A California woman has filed an Unum disability benefits lawsuit after the insurance giant allegedly wrongfully denied her disability benefits. According to her complaint, the insurance company had wrongfully denied her long term disability benefits even after she met all eligibility requirements.

Plaintiff Julie G. had filed the Unum disability benefits lawsuit after the company failed to provide her long term disability benefits, even though she is unable to work and has lost a significant portion of her income.

Julie says she had been previously fully employed by the Boy Scouts of America and was supposed to be provided short or long term disability benefits from Unum. However, the insurance company allegedly failed in its contractual duty to fully examine Julie’s claim for disability, and Julie alleges it may have denied her claim under questionable circumstances.

Overview of Unum Disability Benefits Lawsuit

According to her Unum disability benefits lawsuit, Julie became eligible for long term disability benefits under the terms and conditions of the plan. At some point during her employment, Julie was diagnosed with focal dystonia and had to undergo cervical surgery.

These health complications reportedly resulted in Julie becoming disabled, and she claims she was unable to to continue working. Julie was forced to cease working on Oct. 17, 2007, with her disability preventing her from completing her occupational duties.

Julie had filed for long term disability benefits on April 23, 2008, and was initially approved for benefits by Unum. At the time she filed her claim for benefits, she had followed all submission guidelines and had included all relevant medical documentation.

However, these benefits were suddenly terminated on Sept. 28, 2016, even though her condition made no improvement or changes during the course of those eight years. Furthermore, there was no additional medical documentation submitted to Unum that may have suggested any change in her medical condition.

Even though Julie had filed an appeal in a timely manner, and had provided additional medical documentation to support her claim. Julie’s Unum disability benefits lawsuit states that even though there was an “overwhelming” amount of evidence supporting her claim for long term disability, the insurance company still rejected her.

Unum had sent her a claim denial letter on June 14, 2017, which reportedly did not give any sufficient reasoning for the claim denial. The claim denial letter allegedly failed to provide prompt and reasonable explanation for its decision, making Julie and her lawyers believe they company failed to sufficiently review her claim.

To be eligible for Unum long term benefits, the policyholder must prove they are unable to work due to their disability and that they will lose a significant portion of their net income. To prove this, policyholders will often submit medical testimony from their doctors and vocational experts that will vouch that their disability will prevent them from working.

In addition, policyholders must also not be able to earn a sufficient income in a similar occupation. After the claim for benefits is submitted, Unum is supposed to fully review the claim and give benefits if needed.

However, the insurance giant has garnered criticism for claim denial practices in recent years, with investigators alleging the company had developed a systematic process for denying claims.

At this point in time, Julie has reportedly exhausted all administrative options and has been forced to file this Unum disability benefits lawsuit.

This Unum Disability Benefits Lawsuit is Case No. 5:17-cv-01778-JGB-KK, in the U.S. District Court foor the Eastern District of California