Professional Athletes Information From Disability Lawyers
The city of brotherly love is undoubtedly home to many professional athletes. With the high risk of injuries in sports, it is important that all of these athletes have disability insurance in place. Disability insurance provides financial protection to athletes in the event that they are injured in an accident and left unable to continue playing their sport.
The unfortunate truth is that filing a claim for disability insurance can be incredibly complicated. If you find yourself needing to do so, you will benefit greatly from seeking help from a professional athlete disability insurance lawyer.
Our experienced attorneys at Edelstein Martin & Nelson specialize in representing professional athletes across the country on disability insurance claims. Whether you need assistance with finding coverage, filing a disability insurance claim, or appealing a denial or a wrong decision, you can depend on our dedicated legal team to help you throughout the legal process. Contact our law firm today for a free consultation to get started.
Common Injuries That Professional Athletes Experience
Being involved in a sporting accident can have a devastating impact on your life. In many cases, injured parties have to go through extensive medical treatment for the injuries they suffered.
When it comes to professional career athletes, taking time off work to heal from an injury can have a significant impact on their income and their life. Unfortunately, there are several types of injuries that professional athletes suffer from as a result of accidents. Some of the most common include:
- Sprains and strains
- Fractures
- Shin splints
- Plantar fasciitis
- Dislocations
- Tennis elbow/golfer’s elbow
- Rotator cuff injuries
- Herniated disks
- Concussions
- ACL/MCL tears
When it comes to close contact sports, athletes run the risk of suffering severe and traumatic injuries, such as spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, or even death. Trying to overcome a painful injury can be incredibly challenging for anyone, and professional athletes are no different in that regard. Unfortunately, the physical and emotional consequences that injured athletes face are often compounded by the financial consequences that their accidents cause.
The Risk of Being a Professional Athlete
As a professional athlete, not being able to participate in games or competitions results in lost income. In some cases, this can be millions of dollars. Suffering an unexpected injury while working can happen at any time, causing catastrophic financial consequences for you and your family.
Although many athletes are under contract that guarantees a certain portion of income for a specific period of time, there is no way to determine what will happen after the contract expires. For this reason, it is important that you seek help to ensure you are able to get the disability benefits that you deserve to cover the loss of income that you could face from being unable to work. Seeking guidance from our national disability claims attorneys can help you better understand your legal options and ensure you are covered, no matter what event you face in the future.
Types of Insurance Coverage Available for Professional Athletes
A person with a professional sports career has a lot of insurance options available to help them. Some of the disability insurance policy options that are available include:
- Team Contract Completion Coverage
- Cost of Agents and Managers Insurance
- Team Stop Loss Coverage
- Athlete Insurance
- Athletes to be Drafted Insurance
- College Athlete Disability Insurance
- Athlete Loss of Value Coverage
- Image Protection Insurance
- Athlete Kidnap & Ransom Coverage
- Athlete Disability Coverage
- Loss of Endorsements Coverage
- Contractual Bonus Insurance
- Team Disability Coverage
- Athlete Loss of Future Earnings Insurance
- Professional Athlete Disability Insurance
Each type of insurance that is available is truly unique to the situation it covers. It is important that you understand the disability insurance policy options that you have and all of the coverage that is available to help you. In some cases, you may also be able to access Social Security Disability benefits after being injured as a result of a sports accident.
We highly recommend that you reach out to our disability insurance attorneys as soon as possible if you are a professional athlete seeking assistance pertaining to disability insurance. It is undeniable that disability insurance policies for professional athletes are unique and complex. Each type of policy has very different terms and conditions, so it can get complicated very fast.
What is Professional Athlete Accident Insurance for Death and Dismemberment?
This type of insurance provides coverage in the event of a catastrophic travel accident that could potentially harm or even cause the loss of life of an athlete or even their entire team. The insurance can be purchased either for the entire team or for specific players on the team. In the event of an accident resulting in dismemberment or death, accidental death and dismemberment insurance provides a lump sum payment to the beneficiaries identified by each professional athlete.
This type of insurance coverage can provide peace of mind for athletes and teams when traveling for games, competitions, or other events, knowing that they and their families are protected in the event of an unexpected tragedy. Having this kind of coverage helps to ensure the financial well-being of the professional athlete’s beneficiaries in the event that a catastrophic accident ultimately takes their life.
What is Athlete Permanent Total Disability Insurance?
Permanent total disability (PTD) insurance is a type of disability insurance coverage that provides financial protection to professional athletes in the event of a career-ending injury or illness.
When filing a claim with this type of insurance, a doctor is typically required to certify that the athlete’s injury or illness is permanent and career-ending before benefits become payable. Once the professional athlete is deemed permanently and totally disabled, the policy provides a lump-sum payment that can help cover expenses to maintain their lifestyle after they are no longer able to work.
What is Athlete Temporary Total Disability Insurance?
Temporary total disability (TTD) insurance is designed to provide protection to professional athletes or teams in the case that an athlete is temporarily unable to perform due to injury or illness, such as for a period of several weeks or even a full season.
