I Need Help Understanding My Disability Insurance Contract

If you need help understanding your disability insurance contract, join the club — the club that includes everyone who has ever tried to read a disability insurance contract.

Insurance companies do not deserve all the blame for making their contracts difficult to read and interpret. Insurance coverage, exemptions, co-pays, deductible, network restrictions, and the rest are just hard to describe in ways that create legally enforceable obligations and rights. Writing out the rules for covering disabling injuries, illnesses, and mental conditions requires the use of special language, unusual phrasings, cross-references, footnotes, and appendixes. Without the complexity, insurance policies would be worth less than the paper they are written on.

Moving most insurance documentation online has simplified the physical act of accessing all the pages of a disability insurance contract and reading them, but making sense of the clauses and coverages remains as difficult as ever. This is when consulting with a knowledgeable and caring Columbus disability lawyer will pay off.

Attorneys who practice disability law receive years of training in how to puzzle out the meanings and intents of contract language. They use that knowledge to help their clients receive the greatest benefits from their policies by holding insurance companies to their contracted commitments. A skilled disability lawyer will also be able to make the case for waivers, extensions, and special coverages.

When Is the Best Time to Seek Help With a Disability Insurance Contact?

As soon as you have questions.

No, this is not a jokey response. Disability lawyers will welcome your questions about which policies to purchase or select from the options your employer offers. An attorney will gladly explain the differences between and needs for long-term policies and short-term coverage. A legal advisor can also get into the weeds of policy interpretation and negotiations with insurance company reps when a claim is denied.

How Can You Get the Best Answers to Your Questions About Disability Insurance Contracts?

Ask the best questions.

OK, this is a bit of a joke. But like all successful humor, it comes from a place of truth. You need to ask the right questions if you want to hear the answers you want.

Prepare before meeting with a Columbus, Ohio, disability lawyer to figure out your insurance contract. Specifically,

• Think about how you can best describe your problem and requirements. Work up short and detailed descriptions.
• Gather relevant medical and financial records and bring them to the meeting.
• Write out specific questions about the contract.
• Bring the contract or the information necessary to access the contract via the web.
• Set aside enough time to work through all the issues. It may take a few hours or a few meetings.
• Understand that if the issue involves a denial of a claim or the cancellation of coverage, reaching a satisfactory solution may take going to court.
• Know that you can always seek second opinions on legal advice.

As disability lawyers in Columbus, Ohio, the attorneys with Agee Clymer Mitchell & Portman handle cases involving private insurance, workers’ compensation, Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplement Security Income, and state retirement plan disability benefits. We offer free consultations to potential clients, and we take appointments over the phone at (614) 678-3318 or online through this contact form.