I found your website while trying to find a number for Prudential Financial. It is SO SAD that they can get away with such travesties.
I am only 38 and got sick 4 yrs ago. I, too, qualified for the ST Disab and had applied for the LT Disab status early on at my physicians' urgence. They waited over 2 months after my ST status was up & finally denied which caused me to lose my job completely at Reuters!
I hired an attorney, was approved for medicaid & medicare disability and subsequently Prudential did approve it. The attorney said they always wait to see if Med & Disab will be paid by the Govt first so they can offset that $ amount & be able to pay less.
HOWEVER, after they finally approved it, back paid me for that missed time, and I lost my job, they informe my attorney & I that they were ending it due to a loophole clause in their policy regarding mental health not being an eligible cause after 2 yrs of benefits are paid. My health problems were NOT due to mental health, they were severe in PHYSICAL natures but a natural course of depression hit me after losing my career, my health, my financial means, my LIFE so they capitalized upon that as an OUT.
They spent a few years arguing the physicians' reports, labwork, & statements and I found out that the Pru employee who denied the claim based on all of that had no medical background at all yet she admitted to be the SOLE person to decide the validity of my illnesses.
Then they came up with the depression loophole to which my physicians sent proof that I was no longer having that problem. Since I was able to get some income back, get some medical help finally and start to get the non-medical portion of my life back on track I was only left to be treated for the PHYSICAL portions of my illnesses. But once again, they seemed to have found yet another excuse.
The latest I heard from my attorney is that they feel I am Doctor Shopping since I have been to see many different specialists in different areas (previously they said there wsa insufficient medical documentation of my illnesses). I live in a small town now so it is necessary to go elsewhere for specialists, hospitals, etc.
I had obtained the services of a larger Chicago disability attorney firm after the problem was initially resolved and they came back with the loophole issue. Sadly these attorneys have been dragging it out for over 1 1/2 yrs and are giving me a multitude of excuses on what the problems are. Unfortunately my financial agreement with that firm was contingent on how much money we recovered on a backpay basis so the longer it takes the more they make... I was desperate & gullible to trust that arrangement.
Can anyone help me? What can I do? If nothing else, at least post this out there so that others know that they are NOT ALONE.
Thanks a lot,
Sick & Waiting!!!
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