Success Story: Paul R. Smith
Paul was a Share Lawyers client who struggled with opioid addiction for a number of years. It’s estimated that roughly 6 million people in Canada suffer from chronic pain, a condition that is often treated with prescription opioids.
About 6 years ago, Paul had an accident on the job. He and his father had started a construction company. One day, as their work day was winding down, Paul slipped. He was working on the roof, and fell two stories. He broke both of his legs and ruptured his achilles tendon.
Because Paul and his father were essentially self-employed, Paul was not covered by WSIB. They had, however, purchased a private insurance policy - just to be safe. Paul spent months in rehabilitation therapy, working on getting back on his feet, in every sense.
During this time, Paul applied for longterm disability and was accepted. He took the time he needed to work on his recovery, but just couldn’t stay inactive; he desperately wanted to work. So, within a few months, Paul was back on the job. His injuries had healed, and he was prescribed Demerol to help with his chronic pain.
But the pain never seemed to go away. In fact, it was both constant and unbearable. There were days he could barely manage to get his shoes on. Though he was taking the prescribed amount of medication, nothing seemed to dull the pain. After a couple of years, as a result of the chronic pain, he became dependent on the Demerol.
Paul started having a harder time in his day-to-day life and was becoming more dependant on the pills. He grew more withdrawn from his father and became isolated from the rest of the family. He started making appointments with doctors to try and get multiple prescriptions, and found himself lying about how much pain he was really in to get a higher dose.
Eventually, he was burning through his month’s prescription in a matter of days. In an act of desperation, Paul started searching for opioids on the street, finding substitutes wherever he could - including Fentanyl - and even turning to hard alcohol for relief. At this point, he would do anything to ease the pain.
After a while, everything fell apart. When his family realized how far Paul’s addiction had gotten, they asked him to get help in a rehab facility. The only local facility the family could afford, however, had a long waiting list. Paul stopped working and applied for long-term disability again - only this time, he was denied. Paul’s private insurance contract stated that disability based on addiction would only be paid out if the person was currently in a treatment program. Paul and his family were stuck.
Paul’s father had contacted Share Lawyers years ago after Paul’s work accident, just in case the disability claim was denied. When Paul was denied, his father again phoned our offices asking for help. We reviewed all of Paul’s medical information and the reasons that the insurance company had denied the benefits. We determined that Paul had a good case and we told him there would be no fees unless we won the case.
It was a difficult fight, but we were able to get Paul a settlement, and are happy to report that he successfully weaned off both the opioids and alcohol he was taking to self-medicate and is now managing his chronic pain under the supervision of a team of healthcare professionals.
*All names and identifying details have been changed to protect the confidentiality of all involved.
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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.
