Archive for Disability Law Ledger
DB Disability Law Ledger™ – April 2009
HAVE YOU HEARD THE ONE ABOUT THE GUY WHO BOUGHT DISABILITY INSURANCE?
It goes like this . . . A guy goes into an insurance office to purchase a disability policy. The agent has him sign all of the appropriate paperwork, and the guy assumes the policy will be there for him if and when he [...]
Disability Law Ledger™ – March 2009
Court Upholds Claim for Damages Due to Deceptive Business Practices
In an unusual decision, the Court denied defendants’ Massachusetts Casualty Insurance Company (”Mass Casualty”) and Disability Management Services, Inc. (”DMS”) motion to dismiss a plaintiff’s claim for damages against them for deceptive business practices under New York’s General Business Law Section 349. This decision allowed the [...]
Disability Law Ledger™ – Feb. 09
Arthritis: Disabling America
According to the Center for Disease Control, Arthritis is attributable to nearly one million hospitalizations and 44 million out-patient visits per year. It is this country’s most common disability, and its costs as well as its associated health risks are far-reaching. It has been estimated that arthritis physically limits approximately 19 million adults [...]
Disability Law Ledger™ – Jan. 09
When it Comes to Your Long-Term Disability Plan, Read it and Read it Again
When Alison first was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in her early thirties, she knew that eventuÂally she would face total and permanent disability. She didn’t let that prevent her from living life to the fullest. In fact, the threat of being disabled [...]
Disability Law Ledger™ – Dec. 2008
THIS JUST IN . . . SURVIVING VETERANS’ SPOUSES RECEIVE RETROACTIVE PAYMENTS
Although a federal law was passed in 1996 that enabled surviving veterans’ spouses to receive and keep VA compensation or pension benefits for the month in which their husbands or wives died, until this month (December 2008), that law was not properly enforced. According [...]
Disability Law Ledger™ – Nov. 2008
VA GIVES VETERANS BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT FOR MISPLACED CLAIMS
On October 16th of this year, the Department of Veterans Affairs discovered that documents about to be shredded were, in fact, applications submitted by U.S. Military Veterans that had never been processed. This error has caused veterans and their families significant delays in obtaining the benefits [...]
Disability Law Ledger™ – Oct. 2008
U.S. Military Veterans Put On Hold . . . Once Again
Yes, Congress finally passed a new GI Bill that will, presumably,enrich the benefits plan for our Veterans. However, judging from the lack of progress thus far, it looks as if the August 2009 deadline is at risk.
At the core of this dilemma is the apparent [...]
Disability Law Ledger™ – Sep. 2008
Psychological Disability: Very Real, But Difficult To Prove
Often, the things we can see with our own eyes are easier to believe than the things we cannot see. That is the case with psychological illnesses; they are hidden just below the surface. And yet, these illnesses are very real and can be even more debilitating than [...]
Disability Law Ledger™ – Aug. 2008
THE FERS/CSRS DISABILITY CLAIM PROCESS . . . Don’t Go It Alone
According to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), a disability annuity is a benefit provided to protect employees who are no longer able to provide useful and efficient services in his or her grade or pay level. Being disabled does not necessarily mean that [...]
Disability Law Ledger™ – Jul. 2008
OTHER INCOME REDUCES YOUR LONG-TERM DISABILITY BENEFITS
As is usually the case, most of our clients run into complications with their long-term disability (Employer-Sponsored) plans because they have not fully read nor fully understand the terms and conditions of their policies. One of the biggest stumbling blocks is the term Other Income.
Here is an example of [...]
