Bryant Legal Group PC

Bryant Legal Group PC is committed to getting you the insurance benefits you need and deserve. Our attorneys are considered among the best Chicago disability lawyers and frequently assist in disability, life, long term care, business overhead expense and key-person insurance claims. Whether your benefits come from your employer, union, or are privately purchased, our legal team is well equipped to help you win your case. With decades of collective experience, we not only know insurance law, we know the insurance industry inside and out. We work tirelessly to find the strategies that work with the insurance carriers to support new claims or to challenge denials or benefit terminations.

Bryant Legal Group PC Blogs

Latest from Bryant Legal Group PC

You take out doctor disability insurance so it is there in case you ever need it. Unfortunately, as you might have already experienced with patients’ cases, insurance does not always come through as you expect.
Insurers that issue physician specialty-specific disability policies routinely scrutinize—and too often reject—legitimate claims. When a denial stems from administrative errors, incomplete documentation, or other improper grounds, you are entitled to challenge the decision through a formal appeal.
The terms surrounding doctor disability insurance policies can vary depending on who is providing them and whether they are group or individual coverage. But in every case, it’s
Continue Reading Doctor Disability Insurance: How to Appeal a Claim Denial

With more than $1 billion worth of in-force premiums as of 2022, Standard Insurance Company—more commonly branded as The Standard—is one of America’s largest providers of long-term disability insurance. Their offerings include employer-provided group plans, as well as individual policies for those who choose to insure themselves.
Insurance giants like The Standard don’t get as large as they are without denying a lot of claims. Unfortunately, those denials are often unfair or in error. Or it could be that claimants failed to provide the correct evidence during the initial application.
Either way, if you believe your long-term disability claim was
Continue Reading What to Do if The Standard Denies Your Long-Term Disability Claim

When we think about financial security, many of us consider health insurance, retirement plans, and emergency savings. One of the most overlooked pieces of the financial puzzle is long-term disability insurance.
If you’re fortunate enough to have group long-term disability (LTD) insurance through your employer, you might assume you’re fully covered. But is it really enough to protect you and your family if the unthinkable happens?
Although you may already have LTD through an employer group plan, certain professionals may wish to purchase additional private coverage. Let’s explore how to determine the right amount of LTD coverage and why supplemental
Continue Reading How Much Long-Term Disability Coverage Do I Need?

The Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, MassMutual for short, is one of the largest insurance companies in the United States. They provide long-term disability coverage to individual policyholders, as well as employer-sponsored group plans.
If you have long-term disability coverage through MassMutual and recently had a claim denied, you aren’t alone. Disability denials are commonplace and frequently unfair or unreasonable. Once you file a claim, it’s in the insurance company’s best interest to find some reason to deny it—and often those reasons don’t stand up to scrutiny once all the facts are known.
If you believe you’ve been unfairly denied,
Continue Reading How to Appeal a MassMutual Long-Term Disability Claim Denial

Metropolitan Life Insurance Company—more commonly known as MetLife—is one of the world’s largest financial services companies. While MetLife is typically associated with life insurance and financial services, the company has a robust disability insurance business as well.
If you’ve recently had a long-term disability claim denied by MetLife, we understand how frustrated you might feel. Before you give up and accept MetLife’s decision, you should consult with a disability insurance lawyer at Bryant Legal Group. We have extensive experience with MetLife disability insurance appeals and can help you understand your legal options. Keep reading to learn essential steps you should
Continue Reading How to Appeal a MetLife Long-Term Disability Denial

Long-term disability (LTD) benefits can be a lifesaver for people who are unable to earn an income due to sickness or injury. If you are not able to work for months or even years at a time, it is a relief to know that you will still be getting a monthly check to help pay for your necessary expenses.
Most LTD plans will pay monthly disability benefits for as long as you remain disabled or otherwise meet the policy’s requirements. However, you may have an alternative option: a long-term disability settlement or buyout. If you go this route, instead of
Continue Reading How Much Is My Long-Term Disability Settlement Worth?

