Short & Long Term Disability Cases We’ve Won for Our Clients in Michigan

A young man who worked as a document processor for a Detroit law firm was hit by a drunk driver. As a result, he suffered a disc herniation in his neck, cervical facet syndrome, and a cervical spine sprain. He was in constant pain and eventually was forced to undergo surgery to fuse his cervical spine at the C4-C5 disc. Due to his condition, he was unable to continue working. His insurer initially approved him for Short Term Disability benefits. When he applied for Long Term Disability benefits, his insurer alleged that he was capable of performing his job and denied his benefits.

Unsure of what to do and how to live without an income, he got in touch with Fields Law. Our attorneys began compiling all of the necessary medical records and reached out to the client’s doctors to obtain narrative reports which detailed his impairments, treatment, and continuing symptoms. Our attorneys then submitted a compelling appeal to the insurer. Upon review, our client’s benefits were promptly reinstated. Our client was overjoyed to find out that the insurer had reversed their denial and was able to rest easy knowing that he would have an income to live off of.

A man from Michigan was originally taken off of work for his bilateral rotator cuff tears, severe arthritis and degenerative disc disease of the back, and degenerative joint disease in both right and left knee. He applied for Long Term Disability and began receiving monthly payments. He was also approved for Social Security Disability. However, four months before his policy’s definition of disability changed to “Any Occupation”, New York Life informed him that they determined he would not satisfy the changed definition of disability and it was therefore paying the remaining months prior to discontinuing benefits. He filed an appeal but unfortunately, New York Life upheld its decision.

He reached out to Fields Law for help with the final appeal available to him. The attorneys at Fields Law were able to build an appeal documenting New York Life’s numerous misstatements and mischaracterizations of relevant evidence. Further, we built significant support from our client’s treating doctors through narrative reports, asking narrowly tailored questions to New York Life’s doctors and outlining their true opinions in this case. After reviewing our appeal, New York Life reversed its decision, paid our client his back pay and monthly benefit payments.

A woman from Michigan suffered from severe pulmonary fibrosis, a condition that makes the simple act of breathing difficult. Her condition was so severe that she had been recommended for a lung transplant. This condition made it impossible for her to work in any capacity. Her insurance company accepted her claim and paid Short Term Disability benefits. The insurer later denied her claim for Long Term Disability benefits stating that she had the capacity to perform her own occupation.

Not knowing how to fight the insurance company, she reached out to Fields Law. The attorneys at Fields Law began by updating our client’s medical records to provide the full scope of the client’s condition. Once the records were compiled, her attorney drafted a winning appeal which led the insurance company to overturn their denial and reinstate her benefits. Our client felt a huge sense of relief that she would once again have a steady source of income to support herself.