If you’re dissatisfied with the way Unum Life Insurance Company of America has handled your disability insurance claim, you’re not alone.

Many claimants have left unfavorable Unum reviews with consumer advocacy groups and other similar organizations, in an attempt to get the insurance coverage they believe they’re entitled to.

Unum Reviews with the Better Business Bureau

The Better Business Bureau website shows it closed 57 complaints against Unum Group within the past three years. A few Unum reviews on the website summarize some of the claimants’ complaints.

One of these Unum reviews describes a policyholder’s complaint of having to repeatedly prompt Unum to extend his short-term medical leave coverage. Unum initially approved the claimant for four weeks of medical leave, but his doctors said he would need a minimum twelve weeks of recovery time, including eight weeks in which he would not even be able to walk.

The claimant says he relayed that information to Unum and asked them to extend his medical leave coverage. But Unum extended his coverage by only two weeks, leaving him without a paycheck for six weeks after that, he says.

Staff from his doctor’s office told him they sent Unum all the information they requested to support the claim, but the company just kept requesting more.

Another Unum claimant who reported to the BBB says he was scheduled for surgery in January 2014 to address a blockage in his carotid artery. He made a claim for disability insurance under his Unum policy, but he says Unum denied his claim because of the medications he took for high blood pressure.

The claimant said he called Unum to appeal the denial but was told they had no evidence he had ever filed a claim. He said that when he faxed them a copy of the claim letter as proof, he was told that he could be denied for not filing his claim on time.

All this time, the claimant had been waiting on his insurance funds to pay his bills while at the same time being unable to work and earn income, he alleged.

Low Marks for Unum from the AAJ

The American Association for Justice has also published a sample of negative Unum reviews. In its report The Ten Worst Insurance Companies in America, AAJ ranked Unum the second worst insurance company (second only to Allstate) based on Unum reviews.

The report says Unum has earned a reputation for “unfairly denying and delaying claims.” The company’s practices have drawn the attention of regulatory and media investigations, the report says.

The report tells the story of one Unum claimant, Debra P., whose claims for disability insurance were repeatedly denied over a period of three years by Unum. Debra had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Her first attempt at making a claim with Unum was denied, allegedly because her disability was “self-reported”.

Debra came back with documentation of her disability directly from her physician, who said that there was no basis for thinking her claims were anything but legitimate. The report says Unum continued to stonewall Debra for years, even despite appeals directly from her employer and after the Social Security Administration determined she was totally disabled.

Unum eventually paid Debra’s claim, but only after she hired a disability insurance attorney to represent her.

Claimants having trouble with Unum similar to what Debra described or other Unum reviews do not have to fight alone. A consultation with a knowledgeable disability insurance attorney can put them on the path to understanding all their rights and getting the coverage they deserve.