Disability Law Show: Alberta & BC – S1 E27

Episode Summary

Do you have to attend an IME? Disability lawyer Martin Willemse at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP answers this question and more on the Disability Law Show on 980 CKNW in Vancouver, 770 CHQR in Calgary and 630 CHED in Edmonton.

Listen below to discover important information about your rights and a guide through the proper steps to take when your insurance provider cuts off your long-term disability or denies your insurance claim.

Whether you need a BC disability lawyer or disability lawyers in Alberta, Sivan and his team can get you the advice you need, and the compensation you deserve.

Listen to the Episode

Show Notes

• Joined a new company but anxiety developed after months at a new job: Insurance companies often deny disability benefits on the basis of a pre-existing condition. Pre-existing condition exclusion provisions are in many disability policies and state that if claimants go off work within the first year of having coverage, the insurer can examine medical history to determine if the condition existed prior. The insurance company has to prove that the condition is pre-existing.
• Insurance adjuster bullying leads to increased severity of anxiety: In most group policies, after the first two years of long-term disability, claimants have to prove that they are unable to perform the duties of any other occupation. Typically at the two-year mark, insurance companies cut off or deny LTD benefits. Insurance companies can become more aggressive at this phase in order to pressure claimants to return to work.
• Duration of an independent medical examination: An IME is conducted by an insurance company and can be conducted by any number of doctors. According to the terms outlined in a disability policy, insurers are able to send claimants for an IME to the appropriate treatment provider to be assessed. Examinations can last for one day or several days. If an IME provision is included in a policy, claimants are obligated to attend.