At Riemer Hess, we’ve successfully won long term disability benefits for hundreds of our clients from Northwestern Mutual. Below we’ll explain the common tactics Northwestern Mutual uses to deny disability claims and what strategies work best against Northwestern Mutual.
When you file, appeal, or litigate a long term disability claim with Northwestern Mutual, they will scrutinize your claim for reasons to deny you your benefits. In our experience, common tactics that we’ve observed Northwestern Mutual use to deny disability claims include:
If your disability claim is denied or terminated by Northwestern Mutual, you do have recourse. If your policy is governed by ERISA, you have the right to challenge the decision through Northwestern Mutual’s administrative appeal process. This involves submitting additional information to support your claim and requesting that Northwestern Mutual reconsider its determination.
Keep in mind that the appeal is typically your one shot at avoiding lengthy, expensive litigation. While it is tempting to appeal the decision immediately, you want to ensure that all possible additional evidence is submitted to Northwestern Mutual along with your appeal letter. An appeal letter alone with no other documentation (medical and/or vocational) to support your claim will likely end in a second denial of benefits.
Here are a few steps you can take if you’ve received a denial from Northwestern Mutual:
Northwestern Mutual has a pattern of using these tactics to unfairly deny claimants their long term disability benefits. Courts across the country have criticized Northwestern Mutual for this. Examples include:
Given Northwestern Mutual’s proclivity for denying benefits, often wrongly, it’s best to have a planned strategy in place when filing, appealing, or litigating a long term disability claim. At Riemer Hess, we’re familiar with Northwestern Mutual’s different tactics and have crafted ways to avoid and refute these from the jump. Riemer Hess proactively predicts how Northwestern Mutual will evaluate your claim. We then formulate a strategy that combines our experience with Northwestern Mutual and the special facts of your unique circumstances.
For example, our client George worked as a high-level investment banker. He had been living with an autoimmune disease for many years when it worsened significantly, making it impossible to work through the symptoms. His chronic migraines, fatigue, and joint pain contributed to the problem, but worst of all was the cognitive impairment caused by his disease that left him unable to meet deadlines, multitask, or provide accurate, timely work product. George knew he could not keep working in his condition and retained Riemer Hess to handle his long term disability claim with Northwestern Mutual.
Riemer Hess coordinated with George to get a letter from his treating doctors certifying his disability and arranged for him to undergo neuropsychological testing. Since George’s disability policy limited benefits to only two years for any mental illness disability, Riemer Hess knew it was imperative to make sure Northwestern Mutual understood that George’s cognitive symptoms were due to his autoimmune disease. The neuropsychological testing gave George objective evidence of his cognitive impairment that could not be attributed to mental illness, in conjunction with the medical records and supportive statements of his specialists.
Riemer Hess ensured that all claim paperwork was completed accurately, obtained George’s copious medical records on his behalf and reviewed them for any “red flags” that would need to be addressed, communicated with his doctors to procure supplemental statements outlining his restrictions and limitations, and coordinated with the neuropsychologist to confirm the evaluation report contained all necessary information on George’s cognitive impairments.
Once all evidence was gathered and reviewed, Riemer Hess submitted it to Northwestern Mutual. Sure enough, Northwestern Mutual approved George’s claim as a physical disability, saving him from any benefit duration limitation due to mental illness. George retained Riemer Hess to continue monitoring his claim and handle any update requests from Northwestern Mutual.
If you’re filing, appealing, or litigating a long term disability claim with Northwestern Mutual, don’t go it alone. The experienced ERISA attorneys at Riemer Hess understand what tactics Northwestern Mutual uses to deny benefits and how to get your claim approved. The attorneys at Riemer Hess have the experience it takes to beat Northwestern Mutual. If you are filing, appealing, or litigating a long term disability claim from Northwestern Mutual, call Riemer Hess today at 212-297-0700 or select the button below to schedule a consultation.