Finding a Long-Term Disability (LTD) Lawyer to Handle an LTD Denial

Not everyone who files for Social Security Disability can also file for long-term disability benefits. Unlike federal disability benefits, long-term disability (LTD) benefits are provided only if you have an employer-provided or employee-purchased LTD insurance plan. But most long term disability plans will require that an individual also file for Social Security disability or SSI disability.

If you do have long-term disability insurance coverage, you'll learn that the nature of filing an LTD claim is markedly different than filing for SSD. The differences between Social Security/SSI disability and long-term disability (LTD) abound, but the main one is that the LTD insurance company and its claims adjusters are not impartial.  

Now, individuals who have had to file for Social Security disability may find it hard to believe that there's anything objective or impartial about the federal disability system, particularly if they have ever had to appear before a rude or biased judge. Nonetheless, the federal system is decidedly more fair than the LTD insurance system because the LTD company has a vested interest in the outcome of your case. Here's why.

Each time the long-term disability insurance company pays out on a long-term disability claim, it loses money. And by the same token, the more LTD claims the company approves, the worse its bottom line ends up looking. It is simply not in a company's financial interests to easily approve long-term disability claims. As a result, filing an LTD claim can be difficult unless you have an obvious, clear cut injury...despite the fact that the individual filing for long-term disability benefits is trying to collect what has been paid for in the form of premiums. 

So if you have received a denial of LTD benefits, or you are thinking of initiating an LTD claim, you should try to find an experienced disability lawyer to advocate for you. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find a disability attorney to handle your LTD claim. But if you hire a disability lawyer to handle your Social Security claim, the lawyer may agree to handle your LTD claim as well. You can user our local disability lawyer finder or browse Nolo's lawyer directory to find an attorney you like.