Success with Standard
Bartolic Law has helped clients get their long-term disability and life insurance claims paid by Standard. In one case, a highly compensated client suffered from numerous spinal disorders, resulting in an inability to sit and stand as much as required for full-time work. Standard asserted the client’s work schedule was below that required for the position, and based a denial on the condition not worsening since the client stopped working. We demonstrated numerous problems in both the medical and vocational review and successfully got the client’s claim in pay status, allowing the client to live with financial dignity. In a life insurance case, Standard denied payment to our client, asserting the client’s spouse lost life insurance coverage after leaving employment. We were able to retroactively demonstrate the insured qualified for premiums waived due to disability, and retained coverage. It did not spare our client the grieving, but it helped the client live more comfortably under the circumstances.
Standard Insurance Company
Standard Insurance Company is its formal name, but it markets itself as The Standard. Standard provides group long-term disability insurance policies to many private and public employers. It is also one of the few insurers underwriting individual disability insurance and supplemental disability insurance marketed to high-income service professionals through a network of brokers. Standard often bundles its group disability policies with group life insurance policies and accidental death insurance policies. Standard’s group long-term disability policies are usually enforced under ERISA § 502(a), but it underwrites many city and state employees’ plans as well. Those plans are generally not governed by ERISA, but Standard applies the ERISA regulations to its process even when not applicable to use a single claim processing procedure. Whether your benefits are subject to ERISA or not, a well-versed ERISA long-term disability lawyer can better help you through the process.
Many long-term disability insurance policies have monthly benefit maximums ranging from $10,000–$20,000. Standard offers additional insurance for highly compensated employees, like C-level executives, Senior Vice Presidents, lawyers, accountants, and even doctors. It does so under the “Guaranteed Standard Issue” product.
When you combine multiple insurance policies with one insurer, you increase your coverage, but do not diversity your risk. If that one insurer decides to deny a claim, all your income protection may be at risk. If you have a supplemental policy with the same insurer as your base policy, it may make sense to get guidance before making a claim.
