Many dentists find that they are disabled from their work before people in other occupations are ready to retire, but can be denied proper disability insurance benefits.

The job of a dentist requires precise, unusual, and complex movements that often become impossible over time. Many dentists develop incapacitating conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Carpal tunnel, in most professions, is a condition that can be worked around. However, a dentist’s work requires such precise and specialized movement that this would be debilitating.

It can be difficult for dentists to defend against a denied disability claim for disability insurance benefits. To avoid being put out of work entirely, some dentists move to part-time work only, but are usually forced to cease work completely over time.

An insurer may not take into account the seriousness of these disabilities in regard to a dentist’s work. Because of this, many legitimate insurance claims are unfairly denied. Dentists may appeal a denied disability insurance claim within the system, but this is often not enough to reverse a denial.

Dentists who have been denied their insurance claims may end up filing lawsuits against their insurers in an attempt to claim their disability insurance benefits.

For the majority of Americans, denied insurance claims are something they won’t have to worry about. Somewhere around three percent of insurance claims are denied.

For the 3% of insurance claims that are denied, it may seem hopeless. But patients actually do have a surprisingly good chance of gaining back their disability insurance benefits either through an appeal or by pursuing litigation.

A GAO report states that patient appeals directed at the insurer were successful between 39% and 59% of the time. Appeals made to a third party were successful between 23% and 50% of the time. These numbers vary depending on the state in which the filing was made.

Disability insurance denials are disheartening, and appeals can be intimidating, but there is no reason not to file one. It is quite possible that the insurer simply didn’t understand the necessity of the disability insurance benefits the first time around, or did not see how it applied under their guidelines. Appealing an insurance denial can help clear this up.

In some cases, there may be some kind of unfair denial going on, as is the case alleged against Unum in many lawsuits. In these cases, litigation may be necessary in order for a person to gain their rightful disability insurance benefits.

Disability Insurance Lawsuits

After exhausting administrative approaches to this issue by appealing the insurance company’s decision, many are forced to file litigation against their insurer, such as Unum or others. Many people who have legitimate disability insurance claims are fighting back by filing disability insurance lawsuits, hoping that litigation will help to reverse their claim denials.

These lawsuits allege that an insurer denied a legitimate insurance claim for disability insurance benefits, breaching a legally binding contract.

For some, these lawsuits will result in thousands or even millions of dollars in settlement money.

If you or someone you know has been denied long term disability insurance or other insurance, you may be able to file a disability insurance lawsuit.