The Basics of an ERISA Life, Health and Disability Insurance Claim – Part Three: Procedural and Practical Considerations to an ERISA Claim
April 22, 2019 McKennon Law Group PCIn this several part Blog Series entitled The Basics of an ERISA Life, Health and Disability Insurance Claim, we discuss the basics of an ERISA life, health, accidental death and dismemberment and disability claim, from navigating a claim, handling a claim denial and through preparing a case for litigation. In Part Three of this Series, we discuss procedural considerations to an ERISA claim, as well as deadlines and timeframes to carefully monitor.
When first reviewing a potential ERISA matter, it is crucial to first determine the procedural history of your client’s claim and whether there have been any denials. Most denial letters in ERISA cases set forth specific deadlines to respond to an appeal. In fact, the Department of …
“Own Occupation” Duties in a Long-Term Disability Policy Governed by ERISA: Does a Court Consider Those that Relate to One’s Actual Job or as Performed in the National Economy?
April 12, 2019 McKennon Law Group PC“Own Occupation” Duties in a Long-Term Disability Policy Governed by ERISA: Does a Court Consider Those that Relate to One’s Actual Job or as Performed in the National Economy?
Sometimes a legal dispute comes down to the simple interpretation of the meaning of two words. In the case of Christopher Patterson v. Aetna Life Insurance Company, 2019 WL 479209 (3d Cir. February 7, 2019) is such a case. There, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld summary judgment in favor of the plaintiff, ruling that, as used in plaintiff’s long-term disability policy underwritten by Aetna under ERISA, the plain meaning of “own occupation” is the job duties related to one’s actual job, as opposed to some generalized “national economy” definition …
The Basics of an ERISA Life, Health and Disability Insurance Claim – Part Two: Plan and Claims Administrators
April 01, 2019 McKennon Law Group PCIn this several part Blog Series entitled The Basics of an ERISA Life, Health and Disability Insurance Claim, we discuss the basics of an ERISA life, health and disability claim, from navigating a claim, handling a claim denial and through preparing a case for litigation. In Part Two of this Series, we discuss the roles of various Administrators, the administrative record and the laws requiring Administrators to provide their records to a claimant.
Two different entities manage an ERISA plan, the Plan Administrator and the Claims Administrator. Often times, the two roles are performed by different entities. The Plan Administrator manages and sponsors the plan and must ensure that the plan complies with applicable regulations. The Plan Administrator is …
Ten Things to Consider and Look For in Your ERISA Life and/or Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance Plans When Selecting Benefits or You Want to File a Claim
March 18, 2019 McKennon Law Group PC1. Obtain a full copy of your plan. The full plan will not typically be a benefit summary or a print-out from a website. It will be fairly long and many definitions and it will recite your ERISA plan terms, policies and procedures for filing a life insurance or AD&D claim and handling the claim, claim denials, appeals of claim denials, etc. The claims administrator will likely not have a copy of the full plan. You can request a copy of the full plan from your Employer’s Human Resources department or often from the claims administrator (the insurer or third-party administrator).
2. Read the plan. Your plan document controls the rights and obligations of the parties, including all plan participants …
Ten Things to Consider and Look For in Your ERISA Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Plans When Selecting Benefits or You Want to File a Claim
February 28, 2019 McKennon Law Group PC1. Obtain a full copy of your plan and administrative record. The full plan will not typically be a benefit summary or a print-out from a website. It will be fairly long and many definitions and it will recite your ERISA plan terms, policies and procedures for filing a claim and handling the claim, claim denials, appeals of claim denials, etc. The claims administrator will likely not have a copy of the full plan. You can request a copy of the full plan from your Employer’s Human Resources department or often from the claims administrator (the insurer or third-party administrator). You can request a copy of the administrative record from the claims administrator, which is often an insurance company such …
Robert J. McKennon Recognized as 2019 "Super Lawyer – Insurance Coverage"
February 13, 2019 McKennon Law Group PCMcKennon Law Group PC is proud to announce that its founding shareholder Robert J. McKennon has been recognized as one of Southern California’s “Super Lawyers” and appears in the 2019 edition of Southern California Super Lawyers magazine published in January 2019. Mr. McKennon has received this prestigious designation every year since 2011. Mr. McKennon was voted by his peers for this award and he was recognized for his excellence in representing his clients as an insurance claims denial attorney, especially with respect to his work representing life, health and disability policyholder clients. Each year, Super Lawyers magazine, which is published in all 50 states and reaches more than 14 million readers, names attorneys in each state who attain a high …
USA Today Publishes Article—Why millennials should consider disability insurance
February 08, 2019 McKennon Law Group PCOn January 29, 2019, USA Today published an article, “Why millennials should consider disability insurance,” by Robert Powell. The article argues for the importance of purchasing disability insurance at a young age, since most insureds are left with the financial strain of not having a stable income stream after disability. These insureds often never consider purchasing disability insurance, or think they have enough coverage. At McKennon Law Group PC, we see the impact of the denials of our client’s benefits every day, and fight to overturn the denial decisions of insurance claims our clients expected insurance companies to pay upon becoming disabled. As we have seen, purchasing additional private disability insurance can prove to be crucial.
The article describes how …
Breach of Fiduciary Duty under ERISA: Ninth Circuit Clarifies That Mere Disclosure of Plan Documents Is Insufficient “Actual Knowledge” to Trigger Statute of Limitations
January 23, 2019 McKennon Law Group PCIn pension and savings plan cases, it can often take several years before an employee realizes that there has been a breach of fiduciary duty. Typically, an employee’s financial loss triggers an investigation that later reveals the facts of the breach. But how long does an employee have to bring a claim in court? The answer depends on the employee’s “actual knowledge” of the facts of the breach or violation. There is a conflict among federal circuit courts of appeal on whether an employee should be deemed to have knowledge of 401(k) prospectuses and fund information simply because the employer makes this information available to the employee. In a recent decision by the Ninth Circuit, Sulyma v. Intel Corp. Investment …
Court Says the Development of a Disabling Condition after Surgery for an Unrelated Condition Does Not Preclude Recovery of ERISA Disability Benefits under Pre-Existing Condition Exclusion
January 16, 2019 McKennon Law Group PCInsurance companies often seek to exclude insureds from coverage through their long-term disability (“LTD”) plans by asserting the pre-existing condition exclusion. If an applicant for LTD benefits has a non-disabling condition or becomes disabled as a result of a condition that developed after corrective surgery for an unrelated condition, is the applicant excluded from receiving benefits? In a plaintiff-friendly decision, Hines v. Unum Life Ins. Co. of Am., 2018 WL 6599404 (N.D. Ohio Dec. 17, 2018), the court held that the plaintiff-disability claimant could not be excluded from coverage due to a vision disability on either the basis that she had received a diagnosis for a non-disabling condition before she became disabled or that she had developed a new …
Discovery Disputes in ERISA Breach of Fiduciary Duty Cases: Do the Usual Limitations Apply?
December 27, 2018 McKennon Law Group PCDiscovery Disputes in ERISA Breach of Fiduciary Duty Cases: Do the Usual Limitations Apply?
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) manages many of the benefits people receive from their employers. These benefits include short-term and long-term disability insurance, health insurance, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance and pension plans. When a claim under an ERISA plan is denied, the beneficiary usually must file an administrative appeal with the Claims Administrator for the benefits. If, after filing an administrative appeal, the Claims Administrator still denies the claim, the beneficiary may sue the Claims Administrator to obtain the benefits in question. ERISA claims differ from more traditional law suits. A judge, not a jury, determines whether the beneficiary …
