I worked for a company, this hospital for 20 years. As one of the benefits, there was an insurance to pay for long term disability should you become disabled. I became a member of this insurance as added security, to assist with mortgage payments, auto loan etc.
I worked as a R.N.in O.B. Unit for 30 yrs. Which is very physical and demanding. I suffered an injury to both knees and developed severe osteo-arthritis of both knees, worn cartillage and meniscus and severe osteo-arthritis of lower spine, and right hip.
My Dr. Used conservative measures. I had laproscopic surgery on one knee (lt) physical therapy and approx. 6 mths. Later I had the same surgery on the rt. Knee followed by the same physical therapy. I was injected with cortisone every 6 mths and I continued to work except the time off for surgery on my knees.
The Dr. Gave me a choice of having both replaced and in approx. 10 years I would have to have the surgery repeated because of my age. The surgery is normally done on pts. That are 65 years old and older. Dr. Told me that, because of my age and the type of work I was doing he would not perform this major surgery.
Dr. Said that I could not sit for a long period of time due to the advancing bone disease of the rt hip was changing my gait and furthur damaging both knees I was becoming a risk that my knees could give out and I would fall and could cause my hip to dislocate and I could drop a baby or a could cause harm to a pt if I had to lift and the knees failed.
I was taken off work and put on disability. I filed a claim with Standard Insurance for long term disability. When they decided to pay, my mortgage was forclosed, my cars was repossed my family lost everything.
Standard Insurance paid for 2 years, and after 2 years the insurance company said I could work as a unit secretay, that I could review charts in case management or work as a school nurse.
All of these positions require walking sitting and lifting computers. The school nurse requires a B.S. Degree which I do not have. My training was 30 years of labor and delivery and mother baby care.
When the insurance was issued, it didn't state you had to change careers should you become or to work as a unit secretary when I had my nursing degree for R.N.
I did make a report to the insurance commissioner's office John Garamendi to no avail. I had an attorney working this case but he was fresh out of law school and did not help either. He held my case to long and did nothing to help.
I also had another insurance thru Cigna of Dallas Texas for the same thing long term disability from the other job that I had for 5 years thru another hospital. This insurance I did not want but I was told, from human resource, that I had to subscribe to this. Basically I got a duplicate of the same denial letter from Standard insurance, again John Garamendi's office was notified and again nothing was done.
I want others to be aware of both of these insurance's and their tactics. You are on your own dont become a member, they can't be trusted.
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