Can My Employer Determine My Eligibility For Long-Term Disability Benefits?

Generally speaking, your employer does not have a say regarding the decision to approve or deny entitlement to long-term disability benefits. In most cases, the decision is made by an insurance company. Even where disability benefits are self-insured by an employer, they usually contract out the decision making process to an administrator (often also an insurance company). In some cases, employers probably have some influence regarding the decision that is made, but they would usually try to conceal any such influence.