This type of disability insurance coverage provides financial compensation to the athlete to alleviate the impact of lost wages. This is especially important when they are unable to play, as it allows them to focus on their recovery without worrying about a financial loss.
TTD insurance can also provide an important incentive for athletes to return to the field when they are fully recovered, knowing that they are protected financially in the event of a temporary disability. By purchasing this coverage, teams can mitigate the financial risk associated with a key player’s temporary inability to perform, helping to ensure their long-term success.
Beware of Insurance Company Tactics That Can Cost You
Professional sports career insurance policies may have specific exclusions, limitations, and definitions that can be incredibly challenging to understand for someone who is not familiar with the insurance industry, especially as it relates to professional athletes. For this reason, our national disability insurance lawyer at Edelstein Martin & Nelson can review the policy in question and advise you on the best course of action to take.
One example of something to be aware of is the pre-existing condition clause, which allows the insurance company to deny a claim if the athlete has a condition that existed prior to the policy’s effective date. Professional athletes may not be aware of this particular clause and could end up paying for a policy that won’t even provide coverage when they need it.
Another important clause in disability insurance policies for professional athletes to be aware of is the “own occupation” clause. This clause specifies that an athlete is considered disabled if they can no longer perform the duties of their specific occupation.
If a professional athlete is not aware of this necessity for this clause, the insurance company may try to deny their claim if the policy included an “any occupation provision”. The “any occupation provision” states that a person will be denied their insurance if they are able to perform any job after suffering an injury. For example, if a hockey player who works in the National Hockey League suffers an injury that prevents them from returning to the rank, the insurance company may try to deny them by claiming that they can be an assistant or a coach.
When insurance companies wrongfully deny injured professional athletes, they engage in what is known as an insurance bad faith act. It is imperative to have a knowledgeable disability lawyer on your side who can recognize when this has happened and help you to challenge the insurance company’s decision and protect your rights.
Unfortunately, it is all too common for insurance companies to deny professional athletes their disability insurance claims benefits after being harmed. However, with the help of our dedicated and experienced disability insurance lawyer, professional athletes can successfully challenge the denial and protect their right to the disability benefits they are entitled to.
Our national insurance disability lawyers are experienced in dealing with disability insurance policies for professional athletes. We have decades of experience handling insurance claims for our clients and will do everything in our power to make sure you are not taken advantage of by these self-serving insurance companies.
Our Team Can Make a Difference
Our disability insurance attorneys at Edelstein Martin & Nelson have a deep understanding of the insurance industry. We are fully committed to helping athletes navigate the complex legal process of filing disability claims. Our team will work closely with you throughout the entire legal process. Some of the services that our team at Edelstein Martin & Nelson will help you with include:
- Reviewing the professional athlete disability insurance policy information to determine the scope of coverage, exclusions, and limitations.
- Advising you on the appropriate medical documentation required to support your disability insurance claims.
- Preparing and submitting disability insurance claims to the insurance company on your behalf to ensure that you are in the best position to protect your legal rights and receive the benefits you are entitled to.
- Negotiating with the insurance company to ensure that you receive the maximum benefit allowed under the policy so you have the medical care and financial resources that you need during this difficult time.
- Representing you in litigation if the insurance company denies or disputes your claim.
- Advocating on your behalf to ensure your best interests are reflected throughout the disability insurance claim process.
We will help you gather all of the necessary documentation and evidence to support your disability claim. We will negotiate with the insurance company and be fierce legal advocates every step of the way. We are fully and deeply committed to helping you get the benefits and coverage that you rightfully deserve.
We Have Extensive Experience Handling Claims for Professional Sports Career Athletes
Over the years, our dedicated professional athlete disability insurance lawyers at Edelstein Martin & Nelson, LLP have helped countless professional athletes protect their legal rights after suffering debilitating injuries. Some of the claims we have handled have been for professional cyclists, boxers, and mixed martial artists. In addition, we have handled claims for:
- MLS soccer players
- NHL hockey players
- MLB baseball players
- NBA basketball players
- NFL football players
- USTA tennis players
- PGA golfers
- NASCAR drivers
You can depend on our dedicated nationwide legal team to help you with your health insurance claims, disability claims, or any necessary appeals. We will fight hard to ensure that you get the money that you need and deserve. We will fight for full benefits on your behalf, so you are able to get the medical treatment that you require and get back to doing what you love as soon as possible.
Contact Our Professional Athletes Disability Insurance Lawyers Today
Professional athletes face unique challenges when it comes to disability insurance, and it is important to have a lawyer who understands the complexities of these disability insurance policies. Our dedicated legal team at Edelstein Martin & Nelson, LLP is here to help. Our lawyers have a proven track record of success in representing professional athletes in disability insurance claims.
We are fully committed to working diligently on behalf of each professional athlete we represent in order to gather all necessary documentation and evidence, negotiate with the insurance company, and effectively advocate for them. With our help, athletes can secure the financial protection they need in the event of a disabling injury or illness. Let us help you protect your financial future so you can focus on recovering.