Long Term Disability Law Blog
No one ever expects to become disabled. But when you need to collect Hartford disability insurance benefits you need to be prepared. In this video and article learn what every Hartford disability income policy holder needs to do when filing a claim for short-term or long-term Hartford disability income benefits.
- What documentation is needed in the Hartford general application of benefits?
- Length of time a policy holder can receive benefits
- The Hartford application process
- Understand your Hartford disability insurance policy language
GREGORY DELL: Hi. I’m Greg Dell. And today’s question of the day is, how does Hartford long term disability work? And, Stephen, that’s a pretty broad question but a very common question that a lot of people are asking us. And we found there’s been a lot of searches out there for that type of question. So can you give us a good general answer to how Hartford disability works?
STEPHEN JESSUP: Well, a good general answer, I guess, the fact that there’s short term, and then there’s long term. So each are going to have their own little nuances of going. So generally, they’re going to share similar qualities, making an application for those benefits.
How Long Can a Policy Holder Stay on Disability Insurance?
Now short term is going to, obviously, only cover you for a limited period of time. Typically, Hartford is around 90 days. More often than not, they are what’s known as administering that policy, which just means that they are telling your employer that benefits should be paid. And it comes from salary continuation.
However, on the long term, it’s usually underwritten by Hartford, which means they’re going to pay the monthly benefit. So the way that it will generally work is most policies usually will pay you a percentage of your pre-disability earnings, which will vary based on the language in the policy. Common is 60% of your pre-disability earnings. You will have the ability to potentially collect benefits out to your Social Security retirement age, unless the policy contains limitations for mental health conditions, certain physical conditions.
What It Takes To Stay On Claim
And also, the fact that just because you get approved for the benefit doesn’t mean Hartford won’t deny you at some point. So the general idea of how it works is making an application, filling out claim forms, medical records. Your doctor’s filling out forms. And even your employer is going to have to fill out a form as to what your job entailed, any of the financials that you made, things like that. So that’s just 30,000 foot view. But in each one of those, you could go into a huge, long discussion on the small little parts of the claim itself.
Is It A Complicated Process To Get Approved For Hartford Disability Benefits?
GREGORY DELL: And is it a complicated process to get approved for Hartford disability benefits?
STEPHEN JESSUP: Well, it’s not a complicated process to apply. You just fill out the forms. To get approved, though, it can be very complicated because people say, hey, I’ve been paying for this. They should– I can’t do my job, so I should get paid my benefit.
But it goes much deeper than that. There’s a real large analysis into your medical information, what your doctors are stating versus your occupational duties. So it’s easy to apply. Doesn’t mean it’s easy to get it paid.
To Get Approved For Hartford Benefits Do You Have To Be Unable To Do Any Job?
GREGORY DELL: And does the person have to be unable to perform the duties of their job? Or do they have to be unable to do any job in order to get approved for Hartford benefits?
STEPHEN JESSUP: I would say, 95% of the time, it’s going to be, at least for the initial 24 months on long term, your inability to do your own job with some caveats to that. Then after that, do any occupation based upon training, education, experience. But I’ve seen my fair share of Hartford policies, and this is based on the policy that the employer wanted to buy and the premium rates, where from the get go, it’s, can you do any job? So you really need to understand what your policy says, and that sets the tone of what to expect going forward.
GREGORY DELL: So in terms of how Hartford disability works, it’s a very general question. With regard to whatever questions you may have about Hartford disability insurance, whether it’s short term or long term disability, feel free to give myself, Stephen, or any of our team of disability insurance lawyers. We represent claimants all over the entire country. We always provide a free initial consultation. And we welcome the opportunity to discuss your Hartford disability claim with you.
If you need assistance with a Hartford disability insurance claim, contact any of our disability insurance lawyers for a FREE consultation to discuss how we can assist you.