A Pennsylvania man recently filed a lawsuit against Unum alleging his disability insurance appeal was wrongfully denied.

According to his lawsuit, the plaintiff, Craig B., was covered by group short term disability from Unum through his employer, J.M. Search & Company. Craig worked as an Executive Recruiter for J.M. Search & Company. Unum had provided short-term disability insurance coverage to this company since 2000.

Under the terms of their short-term disability plan, when an employee becomes disabled, the policy provides a sum of up to 70 percent of the employee’s weekly earnings as a replacement income, up to a maximum of $2,500 per week. Since this is a short term disability policy, it only provides weekly benefits for up to 11 weeks in total. After that point, long-term disability kicks in.

Craig is also covered by Unum for long-term disability insurance through his employ with J.M. Search & Company.

According to the lawsuit, both Craig’s short-term and long-term disability policies define disability as: “you are limited from performing the material and substantial duties of your regular occupation due to your sickness or injury; and you have a 20% or more loss in weekly earnings due to the same sickness or injury.”

Unfortunately, Craig says he has suffered a long time from a variety of serious conditions including coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, hypertension, and chest pain.

In 2008, he was admitted to the hospital to undergo cardiac catheterization, showing a significant blockage. A few years later, in 2015, he was admitted to the emergency room for chest pain that led to another cardiac catheterization. By mid-2016, after being admitted to the hospital for other chest pain issues, he applied for short term disability benefits.

Unum, however, only accepted Craig’s short-term disability claim for a matter of nine days in total. Craig attempted to fight back by filing a disability insurance appeal, hoping to reverse Unum’s decision. But Unum remained unmoved, denying Craig’s disability insurance appeal.

After finding himself in the hospital several more times for these conditions, Craig ended up filing a claim for long-term disability insurance as well, though this, too, was denied by the insurance company. Again, Craig filed a disability insurance appeal, which was promptly denied by Unum.

Filing a Lawsuit Over a Denied Disability Insurance Appeal

A growing number of plaintiffs like Craig have turned to filing lawsuits against Unum Life Insurance seeking a reinstatement of disability benefits. Plaintiffs allege that the insurance giant unfairly denied their claims to disability benefits that they qualify for under the terms of their insurance policies, even going so far as to deny a disability insurance appeal.

Consumers who have exhausted all administrative recourse, including filing a disability insurance appeal, may turn to filing an Unum lawsuit over denied disability benefits, hoping to reverse Unum’s decision. If you or someone you love has been unfairly denied short or long-term disability benefits by Unum Life Insurance Company of America, especially after filing a disability insurance appeal, you may be able to file an Unum lawsuit.

The Unum Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-02919-MMB, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.