Success Story: Chloe Baros

Chloe Baros had worked with a district school board in the Greater Toronto Area for 23 years. She took great pride in her job as a Sign Language Interpretor and enjoyed helping bright and talented high school students enhance their educational experience and improve their communication skills.

Blurry Vision

Shortly after turning 46-years-old, Chloe noticed that her eyesight wasn't as sharp as it used to be. She visited her optometrist, expecting that she needed new glasses. Her optometrist performed a routine eye exam and noticed some degeneration. He referred her to an ophthamologist, who diagnosed her with early onset macular degeneration.

No Longer Able To Work

This diagnosis didn't end Chloe's career until almost two years later. By that point, she had complete central vision loss in both eyes.

Insurance Claims Submitted

Chloe had two insurance policies: longterm disability through her group benefits at work, and a private critical illness policy she had purchased ten years ago. Chloe had never made a claim for any type of benefits. She assumed that after submitting the applications, her benefits would be deposited into her bank account. After taking months to review her claim and full medical records, the insurance companies came back with their decision. Her LTD was approved; however, her critical illness claim was denied.

Arbitrary Decision

“The illness diagnosed does not meet the specific criteria outlined in the policy.” Chloe read that line of the letter over and over. She then pulled out the insurance policy. “Blindness means a definite diagnosis of the total and irreversible loss of vision in both eyes, evidenced by: the corrected visual acuity being 20/200 or less in both eyes; or, the field of vision being less than 20 degrees in both eyes. The diagnosis of blindness must be made by a specialist.” She met the criteria. So, she appealed their decision. When the insurer denied her once again, she knew something wasn’t right.

Legal Help

Chloe did not waste any time consulting with Janice Grevler, an experienced insurance lawyer at Share Lawyers. Janice confirmed what Chloe felt in her gut-- her insurance carrier had found a technicality to deny the claim. Fortunately, Janice assured Chloe that Share Lawyers would be able to challenge their decision.

Pressuring The Insurer To Pay Up

Share Lawyers worked diligently to build a strong case against the insurance company for denying Chloe's critical illness benefit once their lawyer showed an interest in discussing a resolution.

Their poor excuse for denying the claim was that the medical information provided by Chloe's ophthamologist was incorrectly evaluated by their in-house specialists and interpreted as not qualifying as “blindness” under the policy. The insurer showed a willingness to reconsider their decision once they got the message that their claimant meant business.

Early Retirement

Chloe was relieved to have the lump-sum payment in her account as she prepared for an early retirement. Her disability had changed her life and presented many challenges that she now had to overcome. She was grateful not to have the added stress of keeping a roof over her head.

She retained Share Lawyers once again when her group insurance company cut her off of long-term disability benefits, and once again, Share Lawyers followed through on their commitment to protect her rights.

All names and identifying details have been changed to protect the confidentiality of all involved.

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.