Denied long-term disability after a cross-border personal injury?

British Columbia residents who suffer debilitating injuries often find it challenging to secure long-term disability benefits. If a cross-border personal injury caused the disability, the process could be even more difficult. Any accident in another country will involve laws and insurance companies from two jurisdictions, adding to the challenges.

Denied benefits claims after years of contributing to the insurance fund can be discouraging, mainly because a person might not have any other source of income. However, receiving a letter of denial does not necessarily mean all is lost. The letter should explain why the application was rejected. Long-term disability policies differ from country to country and from company to company.

It might be a pre-existing condition that is not deemed a disability, or an essential piece of information might have been omitted from the application. Insurers in different countries have different definitions of covered disabilities, and technicalities on the application could be the problem. The administrators may claim that none of the disability definitions have been met, or prescribed medical treatment was not followed. They might even claim that the person has recovered from the disability.

These are but some of the many reasons that can be used to motivate a long-term disability provider to deny an application for benefits. However, this is a process that needs the support and guidance of a cross-border personal injury lawyer in British Columbia. A law firm that is able to deal with matters on both sides of the border might find a way to resolve the issue and get the application approved.

Source: thespec.com, “Legal Matters: Application for LTD benefits denied?”, Accessed on March 23, 2018