Success Story: Jade Gonzales
41-year-old Jade was a nurse in the emergency department of a major hospital in North York. Things at work were stressful - the hours were irregular and she was constantly on her feet. Jade lived alone and was often too exhausted to cook for herself when she was done a shift at the hospital. She relied on take-out and frozen dinners for most meals.
Jade had struggled with weight issues for the majority of her life. She often tried restrictive diets, which only lasted a few weeks at a time. After each unsuccessful attempt at losing weight, however, she went through long periods of ignoring her caloric intake and mindless eating.
Disabling symptoms begin
In early 2009, after several months of eating unhealthily, Jade began experiencing intense stomach pains and heartburn. She sought advice from her physician, and after having a gastrointestinal ultrasound, was told to seriously consider gastrointestinal surgery for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.
With Jade’s hospital connections, she was able to plan and book her surgery quickly. As a nurse, she understood that her health should be her top priority.
The surgery went well and Jade was soon back at work. But almost a year later, Jade began to experience some disturbing side effects. One day she felt nauseous at work and had to excuse herself and take a cab home. Two days later, she took sick two hours into the work day, and had to go home sick.
The following week was followed by even more frequent occurrences of intense nausea. Deciding that this was now more than a random series of events, Jade decided to see her physician again. After running some tests, her physician prescribed her some medicine to help with the symptoms. She would have to schedule a consultation with her physician at least four times a year, but at least the nausea would be manageable and she could continue working. This was the case for the next couple of years.
Last year Jade’s condition worsened. Her symptoms were now impacting her work, personal and social life. She was experiencing more frequent episodes of illness and was putting on weight as a result of all the stress. With all of this happening, situational depression hit hard. Jade didn’t want to admit it but she had to make a decision between her health and work. She finally understood the severity of her condition, and ultimately decided that it was time to stop working.
Jade submitted her long term disability claim
She gathered the necessary documents and made her claim for long-term disability benefits. Jade was in complete disbelief when her claim was denied. She had never missed a payment, especially since her surgery in 2009 - she always anticipated her situation even though she dreaded it. After multiple back-and-forths, the insurance company stated that her claim was denied because the surgery had been back in 2009 and she had worked for over a year afterwards.
Jade was unwilling to accept this answer. While doing some research happened to come across a Share Lawyers blog post about long-term disability claims. After a consultation meeting, the Share Lawyers team immediately got to work on her case to get the insurance company to approve the claim.
An agreement was reached at mediation Share Lawyers was able to negotiate a lump sum settlement. Jade felt that she had been bullied by the insurance company and so was very happy with the understanding and care she received at Share Lawyers. Now she could focus on her health, knowing that her benefits would support her during her recovery.
*Names have been fictionalized to protect the privacy of our clients.
If you have had your claim for long term disability denied, contact the long term disability insurance lawyers at Share Lawyers. Our 35+ years of experience in long term disability (LTD) law 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.
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.
