A long-term disability lawsuit has been filed by a man whose benefits were terminated allegedly without cause.

Plaintiff Craig J. participated in his employer’s long-term disability plan from Unum Life Insurance Company of America. Unum acknowledged Craig “was disabled as a result of mental conditions and paid disability benefits through 11/28/16.”

Unum stopped benefits at that time, claiming in a letter to Craig that there was no evidence he “was disabled as a result of physical conditions” and that his disability benefits due to mental conditions had been exhausted.

Craig appealed and submitted evidence that he was disabled “as a result of his chronic pain, diabetes, and other conditions.”

The long-term disability benefits lawsuit explains the case took a turn at this juncture when Unum had a “peer review physician” look at the file. The peer review physician sent two written questions that were to be answered by Craig’s treating physician. Craig claims the questions didn’t make sense and/or were already answered in the medical records that Unum had received.

Craig wrote back to Unum, requesting clarification of the two questions. The peer review physician agreed the questions were confusing and said he would rephrase and resend them. New questions were never sent.

Instead of resending clarified questions, Unum denied Craig’s appeal on July 27, 2017, “based, at least in part, on the peer reviewer physician’s misunderstanding that contact with Plaintiff’s treating physician was prohibited and its own refusal to acknowledge Plaintiff’s genuine offer to work cooperatively towards a resolution.”

Long-term Disability Benefits Lawsuit Seeks Reinstatement

Craig’s long-term disability benefits lawsuit seeks benefits at the rate of $1,821.60 per month going back to the date his benefits were stopped and continuing until he is no longer eligible under the terms of the plan or until Sept. 11, 2034.

This is not the first time Unum has been accused of terminating benefits early without just cause.

Unum has faced allegations of denying valid claims or of prematurely terminating disability benefits since 2002. That is the year the television program 60 Minutes interviewed Unum employees who said they were rewarded for reaching a claim-denial monthly quota.

Over the years, 3,000-plus long-term disability benefits lawsuits have been filed and many have been successfully settled for hundreds of thousands, even millions, of dollars in compensation.

Reports of claimants who have taken all the proper steps to obtain their benefits, but still had them taken away, are not uncommon. Even those covered by the FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) have struggled to obtain or maintain disability benefits.

If you or someone you know has been denied a disability claim, had your benefits reduced or terminated early, you could benefit from a class action lawsuit to collect the funds that you have been denied.

The Long-Term Disability Benefits Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-00215-MW-GRJ in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Gainesville Division.