Short & Long Term Disability Cases We’ve Won for Our Clients in Maryland
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 and lawsuit case wins in Maryland.
Reginald – Senior Plant Technician Operator – Oxon Hill, Maryland
Stroke Symptoms, Drop Foot
A Technical Operator worked for a power company in Maryland for many years. His job involved climbing up and down scaffolding, working on large and complicated machinery, and significant amounts of walking. Unfortunately, he suffered a stroke and began experiencing numbness and tingling in his lower extremities. He eventually was diagnosed with Drop Foot, or total foot numbness. No longer able to climb or walk for any appreciable distance, he was forced to stop working.
He applied for benefits from his Long Term Disability carrier, and was initially approved. When he was released to light-duty work by his physician, his employer couldn’t accommodate his ongoing restrictions and he remained disabled. On these grounds, Metlife terminated benefits, claiming his medical records did not support further functional limitations. He tried appealing the insurer’s decision on his own, but they denied his motion. He remained employed by the power company, but was not allowed to return to work. He felt like he had run out of options.
Knowing he needed help, he turned to Fields Law. Our team of attorneys and legal professionals acquired pertinent medical records, which Metlife claimed not to have. Our attorneys gathered supporting expert opinion from our client’s medical team. Fields Law made several arguments in the appeal, supported by detailed exhibits. The appeal was submitted well before Metlife’s deadline and they soon overturned their prior decision. Our client’s benefits were reinstated and he received a check for back-pay.
Tommy – Distribution Tester – Lusby, Maryland
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Panic Disorder, Anxiety, Depression, Kidney Stones, Tight Toe Tumor Removal, Diabetes, Hypertension, Hypercholesterolemia, Obesity
A Distribution Tester from Maryland had to stop working following a severely traumatic event of being shot at while sitting in his work truck. As a result of this traumatic event, he suffered from bullet fragments in his neck, and glass fragments in his face. Subsequently, he developed severe anxiety and panic attacks.
However, his insurer denied his Long Term Disability benefits claim, alleging that they did not received any measurable clinical findings to support his inability to work. CIGNA went on to claim that his medical conditions did not preclude him from performing the material duties of his regular occupation.
Shocked at this decision, he contacted the attorneys at Fields Law Firm with only 45 days to submit an appeal. The attorneys at Fields Law were able to collect all the medical records and reports from our client’s doctors and submit an appeal quickly and efficiently. After receiving the appeal, CIGNA realized they needed to overturn their prior decision to deny benefits, and determined our client was indeed disabled. CIGNA issued a check for all the months our client was entitled to immediately, and our client was very happy with the work the Fields Law attorneys did on his Long Term Disability appeal.
Donna – Administrative Assistant – Leonardtown, Maryland
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Barrett’s Disease, Fibromyalgia, Back Pain, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Anxiety, Insomnia
An Administrative Assistant from Maryland became disabled, and was no longer able to work. She applied for and was approved for Short Term Disability benefits, which ran from her date of disability through the exhaustion of the benefits. After the expiration of her Short Term Disability benefits, she became eligible for Long Term Disability benefits from her employer’s disability carrier. Metlife, unfortunately, denied her application for Long Term Disability benefits. In the denial letter, it concluded that she did not meet the definition of disability in their policy.
She appealed this decision on her own, but she was denied. Metlife indicated that the medical information they had did not support her inability to perform her Own Occupation due to her physiological and/or psychological conditions.
Upset with the sudden loss of income, she contacted Fields Law Firm to help her appeal the denial again. The attorneys at Fields Law collected medical records and reports from her doctors that substantiated her claim for Long Term Disability benefits. We submitted a second appeal, and without hesitation, Metlife approved her Long Term Disability claim for benefits, and retroactively paid her benefits along with continuing to pay her monthly.
