Winning Isn't Easy: Long-Term Disability ®

Hosted by Nancy L. Cavey

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Episodes

229

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Nancy L. Cavey, a seasoned attorney with over forty years of experience, explains the complex world of filing for Long-Term Disability benefits. Filing for disability can be a confusing, life changing event, so with her deft expertise, Nancy will guide you through: - The ins-and-outs of ERISA (the Employee Retirement Income Security Act), which governs group Long-Term Disability claims. - Information regarding the process and lifespan of a claim, from the initial application to the request for hearing stages. - Traps and tactics disability carriers (such as Unum, The Hartford, Lincoln, and MetLife) use to hinder or deny your claim, including independent medical evaluations, surveillance, and arbitrary and capricious arguments downplaying the nature of your disability. - Insights, overviews, and claimant stories regarding disease-specific content (ranging from commonplace ailments such as workplace injuries or accidents, to difficult to diagnose illnesses such as fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, and POTS). - Pertinent news happening in the disability world, and - Much, much more. Each episode of our podcast Winning Isn't Easy: Long-Term Disability ® will expose you to invaluable tips and tricks for surviving the disability claims process (a system that is often wrought with pressures and pitfalls designed to encourage you to give up the benefits you rightfully deserve). As the host, Nancy will often be joined by guest speakers who themselves are industry experts, ranging from lawyers specializing in related fields and doctors focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of specific diseases, to our associate attorney Krysti Monaco. In her late teens, Nancy's father was diagnosed with leukemia. As someone who witnessed firsthand the devastating emotional and financial impact on both individual and family that being disabled and filing for benefits can have, Nancy is not just an attorney, but an empathetic presence who understands what you are going through. Do not let disability insurance carriers rob you of your peace of mind. As a nationwide practice, The Law Office of Nancy L. Cavey may be able to help you get the disability benefits you deserve, regardless of where in the United States you reside. Remember - let Cavey Law be the bridge to your benefits. Check out the links below to engage with us elsewhere: Website - https://caveylaw.com/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/CaveyLaw

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October 13, 2026Episode 3420 min

The Fine Print: How Disability Policy Language Can Make or Break Your Claim

Have a comment or question? Click this sentence to send us a message, and we might answer it in a future episode. Welcome to Season 6, Episode 34 of Winning Isn't Easy: Long-Term Disability ®. In this episode, we'll dive into The Fine Print: How Disability Policy Language Can Make or Break Your Claim . A disability claim can be denied even when a diagnosis is legitimate, the medical evidence is compelling, and the condition prevents someone from working. Sometimes, the outcome hinges on language buried in the policy: what “occupation” means, which duties are considered “material,” how mental health limitations restrict benefits, or whether policy changes alter the rules while a claim is still pending. In this episode, we examine how disability insurers use policy language to defend claim denials, reshape eligibility, and limit benefits in ways claimants may not anticipate. Different provisions. Different consequences. But the same underlying issue: the words that define disability. This episode explores how definitions, exclusions, limitations, and policy changes can determine whether a claim is approved, how long benefits last, or whether coverage is denied altogether. When claimants assume a diagnosis is enough, the fine print can tell a different story. In disability insurance, the language of the policy can matter as much as the condition itself. In this episode, we'll cover the following topics: One - If You Can Work for Another Employer, Do You Meet the Definition of Disability in Your ERISA Disability Policy? How Standard Insurance Used the Definition of “Normal Occupation” to Justify a Claim Denial Two - How “But For” Language in a Disability Insurance Policy Can Overcome a Long-Term Disability Carrier’s Attempt to Improperly Limit the Payment of Benefits by Misusing the Mental Nervous Policy Limitations Three - Can a Disability Plan Add a Special Conditions Limitations Provision Limiting the Payment of Benefits for Fibromyalgia When Your Claim Is Pending? Whether you're a claimant, or simply seeking valuable insights into the disability claims landscape, this episode provides essential guidance to help you succeed in your journey. Don't miss it. Listen to Our Sister Podcast: We have a sister podcast - Winning Isn't Easy: Social Security ®. Give it a listen: https://wiessdpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ Resources Mentioned in This Episode: LINK TO ROBBED OF YOUR PEACE OF MIND: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/ltd-robbed-of-your-piece-of-mind LINK TO THE DISABILITY INSURANCE CLAIM SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR PROFESSIONALS: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/professionals-guide-to-ltd-benefits FREE CONSULT LINK: https://caveylaw.com/contact-us/ Need Help Today?: Need help with your Long-Term Disability or ERISA claim? Have questions? Please feel welcome to reach out to use for a FREE consultation. Just mention you listened to our podcast. Review, like, and give us a thumbs up wherever you are listening to Winning Isn't Easy. We love to see your feedback about our podcast, and it helps us grow and improve. Please remember that the content shared is for informational purposes only, and should not replace personalized legal advice or guidance from qualified professionals.

