Hartford Denial: Why It Happens and How To Fix It
Founded in 1810 as a fire insurance start-up, the Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. has come a long way since its inception. It’s now one of the most prominent insurance and investment enterprises in the United States.
The company specializes in helping customers file their insurance claims, receive employee benefits, get auto insurance, and more. One of Hartford’s main services is selling long-term disability plans. Purchasing the LTD plan allows you to receive up to 50–70% coverage in your pre-disability earnings, depending on the terms of your insurance policy.
When Hartford denies your insurance claim, the company also terminates your benefits. Aside from filing your initial claim, you must now handle the appeal for claiming your long-term disability benefits. With that in mind, let’s discuss why The Hartford might deny your claim and what you can do to get the benefits you deserve.
Reasons The Hartford might deny your claim
Though lots of people trust this billion-dollar insurance company, getting a Hartford denial for disability claims is a common occurrence. Why? Because they want to cut the cost of such claims and minimize company exposure to the negative publicity that such claims raise.
Because of that, the company has the staff, tools, and extensive resources to review every claim they receive, spot any weaknesses, and then exploit those weaknesses by using them as justified reasons to deny insurance claims.
Here are the main factors that might influence the company’s decision to deny your claim.
1. Your claim doesn’t meet the company policy’s disability definition
If your medical evidence and records don’t match the definition of disability in your insurance policy, the company might deny your claim. The evidence you provide must meet the company’s disability requirements to receive approval for long-term disability benefits.
Big insurance companies typically include confusing terminology and policy requirements that are hard to understand. The first step toward filing a claim denial appeal is understanding your policy’s definition of disability. This knowledge can help you gather substantial evidence to counter the company’s decision.
2. Insufficient evidence
Submitting your medical records alone isn’t enough to win the case and claim your insurance. You must prove your disability and meet all the requirements in your insurance policy to finally claim your disability benefits.
Reinforce your appeal by providing even the tiniest shred of evidence you can get your hands on. Aside from your incident report and medical records, seek further medical expertise and evaluations, consult with disability experts, and get every paper related to your disability case.
3. Social media investigation
Big insurance companies like Hartford may check your social media profiles to investigate your activity and find any proof they could use to deny your LTD claim. If your social media content speaks volumes about your disability, you have a better chance of winning your claim.
However, if you post vacation pictures on your social media, your disability may not appear as impairing as it should be in the eyes of the insurance company.
4. You didn’t pass the company evaluation
In addition to video surveillance, Hartford may hire internal medical specialists to evaluate you and assess your disability. However, these evaluations may endanger your claim as these experts are prone to conducting unfair assessments and making decisions in the company’s favor. You can fight their medical evaluations by seeking a second opinion from external vocational and medical experts.
5. You haven’t provided financial and medical records promptly
Every Hartford disability insurance plan has a “Notice” or “Proof of Claim” clause that dictates the deadline for submitting the required medical and financial records. Missing this deadline may result in a Hartford denial.
How to fix Hartford’s Denial
If Hartford denied your disability claim, you can solve this problem by building a solid case to counter the company’s reasons for denial.
Here’s what you can do:
- Consult your denial letter and reevaluate your initial claim. Start building your appeal based on the reasons for the claim denial in the company letter. In addition, inspect your initial claim to spot any errors and mitigate them accordingly. Each statement you made in your initial claim may serve as proof against you.
- Seek additional expertise and gather more evidence – the additional evaluations and evidence you gather from reputable medical examiners and experts, the easier it will be to win your case. We recommend including vocational, cognitive, and physical assessments as evidence to support your medical claims and reinforce your appeal.
- Request a physician report – your treating physician has a lot of merit in insurance appeals. A written report from your doctor might benefit your appeal in various ways. For example, it could shed new light on your condition that the official documentation and medical records didn’t cover in the initial claim. Such details could bring new evidence to light, helping you win your appeal. You can also back up your additional medical reports with statements from your loved ones, medical personnel, friends, and coworkers to add social proof to your claim.
- Hire professional help – legal assistance can help you navigate the murky waters of Hartford denials. Legal professionals have the expertise, knowledge, and experience to help you manage all the complexities surrounding your Hartford denial and instruct you on how to submit your appeal.
Conclusion
If Hartford has denied your insurance claim, don’t despair. Though facing a Hartford denial can be frustrating and stressful, you can do something about it. More importantly, you don’t have to face it alone. As complex as it may appear, filing an appeal to counter a Hartford denial is a reality. However, getting there takes time, effort, and preparation.
First, you need to go over your initial claim to ascertain whether you made any generalization errors by using terminology that could be used to counter your statements. Then, inspect the denial letter and highlight why the company has decided to deny your claim. Start gathering evidence and medical reports to back your claim and build an appeal. Consider all the reasons and fixes mentioned here to reinforce your efforts.
