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Long term disability claims for management consultants present some unusual challenges.
We have handled a significant number of disability claims involving professionals at McKinsey & Company and Boston Consulting Group, and we see many of the same issues across both firms. One of the biggest is that the actual demands of high-level consulting work can be understated or oversimplified during the disability claim process.
A management consultant may technically work in a “sedentary” occupation. But describing the job that way tells you very little about whether someone can actually perform it.
The work can involve long hours, significant business travel, changing time zones, constant client interaction, presentations, relationship development, high-level analysis, tight deadlines, and the need to remain cognitively sharp throughout the day. At more senior levels, the job may extend well beyond formal meetings. Client dinners, networking, business development, travel, preparation, and ongoing communication can all be part of the occupation.
In claims we have handled involving both McKinsey and BCG professionals, we have seen greater emphasis at times on basic physical or task-based abilities than on the sustained cognitive, travel, and endurance demands of the actual consulting role.
That does not mean every management consulting claim is denied, or that every insurer evaluates these claims in the same way. Many claims are approved. What we have observed are recurring occupational and evidentiary issues that are worth addressing carefully when developing a claim or appeal.