October 6, 2026Episode 3324 min

Defined Out of Disability: How Insurers Rewrite Occupation, Time, and Duty to Deny Claims

Have a comment or question? Click this sentence to send us a message, and we might answer it in a future episode. Welcome to Season 6, Episode 33 of Winning Isn't Easy: Long-Term Disability ®. In this episode, we'll dive into Defined Out of Disability: How Insurers Rewrite Occupation, Time, and Duty to Deny Claims . Disability claims aren’t always denied by saying “no.” Sometimes, the outcome changes when an insurer changes what “your occupation,” “your disability,” or “your timeline” actually means. In this episode, three cases demonstrate how those definitions can shape a claim: a neuroradiologist whose vision impairment raises questions about whether his occupation means diagnosis, procedures, specialty, or administrative work; a “successive periods of disability” provision that turns ongoing illness into a question about gaps in time and work activity; and a physician whose specialty is narrowed through certification rules and earnings thresholds until his “own occupation” becomes easier to fit within the policy’s definition. Different illnesses. Different careers. Different facts. But the same underlying move: redefine the terms. This episode explores how disability insurers can shift the goalposts without proving that a claimant is healthy, using occupational definitions, material duties, disability periods, and “own occupation” language to reshape the claim. When those terms are reframed in the insurer’s language, the outcome can take shape before determinations on whether someone is truly disabled. In this episode, we'll cover the following topics: One - UNUM Terminates the Long-Term Disability Benefits of a Neuroradiologist with Vision Issues Two - American Family Life and Successive Periods of Disability Three - Standard Used the “Own Occupation” Clause to Deny Diagnostic Radiologist His Long-Term Disability Benefits Whether you're a claimant, or simply seeking valuable insights into the disability claims landscape, this episode provides essential guidance to help you succeed in your journey. Don't miss it. Listen to Our Sister Podcast: We have a sister podcast - Winning Isn't Easy: Social Security ®. Give it a listen: https://wiessdpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ Resources Mentioned in This Episode: LINK TO ROBBED OF YOUR PEACE OF MIND: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/ltd-robbed-of-your-piece-of-mind LINK TO THE DISABILITY INSURANCE CLAIM SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR PROFESSIONALS: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/professionals-guide-to-ltd-benefits FREE CONSULT LINK: https://caveylaw.com/contact-us/ Need Help Today?: Need help with your Long-Term Disability or ERISA claim? Have questions? Please feel welcome to reach out to use for a FREE consultation. Just mention you listened to our podcast. Review, like, and give us a thumbs up wherever you are listening to Winning Isn't Easy. We love to see your feedback about our podcast, and it helps us grow and improve. Please remember that the content shared is for informational purposes only, and should not replace personalized legal advice or guidance from qualified professionals.

