had no choice but to reverse its decision and pay our client his benefits.