helping law enforcement protect the community

Do you know what is being done in your community to protect the citizens from crime? Do you have a crime-watch program? Is there a community website that lists the current investigations and events that may have recently occurred? Law enforcement officials can only do so much when it comes to protecting a community. If your community is not active in protecting itself, crime rates could rise and many residents could find themselves the target or victim of crimes. Visit my blog to find out what you can do as a community to lower crime rates and help the law enforcement officials do their jobs.

Two Mistakes People Make When Filing Claims For Private Disability Insurance Benefits

Law Blog

When you file for disability benefits with your private disability insurance company, you want your claim to get paid as soon as possible. Unfortunately, any mistake you make in the claims process can cause delays, result in you receiving less money, or produce an outright denial. Here are two mistakes you want to avoid making when applying for disability benefits.

Changing Jobs

To continue generating income while waiting for their disability benefits to be approved, some people choose to switch to jobs they can do based on their new limitations. Although you wouldn't think you'd be punished for continuing to work, that's exactly what happens with some private disability insurance companies.

The company may use your ability to work to deny your claim or pay less money to you. This is because some private disability insurance policies have "own occupation" clauses stipulating you will only get paid if you're not able to continuing working in your field of employment.

However, insurance companies differ in how they determine what your employment field is. Some companies define "own occupation" as the job you were working when you became disabled, while others use the job you were working in for the previous 12 months as the basis for deciding whether you qualify for benefits. And still others define "own occupation", as any job requiring your specific skill set.

Additionally, the insurance provider may calculate your benefits using the income you're currently earning, which can result in a lower payout if you're earning less than you were in your previous job.

If at all possible, it's generally best to wait for the outcome of your disability application before moving into a different line of work.

Not Notifying Your Healthcare Provider

Another mistake people make when seeking disability benefits is not notifying their healthcare providers about their cases. The insurance company will require your doctor to submit an assortment of paperwork about your health and disability, and there are typically strict deadlines involved. If your doctor doesn't know about your case, the person may not put a priority on any paperwork he or she receives, which may lead to missed deadlines and a bad outcome for you.

Additionally, it's not unusual for insurance companies to interview doctors directly about your condition. If your healthcare provider is not prepared, he or she may inadvertently say something that could harm your case. Giving the person a heads up about your application can help him or her present your case in the best light.

For more information about these issues or help getting approved for disability benefits, contact an attorney.

For additional insight, you will want to talk to a company such as Iler and Iler.

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15 June 2017