Federal Disability Insurance Claims Lead to Judges’ Suit

There is a backlog of Social Security Disability Insurance claims that stretches back for months or, on average, more than one year, leading to judges acting as government claim denial specialists. However, the political football of ensuring that deserving applicants get benefits while reducing fraud has led to a union lawsuit on behalf of administrative law judges.

They represent the second line of opportunity for people to get disability insurance benefits, after state claim denial specialists reject the majority of initial claims. The administrative law judges, who may also handle the appeals of Unum disability insurance beneficiaries, have complained that they cannot adequately review claims. Last year, Judge Randall Frye told Congress that they can only spend two and a half hours per case, including 30-60 minutes for the hearing itself.

Similar constraints may exist for those who are handling private claims. Disability insurance lawsuit attorneys and others told the U.S. Senate Finance Committee back in March 2011 that ERISA policies from private insurers do not provide the proper protections and can lead to significant delays because of private claim denial specialists. Little has been done since then.

Unfortunately, any attempt to reduce the administrative law judges’ workload that does not include more members of the bench puts the onus on disabled employees to fight through even more restrictions. In spite of politicians’ characterizations, statistics do not back up a significant amount of fraud on behalf of beneficiaries. That number could rise per the judges’ complaint that they don’t spend enough time on Social Security Disability Insurance cases, but decisions could go either way.

This sped-up process also migrates its way to the private sector, including for Unum disability insurance beneficiaries. Due to the short amount of time, it is important to get the right legal representation to ensure the best possible result.

The first step in that process is to get a free legal consultation to establish the likelihood of a successful appeal. Get in touch with a disability insurance attorney and get a no-cost legal review at the Unum/UnumProvident Disability Insurance Claim Denial Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. The timeframes to file an appeal can be as short as a month or two, so acting quickly ensures that red tape won’t nix one’s ability to get benefits.

Start now and ensure you get the best chance of obtaining the monthly payments your policy entitles you to receive.