Short & Long Term Disability Cases We’ve Won for Our Clients in West Virginia
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 West Virginia.
Glenda – Program Coordinator – Fairmont, West Virginia
Small Cell Fiber Peripheral Neuropathy, Double Vision, Brain Fog, Insomnia, Chronic Pain, Mobility Difficulties, Imbalance Issues
A Program Coordinator for a crime center in West Virginia developed a progressive and complex case of Small Cell Fiber Peripheral Neuropathy in all four of her extremities. Eventually, she was forced to leave work due to her symptoms which included perpetual Brain Fog, Double Vision, Insomnia, Severe Mobility Issues and Chronic Pain. She applied for Long Term Disability benefits and was approved. She remained on benefits for five months until the insurer cut them off with a denial letter.
CIGNA based their decision on a letter they had sent to one of her physicians, asking if she could return to work. He had said she could. The woman signed up with Fields Law to pursue her case against the insurance company. Our attorneys quickly determined that the doctor in question was not her primary treating doctor, but a specialist who didn’t have an accurate picture of the full spectrum of her conditions. Furthermore, our lawyers discovered that CIGNA then had sent a wholly different letter to her primary physician attempting to get him to agree with the first doctor’s opinion.
Our attorneys quickly wrote to her doctors to straighten things out and confirm their opinions that our client was unable to work. Our team also gathered all of the recent medical records to support the appeal our attorneys were drafting. The Fields Law attorneys submitted a lengthy appeal to CIGNA, supported by numerous exhibits. The insurer considered the appeal and soon overturned their prior denial decision. They then paid out back benefits and reinstated future benefits going forward.
Melissa – Accountant – Marlinton, West Virginia
Shoulder Pain, Neuropathy, Arthritis, Diabetes
An accountant from West Virginia seriously injured her shoulder in an accident at home. She had multiple surgeries, but ultimately regained only limited use of her right arm. She stopped working because she was in constant pain and had limited use of her dominant hand. Guardian, her insurance provider, approved her application for Long Term Disability benefits, and she received benefits for almost ten years until she received a letter saying that she was no longer disabled would no longer receive benefits.
Shocked that Guardian would stop benefits after almost ten years, she contacted Fields Law Firm to assist with an appeal. Our attorneys searched through our client’s medical records and found Guardian had ignored several comments from doctors. The Fields Law attorneys called our client’s doctors to write full reports so the insurance provider could not ignore them in the appeal. Ultimately, our client was awarded continuing Long Term benefits and a lump-sum payment for back pay.
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.