September 29, 2026Episode 3235 min

Before the Disability Case Even Starts: The Hidden Gatekeeping Tools Carriers Use to Deny ERISA Claims

Have a comment or question? Click this sentence to send us a message, and we might answer it in a future episode. Welcome to Season 6, Episode 32 of Winning Isn't Easy: Long-Term Disability ®. In this episode, we'll dive into Before the Disability Case Even Starts: The Hidden Gatekeeping Tools Carriers Use to Deny ERISA Claims . Before a judge looks at your medical records, your disability claim may already be in trouble - in ERISA cases, issues can begin with questions that have nothing to do with whether you’re actually too sick or injured to work. Coverage, discretionary authority, and the definition of your occupation can determine the outcome of your claim even before a hearing. In this episode, three barriers reveal how disability claims can be shaped before medical issues come into play: an “active service” provision that ends coverage during leave or extended absence, discretionary language that changes how a court reviews the insurer’s decision, and an occupational definition that can transform the work you actually performed into different work on paper. Even discretionary authority may fail to protect a decision when the wrong entity makes the determination. And when a claim reaches vocational analysis, labor market surveys and occupational classifications can redefine the physical and cognitive demands used to decide whether you can work. This episode explores how coverage rules, discretionary authority, and occupational framing function as filters in ERISA disability litigation, why these issues can matter before medical evidence is weighed, and how the structure of a disability plan can shape the outcome from the beginning. In this episode, we'll cover the following topics: One - The “You Weren’t in Active Service, so We Don’t Have to Pay You” Tool in the Disability Carrier’s Denial Toolbox Two - Reliance Blows Grant of Discretion in Breast Cancer and Fibromyalgia ERISA Disability Claim Three - Games Disability Carriers, like Liberty, Play in Determining a Policyholder’s Own Occupational Job Requirements, and Using Faulty Labor Market Surveys to Deny an ERISA Disability Claim Whether you're a claimant, or simply seeking valuable insights into the disability claims landscape, this episode provides essential guidance to help you succeed in your journey. Don't miss it. Listen to Our Sister Podcast: We have a sister podcast - Winning Isn't Easy: Social Security ®. Give it a listen: https://wiessdpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ Resources Mentioned in This Episode: LINK TO ROBBED OF YOUR PEACE OF MIND: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/ltd-robbed-of-your-piece-of-mind LINK TO THE DISABILITY INSURANCE CLAIM SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR PROFESSIONALS: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/professionals-guide-to-ltd-benefits FREE CONSULT LINK: https://caveylaw.com/contact-us/ Need Help Today?: Need help with your Long-Term Disability or ERISA claim? Have questions? Please feel welcome to reach out to use for a FREE consultation. Just mention you listened to our podcast. Review, like, and give us a thumbs up wherever you are listening to Winning Isn't Easy. We love to see your feedback about our podcast, and it helps us grow and improve. Please remember that the content shared is for informational purposes only, and should not replace personalized legal advice or guidance from qualified professionals.

September 22, 2026Episode 3125 min

Prove It or Lose It: How Objective Evidence and Occupational Definitions Decide ERISA Disability Cases

Have a comment or question? Click this sentence to send us a message, and we might answer it in a future episode. Welcome to Season 6, Episode 31 of Winning Isn't Easy: Long-Term Disability ®. In this episode, we'll dive into Prove It or Lose It: How Objective Evidence and Occupational Definitions Decide ERISA Disability Cases . You can be in real pain, under real medical care, and still lose your disability claim because you can’t prove your disability in the exact language the policy requires. In ERISA cases, disability is a contractual concept, shaped by terms like “own occupation,” “material duties,” and “elimination period.” Those definitions don’t only determine eligibility - they determine what evidence matters. In this episode, three different claims (a surgeon with post-accident back pain, a financial executive with multiple chronic conditions, and a nurse facing progressive impairment) reveal the same problem: insurers and courts focus on whether the medical record objectively documents functional limitations tied to occupational demands, not subjective complaints. Under ERISA’s deferential standard of review, that distinction can be decisive. When the evidence doesn’t clearly establish functional inability in the language of the plan, a denial may be upheld even when the claimant’s condition is genuine, and another conclusion might also be reasonable. This episode explores the gap between being medically impaired and proving disability, why functional and objective evidence matters, and how the terms of an ERISA plan can shape the outcome of a claim. In disability litigation, you have to prove it in the way the policy requires. In this episode, we'll cover the following topics: One - Denial of Anesthesiologist’s Disability Claim Because of Back Pain Upheld Due to Lack of Objective Evidence of Disability Two - Director of Financial Operations Denied Own Occupation Benefits by Guardian Life Because She Did Not Prove She Was Disabled During the Elimination Period Three - Michigan Federal Court Overturns Unum’s Claim That Policyholder Had Significantly Improved and Could Return to Her Gainful Occupation as a Clinical Nurse Whether you're a claimant, or simply seeking valuable insights into the disability claims landscape, this episode provides essential guidance to help you succeed in your journey. Don't miss it. Listen to Our Sister Podcast: We have a sister podcast - Winning Isn't Easy: Social Security ®. Give it a listen: https://wiessdpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ Resources Mentioned in This Episode: LINK TO ROBBED OF YOUR PEACE OF MIND: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/ltd-robbed-of-your-piece-of-mind LINK TO THE DISABILITY INSURANCE CLAIM SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR PROFESSIONALS: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/professionals-guide-to-ltd-benefits FREE CONSULT LINK: https://caveylaw.com/contact-us/ Need Help Today?: Need help with your Long-Term Disability or ERISA claim? Have questions? Please feel welcome to reach out to use for a FREE consultation. Just mention you listened to our podcast. Review, like, and give us a thumbs up wherever you are listening to Winning Isn't Easy. We love to see your feedback about our podcast, and it helps us grow and improve. Please remember that the content shared is for informational purposes only, and should not replace personalized legal advice or guidance from qualified professionals.

