When you apply for long-term disability benefits, the insurance company will require proof of your disability. They will do an internal investigation into whether or not you initially qualify for benefits. These investigations will continue throughout the entirety of your claim, even if you have been receiving benefits for years. The insurance company can deny your disability claims for different reasons, including lack of medical evidence, failure to cooperate, and information obtained through background checks and even surveillance.
Beedem Law can review and investigate why your disability claims were denied and help you understand your legal options. Our team will fight compassionately to protect your rights, your benefits, as well as your best interests. We are proud to represent clients throughout the State of Minnesota including the cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Duluth and in the counties of Hennepin, Anoka, and Ramsey.
Methods of Investigation
Some different methods of surveillance often used by insurance companies include:
- Background Checks: The insurance company will perform a background check on the claimant to verify your eligibility to receive disability claims.
- Surveillance: This often includes human investigation or video recording to observe the plaintiff’s day-to-day activities.
- Home Visits: Field representatives and investigators from the insurance provider may visit your home to speak with you while noting your actions.
- Social Media: Also, the insurance company will watch what is being posted or the posts you’re being tagged in on social media networks, such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
- Talking to Friends and Family: Lastly, they can talk to your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, and employer to try and gather various information that can be used to discredit your claims.
Is Surveillance Legal?
Investigators may use different kinds of surveillance to monitor you with an intent to “catch” you at something which will disprove your disability. In areas where a person should not have a “reasonable expectation of privacy,” surveillance is legal. For example, surveillance would be allowed in public places such as the gym, stores, while driving, or even at dinner in a restaurant. At Beedem Law we often see our clients surveilled outside of their home and driving to and from doctor appointments, sometimes even those doctor appointments set up by the insurance company.
Private places, such as inside your home, would be off-limits for surveillance. Likewise, activities such as bugging your phone, trespassing, or hacking your computers, are illegal.
Steps to Protect Yourself
Follow these tips to protect yourself from insurance company surveillance:
- Follow your doctors’ orders.
- Never allow investigators into your home or on your property without first consulting with an attorney.
- Limit your activities on social media.
- Be mindful of what your family and friends are posting about you.
- Be aware of your surrounding environment during your claim.
- If you feel unsafe, or if you believe you are being stalked, videotaped, or harassed, call the police.
- Consult with your attorney before talking with the insurance company’s investigators.
Just because your claim was denied as a result of a skewed investigation or misconstrued surveillance, does not mean you do not qualify for disability benefits. It is important that you speak with an experienced long-term disability attorney to protect your rights.
How Beedem Law Can HelpWith a Wrongly Denied Claim
Insurance companies are required to investigate disability claims before they can be approved or denied. The investigator’s main goal is to get footage or anything that suggests you are not as disabled as you claim. If your disability benefits have been wrongly denied without a valid reason, it is important that you consult with an experienced long-term disability attorney to protect your rights and help you file an appeal.
At Beedem Law, we have the experience and resources to guide and represent clients in complicated legal issues involving denied or canceled disability claims. As your attorneys, we will review and investigate all the facts of your case and determine whether your disability claim has been wrongly denied. Our team will help you understand your legal options moving forward. We will work closely with your physicians to build a strong appeal and improve your chances of the best possible outcome.
Contact Beedem Law today to schedule a one-on-one consultation with an experienced long-term disability attorney. Our attorneys can offer you the comprehensive legal counsel, reliable advocacy, and compassionate representation you need in your case. We proudly serve clients throughout the State of Minnesota including the cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Duluth and in the counties of Hennepin, Anoka, and Ramsey.