Psychiatrists devote their days to the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental health disorders. Their work makes a difference in the lives of patients and their loved ones and enables people to live healthier lives. When a psychiatrist is injured or becomes ill and faces the possibility of long-term disability, they aren’t the only people affected. Their families, patients, and communities also feel the impact.
Capitan Law recognizes the challenges psychiatrists go through due to medical expenses, loss of income, and the other costs associated with having a long-term disability. We’re proud to serve as long-term disability insurance attorneys for psychiatrists in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Upholding your rights and securing the disability benefits you deserve are our sole focus. Our understanding of the complex processes associated with disability insurance makes us the trusted legal team for clients across the spectrum of professions.
Contact us today at (267) 419-7888 or reach out online for a free consultation. We’re eager to provide legal assistance to help you get the benefits you’re owed while focusing on your health.
Understanding Long-Term Disability Insurance
Long-term disability insurance (LTD) provides financial security for individuals who have experienced a serious injury, illness, or other medical condition that makes it impossible for them to work. It differs from short-term disability insurance in that coverage extends for a longer period due to the nature of the disability.
Short-term disability typically covers a period of several weeks to several months following an injury or illness. Coverage typically ends once you’ve recovered. However, some conditions require a longer recovery or are permanent, and this is where LTD comes in. It provides benefits for an extended timeframe, sometimes for the rest of your life. These benefits vary depending on the policy, although certain types of coverage are common.
Chief among these is income replacement. Since a long-term disability prevents you from working, LTD’s primary benefit is to replace the income you’re missing out on. It doesn’t fully replace your income, but 50 to 80 percent coverage is typical.
Most LTD policies will also waive your regular premium payments once you’re collecting benefits. Some policies provide annual adjustments to your benefits to account for changes in the cost of living due to inflation. The specific benefits you’re eligible to receive depend on your policy.
Common Disabling Health Conditions Among Psychiatrists
The nature of their work exposes psychiatrists to some unique threats that can result in long-term disability. Because they work with patients experiencing mental health challenges, psychiatrists are susceptible to sudden, violent attacks. In fact, psychiatrists and their technicians and aides experience workplace violence at much higher rates than individuals in other professions.
Professionals may need to access long-term disability benefits for psychiatrists because the day-to-day exposure to patients’ emotional trauma can take a toll on their own mental health. Additionally, the work of psychiatrists involves a lot of time spent sitting down. Sedentary roles come with a heightened risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. All of these conditions can make it more difficult to work.
How Does Long-Term Disability Insurance Differ from Workers’ Compensation?
While LTD and workers’ compensation both provide critical financial assistance to those who are unable to work, they have some significant differences:
- The Origin of the Disability — Workers’ comp covers injuries suffered on the job, whereas LTD covers disabilities that don’t necessarily have any connection with your work.
- How Much You’re Paid — LTD pays benefits to replace roughly half of your income or more. Workers’ comp payments vary from one state to the next.
- Who Pays for the Coverage — Employers are generally required to carry workers’ comp coverage, for which they pay premiums. You don’t have to pay anything to receive benefits. LTD may be an employer-provided benefit or a policy you purchase on your own.
- How Long Your Coverage Lasts — Workers’ comp varies in its duration but can be accessed for short-term as well as long-term illnesses or injuries. LTD is specifically for injuries or conditions with an extended duration.
Navigating the steps associated with applying for and collecting LTD benefits can be challenging. Your team of long-term disability attorneys for psychiatrists can guide you through the process.
What Obstacles Might Prevent Psychiatrists from Accessing LTD Benefits?
Psychiatrists dealing with severe illness or injury are entitled to the LTD benefits they or their employers have paid for. Unfortunately, the insurance companies who offer these policies have an interest in paying out as little as they can. If you’ve been paying a premium for LTD and have suffered an injury, an experienced long-term disability attorney can help you access the benefit payments you deserve.
Insurance companies may set a number of roadblocks in your path. The biggest one is that they may deny your claim. They may do this on the basis of insufficient evidence or errors in your paperwork. They might even come back and say they’re refusing your claim because they think you can still do your job.
Depending on the terms of your policy, your insurer might reject your claim because you have a pre-existing condition they believe caused your disability. Your policy could also have exclusions for some mental health conditions.
One of the most challenging aspects of dealing with LTD insurance providers is having to make sense of the language of your policy. Policies also change over time, including the ways in which insurers define the concept of disability itself. As attorneys, we have experience with complex legal terminology and can explain in clear language what your policy does and does not cover.
Our Attorneys Can Help You Access Long Term Disability Benefits for Psychiatrists
Nothing produces stress and anxiety quite like learning your insurance company has rejected your long-term disability claim. When you contact Capitan Law, our long-term disability insurance attorneys for psychiatrists will listen to your story, review your legal options with you, and discuss possible next steps. Since we focus exclusively on LTD cases, we understand the nuances of this legal realm. We’re prepared to provide the attentive legal assistance you need to move forward. Contact us online or call (267) 419-7888 to discuss your situation in a free case review.
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