Bartolic Law helped many Network Engineers, and other IT Support Professionals, get their long-term disability benefits paid. In one case, our client suffered from Parkinson’s Disease, and worked a demanding job as a Network Engineer. When the client’s stiffness in arms and hand tremors increased, the client struggled to keep up with project assignments. Even a work-from-home arrangement did not help, because the symptoms affected the client’s ability to spend the required number of hours working on a computer. The worse the symptoms got, the greater the client’s level of fatigue, too. The same insurance company insured short-term disability and long-term disability benefits. Despite initially finding the client disabled on short-term disability, the insurer terminated the benefits, contending the condition improved. Parkinson’s Disease, however, never improves, as it is chronic and progressive. We carefully collected years of medical treatment records and demonstrated how the repeated references to rigidity and tremors, coupled with the type of tremor, made it impossible to consistently work on a keyboard. Ultimately, the insurer agreed our client was disabled and paid the claim.Â
Most businesses – and even some households – rely on complicated networks for their computers and other technology. Behind every good network is a network engineer, and these professionals learn and train to do the best possible job in this profession. There is a strong demand for quality network engineers, who must be sharp, have strong problem-solving skills, and a thorough understanding of technology. While you might have spent your career thus far designing, setting up, or maintaining networks, your career path can be quickly derailed by many types of disabilities.
Conditions that cause either physical or mental disabilities can prevent you from working as a network engineer, which means you lose the source of income and career trajectory that you worked so hard to get. In this situation, what are your options to stay afloat? If you have disability insurance, you should file a claim for benefits as soon as possible. While you might expect your insurer to immediately acknowledge your disability and start issuing benefits, this rarely happens. Instead, your insurance company will likely challenge your claim in different ways, dragging out the process or even resulting in a claim denial.
Network Engineers and IT Support occupations have a higher than average turnover rate because of the ramp up in occupational demands after 3–6 months. Employers typically keep the professionals working at a low pace the first 3–6 months while familiarizing them to the new network, and then dramatically increase the number of projects. The high turnover rate in these occupations also creates numerous problems with pre-existing condition exclusions. Those exclusions will cause a long-term disability claim to be denied if you go on disability in the first 12 months of obtaining coverage under that policy, and had any treatment or symptoms in the 3 months prior to obtaining coverage. For high-turnover occupations, this essentially means if you cannot work with your illness for at least 12 months, you may have trouble ever being covered. If you are facing a difficult disability claim or received a denial, do not wait to seek help from a Chicago disability insurance lawyer from Bartolic Law. We regularly assist people in your situations, so please contact‌ ‌us‌ as soon as you can.