September 15, 2026Episode 3035 min

What Every Attorney Needs to Know Before They Stop Working (and File a Disability Claim)

Have a comment or question? Click this sentence to send us a message, and we might answer it in a future episode. Welcome to Season 6, Episode 30 of Winning Isn't Easy: Long-Term Disability ®. In this episode, we'll dive into What Every Attorney Needs to Know Before They Stop Working (and File a Disability Claim) . You don’t lose disability benefits when you stop working - you can lose them before that, in how you describe your occupation, what your medical records say, or in the policy language you never read closely enough. For attorneys, the stakes can be higher: the analytical habits that make you effective in practice can sometimes create problems when you’re trying to prove your own disability. In this episode, attorney Nancy Cavey examine what every attorney needs to understand before reducing hours or stepping away from practice, including the differences between ERISA and individual disability policies, why your specialty can matter more than your title, and how carriers evaluate the occupation you actually perform. Through real-world claims, she explores how definitions of “occupation,” “disability,” and the date you stopped working can shape the outcome of a claim. She also examines how attorneys can overanalyze, mischaracterize their own work, or inadvertently create inconsistencies that give insurers reasons to deny benefits. This episode is a practical look at how disability policies are interpreted, how claims are evaluated before they are submitted, and why understanding your policy (and accurately defining your occupation) can make the difference between securing benefits and losing them. In this episode, we'll cover the following topics: One - What Every Attorney Needs to Know Before They Stop Working and About the Disability Insurance Application Process Two - The Five Major Issues Which Must Be Addressed at the Outset Three - Attorneys and Disability Claims Whether you're a claimant, or simply seeking valuable insights into the disability claims landscape, this episode provides essential guidance to help you succeed in your journey. Don't miss it. Listen to Our Sister Podcast: We have a sister podcast - Winning Isn't Easy: Social Security ®. Give it a listen: https://wiessdpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ Resources Mentioned in This Episode: LINK TO ROBBED OF YOUR PEACE OF MIND: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/ltd-robbed-of-your-piece-of-mind LINK TO THE DISABILITY INSURANCE CLAIM SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR PROFESSIONALS: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/professionals-guide-to-ltd-benefits FREE CONSULT LINK: https://caveylaw.com/contact-us/ Need Help Today?: Need help with your Long-Term Disability or ERISA claim? Have questions? Please feel welcome to reach out to use for a FREE consultation. Just mention you listened to our podcast. Review, like, and give us a thumbs up wherever you are listening to Winning Isn't Easy. We love to see your feedback about our podcast, and it helps us grow and improve. Please remember that the content shared is for informational purposes only, and should not replace personalized legal advice or guidance from qualified professionals.

