Bozeman Disability Claim Denial Lawyer

Disability Claim Denial Lawyers in Bozeman

Most of us rely on being of sound mind, body, and spirit. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as much as 28% of our adult population here in Montana has a disability. This number equates to approximately 250,549 individuals.

In a single year, a disabled person’s medical costs alone can average $13,638, for a total $2.6 billion expenditure for all affected individuals. With limited budgetary allocations for health care and other recoverable expenses for those with different types of impairments, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that requests for coverage and submitted claims often get denied.

So if insurers engage in underhanded tactics, what should you do? Consult with a Bozeman disability claim denial lawyer here in our office. It costs you nothing to do so.

man with prosthetic leg sitting on outdoor steps

Types of Insurance Claims We Handle

Our legal team here at Western Justice Associates, PLLC has extensive experience handling all types of disability claims issues, including ones involving:

Workers’ compensation
Short-term disability insurance
Long-term disability insurance
Social Security Disability (SSD)
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

We’re always eager to apply our knowledge and expertise in identifying bad-faith insurance practices and putting a stop to them.

We do this because we believe these unscrupulous tactics shouldn’t stop deserving people from accessing the benefits they so desperately need. So, if you find yourself amidst a dispute with a disability company, know our attorneys are here for you.

Why are Disability Benefits Denied?

When it comes to the reasons why disability insurers decide not to pay on an insured’s claim, it’s all about money and preserving as much of it for themselves instead of being there when insurers try to “cash in” and secure the benefits they’re entitled to. However, when disability insurers do respond to claims and deny them, they often state that their decision was reached based on them:

Not believing that their subscriber suffered their injury in the way they said they did (in a way covered under their policy).
Making the determination that their subscriber’s disabling condition has improved and they can return to work.

While, in the case of the latter, it’s certainly in the terms and conditions of most disability insurance policies that an improvement may result in a termination of their coverage, the following practices are not:

Delaying in processing the claim by requesting additional records or saying that they’re still examining the claim in hopes that their condition will improve in the meantime.
Denying the claim on the grounds that the nature of the injury doesn’t qualify a claimant to receive disability benefits (when it does).
Paying less than what they’re supposed to per the terms of the insurance policy.

So, if your claim has been continually denied and trying to have a level-headed conversation hasn’t worked, it may be time to consider speaking with legal counsel to assist you in taking the next steps in your case, whether that’s making an appeal, filing a complaint with the state, or filing an insurance bad faith lawsuit here in Bozeman.

We're Proud of Our Results

$7,500,000

Enviromental Litigation

Western Justice Associates represented 15 landowners in a case against the City of Bozeman and developers over pollution leaking from the landfill. The $7.5 million settlement also included an upgrade to the clean-up system for the pollutants in addition to the settlement amount.
$25,000,000

Enviromental Litigation

Jory Ruggiero acted as lead attorney on behalf of 57 landowners whose groundwater was contaminated in a case that resulted in a settlement against seven power companies that owned the Colstrip power plant.
$9,000,000

Enviromental Litigation

Jory Ruggiero acted as lead attorney in a case that resulted in $9+ million in settlements against various polluters in a town in Eastern Montana.
$4,500,000

Enviromental Litigation

In recoveries relating to an insurer’s refusal to pay for clean-up costs associated with a gasoline spill on the Yellowstone River.
$4,000,000

Insurance Bad Faith

In recoveries relating to an insurer’s breach of its disability insurance policy and violations of Montana’s insurance bad faith statutes.
$5,320,000

Class Action

In amounts paid and benefits conferred in a fully adjudicated class action where Western Justice Associates obtained injunctive relief for over 100,000 Montana citizens.
Confidential Settlement

Enviromental Litigation

Significant settlement to private property owners for damage to a working ranch from coal strip mining in eastern Montana.
Millions of Dollars

Enviromental Litigation

Western Justice Associates served as counsel representing dozens of class members, including Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Montana University System, over negligent management of a dam that resulted in property damage to shoreline along Flathead Lake.
$2,500,000

Insurance Bad Faith

In recoveries to a civil engineering firm whose insurance company failed to provide coverage after an unforeseen incident caused damage to a project.
$2,500,000

Personal Injury

In recoveries for a client hurt when he was struck by a homemade firework.

Reasons for Life Insurance Claim Disputes in Bozeman, MT

In addition to issues with disability insurance companies, we also handle life insurance claim disputes.

We do this because, just as disability coverage is supposed to be there for you when you suffer an unexpected loss of ability, life insurance works much the same after a family member’s unexpected, premature death.

Claim issues our clients often encounter when dealing with life insurance companies that can necessitate our legal team getting involved include:

Policy effectiveness: There may be a waiting period that a decedent needs to survive before their policy would go into effect. If an insurer is telling you that your loved one wasn’t yet covered, getting an attorney involved to verify that information may be necessary.
Beneficiary designations: Insurers can expose themselves to legal liability if they turn over funds to the wrong beneficiary. Thus, they may deny a payout on these grounds. However, if they deny payment despite receiving documentation that supports that the right beneficiary is requesting the insurance proceeds on the right grounds, this may constitute a bad faith insurance practice.
Disqualifying events: Life insurance companies will often deny claims on the grounds that they learned that the decedent provided deceptive or erroneous information when securing their policy. These types of allegations are particularly challenging to resolve and often necessitate a lawyer’s intervention to address them.

Getting Help With Disability Insurance Claim Issues

As you’ve likely seen in reading this page, acting in a deceptive, unfair, and unlawful way isn’t beyond insurers. It doesn’t matter to them if their actions cause you to not be able to make ends meet, incur added costs, or add to your stress.

All they care about is keeping their expenditure low and profits high.

If you’re convinced your insurer has improperly handled your disability or life insurance claim, let’s talk. Your initial consultation with legal counsel here at Western Justice Associates, PLLC is complimentary.

During that meeting, you can expect our experienced bad faith legal team to ask questions about efforts you’ve made to resolve your differences with your insurer and, if you appear to have a valid case, discuss strategies you can employ to receive the benefits you’re entitled to. Contact us for a free case review now.