A woman from South Carolina recently filed a disability claim for back pain, but alleges it was unfairly denied by Unum Life Insurance Company of America.

The woman says she has been forced to file legal action after the insurance company allegedly failed to provide the coverage she needed, according to her disability claim for back pain lawsuit.

Plaintiff Denise C. filed a disability claim for back pain after reviewing her insurance policy that she alleges confirms that she was indeed eligible for coverage. Denise says that she had to be unable to perform her occupational duties and lost 20 percent or more of her monthly indexed earnings due to sickness or disability, under the terms of her disability insurance policy. She says she met those conditions, but her claim was denied anyway.

The disability claim lawsuit also points out that Denise had previously worked for Unum as a lead disability specialist and she was well versed in the language and requirements of the policy. While Unum reportedly approved her disability claim for back pain at first, the company reversed their decision allegedly due to the fact that Denise would need long term benefits instead of short term.

Overview of Unum Claim Denial Lawsuit

According to the Unum claim denial lawsuit, Denise became disabled on Oct. 21, 2015 due to extreme lower back pain and weakness in her legs and feet. Denise reportedly has a long history of back pain and was seeking a cure for this soon after she became disabled, undergoing a third spinal fusion surgery on Nov. 11, 2015.

Even though the surgery reportedly had minimal complications, Denise says she did not recover as quickly as doctors had anticipated and she says that she remains disabled due to her extreme back pain. Denise claims she has since undergone a number of different medical treatments for her disability but remains unable to work.

Even though all of this was referenced when she filed a disability claim for back pain, Unum allegedly denied her claim in May 2016 stating she did not meet the definition of total disability.

Denise quickly filed an appeal to their decision, including additional medical testimony from her physician that emphasized the severity of her disability. Due to the extreme back pain, Denise says she cannot maintain gainful employment at any other company or earn a sufficient income.

Even though this information was included in the appeal, Unum still upheld their decision to terminate her disability benefits in December 2016. At this point in time, Denise has reportedly exhausted all administrative options and has been forced to file legal action against Unum.

Denise alleges that Unum failed in its duty to provider her disability coverage when she met all eligibility requirements and did not allow her disability claim for back pain a fair and full review.

Unum is one of the largest disability providers in the United States, with millions of policyholders depending on the company to provide disability coverage should they ever need it. Over the years, Unum has garnered a negative reputation for allegedly denying claims for insufficient or no reason at all. This allegation is especially prevalent for fibromyalgia and mental illness, say claimants.

Denise is seeking compensation for all missing disability payments, along with any other relevant damages.

This Unum Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-02252-RMG, in the Court of Common Pleas for the Seventh Judicial Circuit.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The bad faith insurance attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or Unum class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, Unum bad faith lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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