Denied Disability Due to Change of Definition

As a 52-year old collections specialist in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Evan spent most of his day on the phone with people in tight financial circumstances. This made for a lot of awkward calls. He could hear the anxiety in people’s voices as they tried to figure out how they were going to find the money to pay their bills, but he was good at navigating the conversations to find a solution that was agreeable to everyone.

But the regular talks with financially strained account holders took a toll. Some of their stress inevitably carried over into his own life, and Evan was having a hard brushing it off once he left the office. He wasn’t able to forget the tough times that people were going through.

When management raised the budget goals for the entire department, Evan now had to generate much more revenue in the same amount of time. There just didn’t seem to be enough hours in the day. He soon found himself staying late at the office to meet his goals, all while facing more pressure to work overtime and close as many accounts as possible.

The new demands compounded the day-to-day stresses he already felt in his job. He tried to be fair to the people he was speaking with, but his bosses only cared about numbers, not the person on the other end of the line. This made his collections calls far more nerve-racking than they had ever been before.

It wasn’t long before Evan started to break down. He was having panic attacks in the middle of calls and hyperventilating in the bathroom during lunch, then going home and grinding his teeth while he was asleep. He always managed to make it to his desk, but Evan could tell that his performance was suffering. It was getting increasingly difficult to meet the relentless demands that were creating his anxiety. Evan started to break out in a sweat every time he heard a phone ring or when he knew he had to make another call.

Evan’s partner soon saw what the job was doing to Evan’s health. She advised him to speak to a therapist, who gave Evan a diagnosis of anxiety and depression. The doctor encouraged Evan to file a long term disability claim while he took the time to work on his anxiety. He was approved benefits for nearly two years, until his insurance company’s case manager told him that his file would soon be updated under the change of definition.

Evan had been making important strides in his healing but knew that he was not able to go back to work at the same job or anything similar that he was trained to do. While his medical condition still made it impossible to return to his previous role, his insurance provider argued that he should be able to move on to another job and was no longer willing to pay his benefits. His anxiety spurred up again when his disability claim was cut off – what’s called denied at the change of definition point.

Evan began to despair, struggling with the same financial anxiety that he used to encounter when he worked as a collections specialist. He knew he wasn’t ready to rejoin the workforce and he didn’t know how he would pay his bills without his disability benefits.

When his in-laws recommended Share Lawyers, Evan scheduled a free consultation right away. The disability lawyers at Share Lawyers told him that he should still be entitled to disability benefits. Typically this means that to qualify for LTD benefits in the any occupation period, you must be totally or substantially disabled from the duties of any occupation for which you have the requisite education, skills, or experience.

Share Lawyers worked with Evan and his doctors to gather evidence that proved he was unable to work. They were then able to negotiate a settlement agreement during mediation that provided Evan with future benefits.

Even when it may seem hopeless, Share Lawyers is there to fight for the benefits you deserve in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and across Canada.

If you have had your claim for long term disability denied in Manitoba, contact the long term disability insurance lawyers at Share Lawyers. Our experienced team of long term disability (LTD) lawyers can help. Toronto is home to the Share Lawyers office, but we have helped people all across Canada. We have recently settled cases against Canada Life, Desjardins, Manulife, RBC Insurance, Sun Life, and many more. We offer free consultations and there are no fees unless we win your case. Find out if you have a disability case.

Denied your long term disability claim?

Contact Share Lawyers today and put our experience to work for you. Our 35+ years of experience can help you win your case against Canada Life, Desjardins, Manulife, RBC Insurance, Sun Life, and other insurance companies. We offer free consultations and there are no fees unless you win your case. Join us on Facebook and become a Top Fan for a chance to win each month.

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A note from our long term disability lawyers

Taking a medical leave from work is not an easy decision to make. Concerns about providing for yourself and your family and keeping your job may cause you to want to push through your pain, but this won’t make your problems go away. Stopping work is often the smartest decision for your long term health and well-being, and your disability benefits are there to provide you with financial support until you can return to work.

If you have made the tough decision to stop working and apply for your short term disability or long term disability benefits, you may feel overwhelmed by the process and have questions that your employer and your insurance company are not able or willing to answer. Share is There to see you through and answer your questions.

Our Disability law firm knows what you have been going through

We understand that things have not been easy for you over the last little while. Your health has been suffering, you are unable to work, and now your insurance company, who was supposed to be there in your time of need, has decided they will not pay your disability benefits or respect your disability claim. These benefits exist to provide you with the financial support you need so that you can focus on your health and rebuilding your life. It is unfortunate that your insurance company has not lived up to its promise. If your disability claim has been denied, we will fight to get you the benefits you are entitled to. Our disability lawyers have helped thousands of Canadians get their long term disability benefits over the past 35 years, and we can help you too.

Our experienced disability lawyers can fight back on your behalf

Share Lawyers believes that every client who is dealing with a disability claim deserves superior personal service. To achieve that goal, we have developed our team of experienced, compassionate, and caring long term disability lawyers, law clerks, and administrative staff to meet all of your needs. Our team of experienced long term disability, life insurance, employment, and critical illness insurance lawyers have made successful claims against many insurance companies, third-party administrators and employers.

If you are unable to work, your disability benefits should be there to provide you with the financial support you need. While your insurance company may be focused on finding ways to avoid paying your claim, our focus is on what is in your best interest. When Share Lawyers gets involved, you have an entire team of lawyers that are there to support you and to fight for what is yours.

Our disability claim lawyers fight for your disability insurance claim by relying on our many years of experience to apply the best strategic planning and approach in each case, using the latest technology available. Experience matters, and with Share Lawyers, you are in the best hands with 35 years of success on your side.

In this video, we explain the role of a long term disability lawyer and how we can support you when you have been denied your long term disability benefits.