September 8, 2026Episode 2919 min

Occupational Duties and the Hidden Standards of Disability Claims

Have a comment or question? Click this sentence to send us a message, and we might answer it in a future episode. Welcome to Season 6, Episode 29 of Winning Isn't Easy: Long-Term Disability ®. In this episode, we'll dive into Occupational Duties and the Hidden Standards of Disability Claims . You can have a serious medical condition and still lose your disability claim. In ERISA cases, it’s not just about whether you’re disabled, it’s about how your occupation, medical evidence, and policy language define disability in the first place. In this episode, we discuss three layers that can control the outcome of a disability claim: how occupational duties are defined, what counts as acceptable medical proof, and how courts and insurance carriers interpret an individual’s ability to work. Through real cases, we examine how claimants can lose benefits even when they cannot return to their own occupation, and why the description of an occupation can matter more than the underlying medical condition. These cases reveal how legal standards, medical evidence, and occupational descriptions intersect, and how the meaning of “ability to work” can ultimately determine whether disability benefits are won or lost. This episode offers a closer look at the factors that shape ERISA disability claims and provides insight into why a diagnosis alone may not be enough to secure benefits. In this episode, we'll cover the following topics: One - Challenging a Disability Carrier’s Denial of Disability Insurance Benefits on the Basis That the Carrier Failed to Consider the Policyholder’s Essential Work Functions Two - Does Your FedEx Disability Plan Require That Your Disability Claim “Be Substantiated by Significant Objective Medical Findings?” Three - Does an Inability to Do Even Sedentary Work In a Social Security Case Render You Permanently Totally Disabled Under ERISA Plans? Whether you're a claimant, or simply seeking valuable insights into the disability claims landscape, this episode provides essential guidance to help you succeed in your journey. Don't miss it. Listen to Our Sister Podcast: We have a sister podcast - Winning Isn't Easy: Social Security ®. Give it a listen: https://wiessdpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ Resources Mentioned in This Episode: LINK TO ROBBED OF YOUR PEACE OF MIND: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/ltd-robbed-of-your-piece-of-mind LINK TO THE DISABILITY INSURANCE CLAIM SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR PROFESSIONALS: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/professionals-guide-to-ltd-benefits FREE CONSULT LINK: https://caveylaw.com/contact-us/ Need Help Today?: Need help with your Long-Term Disability or ERISA claim? Have questions? Please feel welcome to reach out to use for a FREE consultation. Just mention you listened to our podcast. Review, like, and give us a thumbs up wherever you are listening to Winning Isn't Easy. We love to see your feedback about our podcast, and it helps us grow and improve. Please remember that the content shared is for informational purposes only, and should not replace personalized legal advice or guidance from qualified professionals.

September 1, 2026Episode 2821 min

The Hartford Playbook: Surveillance, IMEs, and Claim Terminations

Have a comment or question? Click this sentence to send us a message, and we might answer it in a future episode. Welcome to Season 6, Episode 28 of Winning Isn't Easy: Long-Term Disability ®. In this episode, we'll dive into The Hartford Playbook: Surveillance, IMEs, and Claim Terminations . Disability benefits are a financial safety net when an illness or injury prevents someone from working. But even after a claim has been approved and benefits are being paid, insurers may continue to scrutinize a claimant’s condition, medical records, and daily activities in search of grounds to terminate those benefits. In this episode, attorney Nancy Cavey pulls back the curtain on what some attorneys call “The Hartford Playbook”, a pattern of surveillance, independent medical examinations, paper reviews, and claim terminations that has repeatedly been challenged in federal court. Through three real Hartford disability cases, attorney Cavey examines how surveillance footage, statements from treating physicians, changes in plan administration, and reviews of years of medical records can become the basis for terminating Long-Term Disability benefits. Together, these cases reveal common strategies insurers may use to challenge claims and the legal arguments that can arise when benefits are placed at risk. This episode offers a closer look at the scrutiny that can continue after a claim is approved and provides insights for anyone receiving or relying on Long-Term Disability benefits. In this episode, we'll cover the following topics: One - Hartford IME Dooms Residential Treatment Nurse's Claim for Continuing Disability ERISA Disability Benefits - The Triple Tap Defense Game Two - What Hartford Did When a Policyholder's Doctor Said "He Was Hopeful the Policyholder Could Return to Work In Six Months" Three - Change in Employer and Plan Administrator to Hartford Results in Claim Denial of Benefits After Five Years of Continuous Payment of Benefits Whether you're a claimant, or simply seeking valuable insights into the disability claims landscape, this episode provides essential guidance to help you succeed in your journey. Don't miss it. Listen to Our Sister Podcast: We have a sister podcast - Winning Isn't Easy: Social Security ®. Give it a listen: https://wiessdpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ Resources Mentioned in This Episode: LINK TO ROBBED OF YOUR PEACE OF MIND: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/ltd-robbed-of-your-piece-of-mind LINK TO THE DISABILITY INSURANCE CLAIM SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR PROFESSIONALS: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/professionals-guide-to-ltd-benefits FREE CONSULT LINK: https://caveylaw.com/contact-us/ Need Help Today?: Need help with your Long-Term Disability or ERISA claim? Have questions? Please feel welcome to reach out to use for a FREE consultation. Just mention you listened to our podcast. Review, like, and give us a thumbs up wherever you are listening to Winning Isn't Easy. We love to see your feedback about our podcast, and it helps us grow and improve. Please remember that the content shared is for informational purposes only, and should not replace personalized legal advice or guidance from qualified professionals.

