Applying for Pennsylvania disability benefits comes with a variety of obstacles, one of which involves bad faith insurance tactics that are used to deny or delay your disability claim. This can leave you without the disability benefits you need for a prolonged period of time. Medical expenses and other bills can add up if you cannot work the same hours or if you cannot work at all. However, you can fight back with the help of a Pennsylvania disability lawyer through the appeals process. Recognizing and identifying different bad faith tactics can also be vastly helpful.
There are several types of bad faith insurance tactics to look out for when it comes to disability insurance programs. Whether you are applying for government or private disability insurance, these tactics and mistakes can slip into the disability claims review process. This can prevent you from receiving the financial assistance you need.
Pennsylvania deems bad faith insurance to be any kind of unfounded refusal of payment for a policy that is dishonest or manipulative with the intent to adhere to one’s own self-interests. In other words, any kind of dishonesty used by an insurance company to deny your claim for the insurance company’s own personal gain is considered bad faith practice. Bad faith can come in many forms:
If you come across any of these tactics, then be sure to reach out to a disability attorney for legal advice. You might have the option to sue for legal fees, punitive damages, and consequential damages.
When you are seeking disability benefits through the Social Security Administration (SSA), you have the option to go through their Pennsylvania disability claim appeals process if you believe your claim was wrongfully denied. This may or may not involve multiple steps that start with reconsideration, a hearing by an administrative law judge, a request for review by the appeals council, and a federal court review.
Your appeals might end and be successful at the reconsideration stage or the hearing by an administrative law judge stage. In either case, you will want to adequately prepare your reasons for seeking an appeal. This means you will want evidence and arguments to defend your need for disability benefits. An experienced disability lawyer might be able to help you with that.
Fighting back against bad faith disability insurance can be overwhelming, especially if the appeals process enters the later stages. Do not hesitate to seek guidance from a Pennsylvania bad faith claims lawyer to explore your legal options. Call Edelstein & Nelson at 800-887-4529 today for a consultation. One of our bad faith lawyers in Pennsylvania can help you build up the evidence you need for a strong defense.