Anyone who is receiving Lincoln Financial disability benefits is constantly nervous waiting for Lincoln Financial to deny their claim and terminate their benefits. At Dell & Schaefer, we offer a monthly claim handling service where we take over every aspect of your Lincoln Financial disability insurance claim and work diligently to prevent our clients from a disability benefit denial. We also have some tips to offer Lincoln Financial claimants that we have found help prevent Lincoln Financial claim denials.

Strong Medical Documentation and Treating with Appropriate Doctors is Essential

The burden of proving disability is on the disability insurance claimant. The best way to prove a disability insurance claim is with strong medical documentation including the treatment you have received from appropriate doctors.

Your doctors will need to provide a Physician’s Statement written on a form provided by the insurance company, but this is generally not sufficient. Your doctors must not just provide a diagnosis and list the treatment they are providing you. They must tell Lincoln Financial what your limitations are due to your diagnosis and how those limitations make it impossible for you to do your job.

This means you must also provide the doctors a complete job description. Then, the physicians can explain how your medical condition prevents you from performing those specific job duties.

A Symptom Log is a Good Tool to Document Your Symptoms and Limitations on a Daily Basis

The physician’s notes often are repetitive and say things like, “Feeling better today.” Lincoln Financial sees this frequent note and uses it as a statement that you can perform your job duties. Keep a daily log of your symptoms and how you are feeling. Ask your doctor to attach your log to your medical records so they will at least be included when Lincoln Financial reviews your medical records.

The Change of Disability Definition Regularly Results in Claim Denials if You Don’t Prepare

For the first two years of most disability insurance policies, you are considered entitled to benefits if you are unable to perform the material duties of your own occupation. After two years, you then must prove to Lincoln Financial you are disabled from performing the duties of any occupation for which you have education, training, or experience. This is the time that many claims are denied.

You need to plan for this change several months prior to the disability definition change. You need to be sure your medical file is strong with as much documentation and updated medical records, including updated testing and treatment to be sure you can still prove your claim.

Creating an Addendum to the Lincoln Financial Claim Form

We almost always find that the claim form Lincoln Financial sends you to fill out is inadequate. The form is just that: a form. It is the same document that is sent to thousands of people across the country. It has no place for you to add the unique circumstances of your case.

Checking boxes “yes” or “no” does not provide enough information to prove your disability insurance case. We always add an addendum so our clients can adequately explain their medical condition, its limitations, and how those limitations prevent them from performing the job duties of any occupation.

At Dell & Schaefer, our monthly claim handling service takes the pressure off you. You will no longer need to deal with phone calls or interviews from Lincoln Financial on your own. Our experienced disability insurance attorneys do everything possible to be sure your claim won’t get denied and your benefits will not be terminated by Lincoln Financial. For information about how we can help you, no matter where you are in your claim process, we offer a free consultation. Contact us at 888-208-3858.