July 28, 2026Episode 2743 min

When Life Changes Fast: How to Protect Your Financial Future (With Guest Glen Golish)

Have a comment or question? Click this sentence to send us a message, and we might answer it in a future episode. Welcome to Season 6, Episode 27 of Winning Isn't Easy: Long-Term Disability ®. In this episode, we'll dive into When Life Changes Fast: How to Protect Your Financial Future (With Guest Glen Golish) . Financial planning is often built on the expectation that income will remain steady over time. But when a disability, serious illness, or other unexpected life event disrupts that income, even carefully constructed financial plans can be put to the test. In this episode, attorney Nancy Cavey is joined by Glen Golish, LUTCF®, CFBS®, BSP, to examine how financial planning strategies should adapt when someone transitions from earning a paycheck to relying on Long-Term Disability benefits. Together, they explore financial gaps that can emerge during this transition, the role life insurance and long-term care planning can play in creating greater flexibility and security, and the costly decisions people often postpone until it's too late. This episode explores practical planning strategies and common pitfalls and offers valuable insights for anyone seeking to build a financial plan that can withstand life's uncertainties. In this episode, we'll cover the following topics: One - From Income Protection to Financial Strategy Two - Tools for Financial Protection Three - Avoiding Pitfalls and Planning Ahead Whether you're a claimant, or simply seeking valuable insights into the disability claims landscape, this episode provides essential guidance to help you succeed in your journey. Don't miss it. Listen to Our Sister Podcast: We have a sister podcast - Winning Isn't Easy: Social Security ®. Give it a listen: https://wiessdpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ Resources Mentioned in This Episode: LINK TO ROBBED OF YOUR PEACE OF MIND: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/ltd-robbed-of-your-piece-of-mind LINK TO THE DISABILITY INSURANCE CLAIM SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR PROFESSIONALS: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/professionals-guide-to-ltd-benefits FREE CONSULT LINK: https://caveylaw.com/contact-us/ Need Help Today?: Need help with your Long-Term Disability or ERISA claim? Have questions? Please feel welcome to reach out to use for a FREE consultation. Just mention you listened to our podcast. Review, like, and give us a thumbs up wherever you are listening to Winning Isn't Easy. We love to see your feedback about our podcast, and it helps us grow and improve. Please remember that the content shared is for informational purposes only, and should not replace personalized legal advice or guidance from qualified professionals.

