Human resource managers need to understnad group long term disability insurance plans when selecting such plans for their employees. A disability insurance policy can save an employee from financial ruin. Because of the importance of such a policy, human resource managers need to pay special attention to the fine print of the plan, particularly, the policy's definition of disability. The "own occupation" versus "any occupation" definition can determine your employees' ability to collect disability benefits.
Under the "own occupation" definition, an employee may become eligible for disability benefits if the employee becomes unable to perform the specific duties of his or her job at the time of the disability. Under the "any occupation" definition, an employee would have to be unable to perform the material duties of any occupation for which he or she is qualified to perform based on past experience and training. As you can see, this can mean the difference between receiving disability benefits or not. If an employee has an "any occupation" policy, the employee will have to prove that not only can he or she not perform the specific duties of their job at the time of disability, but is also unable to perform the material duties of any occupation that he or she may be reasonably suited for based on experience and training. Obviously, under this policy type the potential for denial of your employees disability claim is greater. The ability of an insurance company to dispute a claim if an employee is able to work in some other job based on experience or training increases compared to the "own occupation' policy.
Some other plan areas to dissect include coverage length and definition of employee compensation for disability benefits calculation purposes.
By making sure you understand the group long term benefits plan you are proposing to your employees you can avoid minimizing disputes and unfulfilled expectations when one of your employees files a disability claim.
The Law Firm of J.P. Gonzalez-Sirgo, P.A. represents individuals that have had their valid long term disability benefits denied, delayed or terminated.
You can reach Miami Long Term Disability Insurance Claims Lawyer J.P. Gonzalez-Sirgo by dialing his direct number at (786) 272-5841, calling the main office at (305) 461-1095, or Toll Free at 1 (866) 71-CLAIM or email J.P. directly at [email protected].
