Short & Long Term Disability Cases We’ve Won for Our Clients Against CIGNA
Fields Law Firm successfully recovers millions of dollars each year for our disabled clients throughout the United States. Our Long Term Disability experience is matched by very few other law firms in the country and has earned us a national reputation.
Here are just a few examples of our Long Term Disability appeal case wins against CIGNA.
Mary Beth – Nurse Practitioner – Man, West Virginia
Migraines, Degenerative Disc Disease, Carpel Tunnel, Memory Problems, Neuropathy, Bell’s Palsy
A Nurse Practitioner from West Virginia suffered from a whole host of condition, including a history of Lyme’s disease, which caused recurring migraines and memory problems. She also suffered from degenerative disc disease, numbness in her limbs, and Bell’s Palsy. She took 24 medications to attempt to fight her symptoms, but the side-effects and her symptoms made work impossible. She received Long Term Disability benefits for four years with no issues. Then CIGNA suddenly stopped paying because they said she could return to work.
The woman was shocked. Her medication list took up more than an entire page, and she was in no condition to return to work of any kind. She called Fields Law Firm for help. Our team obtained the full claim file from CIGNA and our attorneys scoured the record for places where CIGNA had made legal or factual errors. Our attorneys drafted a strong appeal based on updated medical records, expert testimony, and strong legal research. Somehow, the insurer denied the first appeal. Our attorneys obtained even more evidence for a second appeal. The insurance company finally relented and granted our client benefits. She received a lump-sum for back-pay and ongoing monthly benefits. She was overjoyed to have the strong advocacy of Fields Law on her side. She has since hired our firm to monitor her ongoing claim so we can be ready to go if CIGNA makes another error.
Jason – Mechanical Designer – Kimberly, Wisconsin
Cynaide Exposure, Dizziness, Loss of Balance
A Mechanical Designer from Wisconsin was exposed to some toxic fumes at work. Over the next several weeks, he began experiencing severe bouts of dizziness and loss of balance. His doctors said there may have been cyanide in the fumes. The symptoms forced him to stop working. He applied for Long Term Disability benefits and provided medical records from his treating physicians. Much to his dismay, CIGNA denied the claim, saying that he did not fit their definition of disabled.
Upset at his loss of income, he contacted Fields Law for help. The Fields Law attorneys started by gathering additional medical records from our client’s doctors, and obtaining the claim file from the insurance company. The Fields Law attorneys sent a strong appeal, arguing that CIGNA made a mistake in denying benefits for our client. They acknowledged their error and granted a lump-sum payment for back-pay. Our client is now back to work and pleased that he can pay for his medical expenses.
Thad – Warehouse Manager – Edgewood, Washington
Femoral Nerve Injury
A Warehouse Manager was forced to leave work when he developed a left femoral nerve injury. His symptoms resulted in extreme pain with standing, walking, and even sitting. He applied for Long Term Disability benefits, which were paid for twenty-four months. When the Definition of Disabled in his policy changed, his benefits were denied. CIGNA stated he could perform work at the sedentary level utilizing his managerial experience.
After a bit of research, he quickly hired Fields Law to appeal the wrongful decision. Our attorneys reviewed all of the records accumulated during our client’s claim. We found that CIGNA’s review heavily relied on the opinion of an internal doctor that did not even examine our client. Our attorneys referred our client to a functional capacity evaluation to objectively measure his ability to work. The evaluation showed that our client simply could not perform any work on a full-time basis and CIGNA quickly reversed its decision and paid the disability benefits.