July 21, 2026Episode 2626 min

ERISA Disability Appeals: What the Insurance Company Hopes You Never Learn

Have a comment or question? Click this sentence to send us a message, and we might answer it in a future episode. Welcome to Season 6, Episode 26 of Winning Isn't Easy: Long-Term Disability ®. In this episode, we'll dive into ERISA Disability Appeals: What the Insurance Company Hopes You Never Learn . Claimants appealing the denial of Long-Term Disability benefits under ERISA feel overwhelmed by insurance companies that appear to control every aspect of the claims process. Yet, insurers are bound by federal regulations that govern how disability claims must be evaluated, and understanding those rules can make all the difference during an appeal. In this episode, attorney Nancy Cavey takes an in-depth look at the hidden mechanics of the ERISA disability appeals process by examining the tactics insurers commonly use to deny claims and the legal standards that can be used to challenge those decisions. Through the analysis of three recent federal court cases, she explains how claimants can identify insurer strategies, build stronger appeals, and better protect their rights while pursuing the disability benefits they deserve. In this episode, we'll cover the following topics: One - Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 2560.503-1 Two - Three Federal Court Cases That Exposed the Insurance Company Playbook Three - Building Your ERISA Survival Playbook Whether you're a claimant, or simply seeking valuable insights into the disability claims landscape, this episode provides essential guidance to help you succeed in your journey. Don't miss it. Listen to Our Sister Podcast: We have a sister podcast - Winning Isn't Easy: Social Security ®. Give it a listen: https://wiessdpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ Resources Mentioned in This Episode: LINK TO ROBBED OF YOUR PEACE OF MIND: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/ltd-robbed-of-your-piece-of-mind LINK TO THE DISABILITY INSURANCE CLAIM SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR PROFESSIONALS: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/professionals-guide-to-ltd-benefits FREE CONSULT LINK: https://caveylaw.com/contact-us/ Need Help Today?: Need help with your Long-Term Disability or ERISA claim? Have questions? Please feel welcome to reach out to use for a FREE consultation. Just mention you listened to our podcast. Review, like, and give us a thumbs up wherever you are listening to Winning Isn't Easy. We love to see your feedback about our podcast, and it helps us grow and improve. Please remember that the content shared is for informational purposes only, and should not replace personalized legal advice or guidance from qualified professionals.

July 14, 2026Episode 2527 min

Unum Exposed: The Tactics Behind Disability Claim Denials

Have a comment or question? Click this sentence to send us a message, and we might answer it in a future episode. Welcome to Season 6, Episode 25 of Winning Isn't Easy: Long-Term Disability ®. In this episode, we'll dive into Unum Exposed: The Tactics Behind Disability Claim Denials . Claimants pursuing Long-Term Disability benefits face more than the burden of proving they cannot work, as they must also contend with insurers that aggressively scrutinize medical evidence, reinterpret policy provisions, and use procedural tactics to justify claim denials. In this episode, attorney Nancy Cavey examines how Unum evaluates disability claims by analyzing three recent federal court decisions that reveal common strategies used to challenge claims. By exploring these cases, she explains how claimants can anticipate insurer tactics, strengthen their evidence, prepare themselves, and protect their rights throughout the disability claims process. In this episode, we'll cover the following topics: One - Introduction to 29 CFR and Why It Is Important in ERISA Cases Two - A Summary of Three Cases, the Games That Unum Tried to Play, and What the Courts Ruled Three - What ERISA Policyholders Can Learn From These Three Cases Whether you're a claimant, or simply seeking valuable insights into the disability claims landscape, this episode provides essential guidance to help you succeed in your journey. Don't miss it. Listen to Our Sister Podcast: We have a sister podcast - Winning Isn't Easy: Social Security ®. Give it a listen: https://wiessdpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ Resources Mentioned in This Episode: LINK TO ROBBED OF YOUR PEACE OF MIND: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/ltd-robbed-of-your-piece-of-mind LINK TO THE DISABILITY INSURANCE CLAIM SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR PROFESSIONALS: https://mailchi.mp/caveylaw/professionals-guide-to-ltd-benefits FREE CONSULT LINK: https://caveylaw.com/contact-us/ Need Help Today?: Need help with your Long-Term Disability or ERISA claim? Have questions? Please feel welcome to reach out to use for a FREE consultation. Just mention you listened to our podcast. Review, like, and give us a thumbs up wherever you are listening to Winning Isn't Easy. We love to see your feedback about our podcast, and it helps us grow and improve. Please remember that the content shared is for informational purposes only, and should not replace personalized legal advice or guidance from qualified professionals.

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