I hope by writing this I can release some stress that has been building up for months. It occurred to me, that perhaps I am not the only one that is being pushed around by liberty mutual.
My husband suffered a major stroke Oct. 07. Although that in itself can cause stress on a family, we have made it through the worst of the medical part and he is doing well. He will never be able to work again or even drive a car, but I count my blessings that the stroke did not take his life. When Liberty Mutual Long-Term Disability sent the first forms in Feb. 08 that is when the stress X 100 began. Please read on. This is how my world has been the last six months and counting.
*Feb. 08 - Received 'Disability Claim Form'. Thirteen pages of required information from High school to present. Seven of them were signed to authorize Dr. Reports to be released. I mailed forms back within 5 days.
*Mar. 08 - Received call from husband's employer. H.R. Person informs us that Liberty Mutual states our phone is disconnected and that there has been no response from us. We have had the same listed phone number for twenty-six years. I called the Senior Disability Case Manager II, Ann Belmonte. Her office has not received forms. I have 24 hours to get them to her desk. I faxed them immediately. I had made copies of the first set.
*Apr. 08 - Received 'Claim Information Forms'. I wanted everything to run as smooth as possible for my husband so I fill out another seven pages. This time I sent them Certified Mail.'Thank god I did'.
*May 08 - Liberty Mutual informs us they have not received those forms. Benefits will be suspended May 16 if there is no response. Again, I call Ann Belmonte. I tell her I sent them by certified mail and I have the receipt in my hand. She says she will look for them and call me right back. Fifteen minutes later, she calls and says she found them. She goes on to say that, she handles two other claims with the same name as my husband. The forms were in one of their files.
*July 08 - Received letter from Liberty Mutual. Benefits will be suspended if Dr. Xxx's office doesn't respond with reports. I go to doctor's office and show them the letter. The staff said they did send reports in June but they will send again.
*Aug. 08 - Liberty Mutual states they still have not received any response from Dr. Xxx office. I went to the office again and asked to see the confirmation cover letter. There it is in black and white; on June 24, the reports were sent.
*Sept. 08 - Liberty Mutual says they still have not had any response from Dr. Xxx office. They also write that my phone number is disconnected. My stress level is way up now! I call Ann Belmonte again to tell her my phone has NEVER been disconnected in 26 years, and I was at the office when the reports were faxed a third time. Ms. Belmonte then states, "Oh they're on my desk now". I then ask if there is anything else needed to start this claim. Ms. Belmonte states, "No, everything is fine". She goes on to say that, our first check should come in November. I wanted to shout out "No everything is not fine". I'm having trouble sleeping. My nerves are shot. For the past month, I have had a nagging headache. I must admit I'm ready to make my own doctors appt. Just to head off a heart attack or something worse.
I pray the money starts coming in, but based on Ms. Belmontes' track record, I feel more of these same types of delays will continue. She is a representative of Liberty Mutual and I believe the tactics used to intentionally create situations to make people miss their deadlines, is approved by the company.
Now, the company adds insult to injury with their "The Responsibility Project" blog. I found this yesterday on the internet and got sick to my stomach. They don't have a clue about the lives they damage, they are out for PROFIT and that is all that matters. Have they heard the buzz word "Transparency"?
Probably not. They're too busy adding more delay tactics to their list.
At this point in time, we are a month behind in our bills. If it was not for a family member helping us pay some monthly bills, I think I might have had a breakdown. So now, we wait for Liberty Mutual to make good on claim. We would love to hear from anyone that has had the same problems with Liberty Mutual LTD.
Gail
Fairfield, California
U.S.A.
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