Unum Insurance Policy Holders Allege Unfair Denials of Claims

Unum, one of the leading disability insurance companies, has found itself facing several disability insurance claims lawsuits after consumer allegations that the company frequently denies owed benefits to Unum insurance holders.

Background on Unum Insurance

According to Unum’s website, the large insurance company provides coverage for approximately 36 million people. Almost 200,000 U.S. and U.K. businesses offer employee benefits through Unum, including 1 out of every 3 businesses on the Fortune 500 list.

Despite claiming to pay out nearly $7 billion in benefits each year, Unum is currently facing several lawsuits claiming that the company breaks federal health plan laws and unfairly denies disability claims.

Unum Insurance Lawsuits

In one recent Unum disability lawsuit filed on Feb. 8, 2019, plaintiff Courtney M. alleged that the insurance provider denied her legitimate disability claims.

Courtney says that she has been unable to work since June 6, 2016 due to a combination of medical conditions. These medical conditions include lumbar spondylosis, as well as complications from a pseudomeningocele surgery in late November 2016. As a result, she says she requires frequent pain medications for chronic neck and back pain.

Prior to the worsening of her conditions, Courtney says she was employed as a document control representative. She alleges she was covered by both a short term disability benefits policy and a long term disability benefits policy through Unum.

Courtney claims that she originally applied for and received short term disability benefits from Unum, but, when she later applied for long term disability benefits, she was denied. Courtney appealed that decision and it was overturned and she received long term disability benefits through Unum from Dec. 23, 2016 until Aug. 8, 2018.

However, in a letter sent on Aug. 8, 2018, Unum denied further long term disability benefits to Courtney, claiming that she had the ability to perform the material duties of her former position as a document control specialist.

Courtney appealed the new decision in mid-January 2019 and sent updated medical records to Unum, confirming her inability to work due to her disability. However, Unum’s response on Feb. 4, 2019 denied Courtney’s appeal and upheld the previous ruling denying her future disability benefits.

Courtney’s lawsuit against Unum claims that the insurance provider relies on an inaccurate standard in order to determine whether or not claimants are disabled. She further claims that Unum misrepresented and dismissed her medical records, and ignored statements from her physician regarding her level of disability.

Additionally, her lawsuit claims that Unum has violated provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), a federal law setting minimum standards for health plans in order to protect the people covered by those plans.

If you have purchased disability insurance through Unum and have been denied your owed disability benefits, you may qualify to join a free Unum insurance investigation and pursue compensation.

Courtney’s Unum Lawsuit is Case No. 2:19-cv-00046,, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division.