News & Resources

Whether you’re a policyholder in a health, disability, or property insurance plan, it’s possible that you will encounter — or have already encountered — some blowback when it comes time to submit a claim for benefits.  Insurers are fundamentally incentivized to deny, undervalue, or otherwise mishandle claims so that they can minimize their own costs.  This is particularly true in situations where an important coverage-related provision of the contract is ambiguous and therefore open to […]

If you have had your insurance benefits claim — disability, health, property, etc. — denied or otherwise subject to an adverse determination, then you are entitled by law to challenge the insurer’s determination.  Generally speaking, your plan will determine many of the protections and limitations relevant to your benefits claim (and any subsequent challenge). Policies that are ERISA-governed, for example, require that the claimant first exhaust their administrative remedies — by going through an internal […]

If you are involved in a dispute with your insurer over benefits owed in the event that your property has diminished in value (following an accident), then you may be entitled to bring an action against the insurer to secure the desired benefits.  Effectively bringing a diminished value claim can be quite a challenge, however, given that Florida law does not allow such benefits recovery by default unless the insurance policy specifically empowers the claimant […]

In some insurance disputes — disability insurance disputes included — policyholders may be surprised to find that their coverage is actually inadequate to pay for their losses.  Insurance agents are not always scrupulous or comprehensive in explaining the terms of the policy that you purchased.  In an effort to make the sale, the insurance agent may be hesitant to explain the contours of such coverage and what benefits you are likely to obtain, and in […]

Though Florida employers are well aware of the standard discrimination and retaliation prohibitions that restrict their ability to discharge and otherwise punish employees for their actions — such as reporting discrimination in the workplace — there continues to be something of a blind spot when it comes to the exercise of ERISA-related rights. Those who exercise their ERISA-related rights may therefore find themselves subject to unexpected retaliatory action, despite the fact that it is prohibited […]

As a disability insurance policyholder, whether you are entitled to secure benefits for your disabling illness, injury, or other condition will depend primarily on your ability to demonstrate that your circumstances qualify you as “disabled” pursuant to the language of your insurance plan.  Insurers are incentivized to interpret plan definitions (and the severity and extent of your condition) in a manner that is unfavorable to your interests — if the insurer can plausibly deny your […]

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) was enacted in 1974, creating a new set of standards and protections for certain covered plans (i.e., private benefit plans granted or sponsored by an employer).  Since its enactment, ERISA has further expanded those standards and protections, which include rules surrounding the Summary Plan Description (SPD). The SPD is a critical document that details the rights and obligations of the policyholder and beneficiaries pursuant to the insurance plan, […]

Though vocational experts are perhaps more well-known for their role in Social Security disputes, they also play a critical role in private disability benefits disputes — as such, it is important to understand how to use vocational experts to your advantage (and how to undermine the testimony of opposing vocational experts) for the purpose of strengthening your benefits claim. Vocational Experts and Disability Insurance Disputes Vocational experts have a very specific role in the disability […]

In Florida, and throughout the country, mediation of complex insurance disputes (whether a disability insurance dispute, health insurance dispute, or otherwise) is a common strategic option employed to resolve the conflict before litigation.  Through the mediation process, the involved parties — insurer and policyholder — can negotiate a favorable settlement that satisfies their expectations while avoiding the hassles and difficulties typically associated with insurance litigation. Litigation May Be Fraught With Difficulties Litigation can be somewhat […]

Residual disability benefits are common, in Florida and throughout the country — whether in the form of an insurance rider on a total coverage plan, or as a standalone income replacement policy — as a means with which to ensure that the claimant can secure at least some benefits after suffering a disabling event that is not necessarily catastrophic. For example, if you are injured in a car accident, then you may suffer a disability […]