Does Cancer Qualify For Long Term Disability Insurance Benefits?

Attorneys Gregory Dell and Stephen Jessup discuss disability claims related to the diagnosis of cancer. Disability insurance companies will not dispute the diagnosis. However, disability insurance companies may dispute how your diagnosis impacts your ability to work. If you worked, or continue working despite cancer, the insurance company will question what changed to justify disability benefits. If you are treating with an oncologist, for example, it may be stated that you are in remission or are doing “well”. This is often taken out of context by insurance companies. That doesn’t mean you don’t have symptoms or no longer have cancer. Sharing all of your symptoms with all of your doctors is crucial to getting your disability benefits. You may have associated depression, anxiety, fatigue, or cognitive limitations. Ensure you tell your doctors about all your conditions and symptoms.


The medical records and what is contained in the claim file is what insurance companies use to award or deny disability benefits. Don’t be afraid to explain to your doctors why your condition and symptoms limit your ability to work. Your doctors may not be focused on your disability claim. Your doctors are treating you to improve your health. However, having your doctors provide documentation to support why you cannot work is necessary so explain in detail your physical and mental job demands and why you cannot reliably work on a sustained basis.


00:00 – Cancer Long Term Disability Insurance Claim Tips

01:41 – The most common cancer disability insurance denials occur when a claimant is in remission.

03:59 – Claimants with cancer often experience cognitive difficulties secondary to medications or chemo-treatments which prevents them from returning to work. The cognitive difficulties must be proven.

05:52 – Ongoing treatment and strong medical documentation is required in order to prevent a disability claim denial.

08:37 – You always need to prove that any disabling anxiety or depression symptoms are secondary to the cancer diagnosis.


For an immediate free consultation with one of our nationwide disability insurance lawyers please 📞 call 888-292-8481 or 💻 email https://www.diattorney.com/contact/?referrer=yt. We do not charge any fees or costs unless we are able to recover benefits. No office visit is necessary.

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  Insurance and Cancer