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S.C. Man Sues Unum for Disability Payments
By Jessica Tyner
Unum is one of the largest providers of long-term disability (LTD) and life insurance in the United States. However, Unum also has a reputation for denying claims when there’s no evidence to support that denial and stopping payments without reason. In fact, Unum employees have participated in exposés revealed by media outlets like CBS, revealing that Unum has even instituted bonus programs that reward employees who effectively close the biggest accounts.
One of the latest alleged Unum victims is Joseph Everhart of South Carolina. A former Ohio resident, Everhart counted on The Paul Revere Life Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Unum, to provide his LTD policy.
According to his Unum lawsuit, Everhart became licensed as a chiropractic physician by the State of Ohio in 1986. He continued to work as a chiropractic physician until he became disabled in 2011. As a healthcare provider, Everhart thought he’d done everything necessary to protect himself, his loved ones and his finances in case a worst case scenario came to fruition. When it did, though, he found that Unum didn’t want to adequately compensate him even though he’d paid into his policy since the late 1980s.
According to his Unum policy, to be considered as having a “total disability,” a policyholder must not be able to perform the “important duties” of his occupation, must not be engaged in any other “gainful occupation,” and must be under the “regular and personal care” of a physician.
Everhart’s Disability Story
Everhart filed a claim for Unum disability benefits in July 2012, with an onset date of disability dated June 27, 2011. Unum responded, advising Everhart that his policy “provided a lifetime disability benefit of $2,060 per month, after a 90-day elimination period” and that his second disability insurance policy “provided a lifetime disability benefit of $8,150 per month, after a 90-day elimination period.”
Because of his disability, Everhart closed and sold his chiropractic practice in September 2012. He submitted relevant medical records and reports in support of his disability benefits claim. His treating physician submitted a statement indicating that, due to his disability, Everhart cannot adjust patients, a “very important duty of his occupation.” Numerous appeals did nothing to help Everhart, even after an independent physician determined that he was “100% disabled from practicing as a chiropractor” and that Everhart is “permanently unable to maintain employment as a chiropractor.”
On Sept. 23, 2013, Unum sent Everhart a letter affirming its previous disability claim denial and informing that his appeal was closed. The letter stated that no further appeal was available. Everhart filed his Unum lawsuit on Oct. 31, 2013.
The Unum lawsuit is Joseph L. Everhart v. Unum Group Corporation, et al, Case No. 1:13-cv-789, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Western Division.
Did Unum Deny Your Claim?
Did you have an Unum policy and feel you were wrongly denied benefits? If this happened to you, you may have an Unum legal claim and deserve compensation. Learn more about what to do next at the Unum/UnumProvident Disability Insurance Claim Denial Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. Submit your story, and an attorney will reach out to you if you qualify for an Unum claim review.
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