Here a simple thing you can do that could have a tremendous impact on your long-term disability claim: Take a picture! Suppose you have a condition that is visible to the naked eye, or you struggle to perform certain activities. How do you convey this to the insurance carrier who is deciding your case? There are many different possibilities:
Day in the Life Video – Have a family or friend take a video of you going through a routine day showing difficulties such as making your bed, combing your hair, using medical equipment if that applies, or capturing a medical condition such as a drop foot.
Videotape a few of the activities you struggle to perform – Ex: transferring from a wheelchair to a shower chair in the bathroom; getting in and out of bed; going up and down stairs.
Pictures of your injury – bruises on your body from falling; Swelling in extremities. Do not use this to manufacture evidence, and if your condition doesn’t lend itself to video, don’t do this, as it could hurt, rather than help, your case. However, do not be afraid to use this it if it will show your limitation. Insurance companies use surveillance all the time to capture your activities, but they do not always show a true picture of what you can do over the course of a day. So why not level the playing field!
Give this a try if you find yourself having to do an appeal or in a dispute with your ERISA disability carrier over your functional ability.