With nearly $1 billion in in-force premiums, Prudential Financial (via its subsidiary, Prudential Insurance Company of America) is one of the 10 largest providers of long-term disability insurance plans in the United States.
They also, like many large insurers, have a long history of unfairly denying legitimate claims. Courts have had to hold them accountable many times, including a $40 million settlement in 2014 after Prudential denied full death benefits to fallen soldiers’ families. They were also forced to revise their life insurance practices in 2023 after the U.S. Department of Labor found that they had denied hundreds of claims
Continue Reading How to Appeal a Prudential Long-Term Disability Denial

You’ve filed your application for long-term disability (LTD) benefits, carefully providing all the necessary information and submitting all your relevant medical records. When you get the insurance company’s response, you’re shocked to see a denial of benefits. The insurance company found that your disabling conditions were pre-existing (and therefore, not covered by your policy).
At Bryant Legal Group, we’re used to insurance companies broadly interpreting our clients’ medical records and incorrectly applying pre-existing condition exclusions.
Whether you’re purchasing a new disability insurance policy, thinking about filing a claim, or are dealing with an unfair claim denial, here are six
Continue Reading Long-Term Disability Insurance and Pre-Existing Conditions: 6 Things You Need to Know

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.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block} New York Life Insurance Company is one of the largest long-term disability insurance providers in the country, with roughly $1.5 billion in in-force premiums. That includes premiums from 9 million or so customers they added to their list in 2021 after purchasing Cigna’s group life and disability business.If you’ve recently had a long-term disability claim denied by New York Life (or its underwriter Life Insurance Company of America, formerly part of Cigna), hope is not lost—but you will need to act quickly. Almost all group
Continue Reading How to Appeal a New York Life Long-Term Disability Denial

If you are a high earner and plan to continue working at least a few more years, what is your most valuable asset? Almost certainly, it’s your future earning potential.
If you lost your ability to do your current job, would you be able to pay your expenses? Support your loved ones? Maintain the standard of living you’ve come to expect? Pass on an inheritance to your children?
Purchasing good long-term disability (LTD) insurance coverage is one of the smartest decisions high wage-earning individuals can make. For a relatively small monthly premium, you can guarantee a substantial portion of your
Continue Reading How to Choose Individual Disability Insurance: A Guide for High-Net-Worth Individuals

There’s a huge relief that comes when your initial claim for long-term disability insurance benefits is approved and consistent monthly checks start coming in. No more financial insecurity. No more worrying about being able to afford the life you worked hard to build. Right?
Unfortunately, it doesn’t always play out that way. Long-term disability benefits are expensive. And while your insurance contract may promise that benefits are payable for a certain period—maybe even until retirement age—there are plenty of terms, conditions, exclusions, and exceptions in the fine print. The insurance company has a strong financial incentive to determine you’re no
Continue Reading What To Do if Your Long-Term Disability Benefits Are Terminated

According to Northwestern Mutual’s 2023 Planning & Progress Study, an estimated 37% of American adults work with a financial advisor. The rates certainly are even higher among entrepreneurs, educated professionals, and high wage earners.
Financial advisors play a critical role in helping their clients invest, manage risks, and protect their financial future. And that very much includes preparing for the possibility of a long-term disability. If you’re a financial advisor, you likely already have several clients in this exact situation.
Long-term disability insurance is a crucial part of making sure your clients successfully manage this risk and protect the lives
Continue Reading What Financial Advisors Need to Know About Long-Term Disability Insurance

If you’re a physician, lawyer, dentist, or other high-income professional working in a complex field, you shouldn’t go without robust long-term disability insurance coverage. You’ve dedicated countless hours to mastering your craft and worked hard to build a certain standard of life for yourself and your family. Without a comprehensive disability insurance policy, however, a single unexpected illness or accident could mean losing it all.

But not all disability insurance policies are created equal—and the worst time to find out that your insurance policy isn’t good enough is when you’re filing for disability benefits. You may think your “own occupation”
Continue Reading Doctors, Lawyers, Professionals: Do You Need Specialty-Specific Disability Insurance?

With more than $23 million in in-force premiums, Guardian Life Insurance Company (often through its subsidiary Berkshire Life Insurance Company) is one of the largest providers of group disability insurance policies in the United States. Physicians and highly educated professionals are especially likely to have disability benefits through Guardian, as it is one of the relatively few disability insurance companies to provide “true” own-occupation policies.

While Guardian does offer many long-term disability insurance policies with robust coverage, that does not mean they will handle every disability claim accurately or fairly. Like all disability insurance companies, they make their money by
Continue Reading How to Appeal a Guardian Long-Term Disability Denial

Over the past several decades, advances in health care, hygiene, nutrition, and other factors have helped increase life expectancy. But with longer lifespans also comes a greater need for assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and other long-term care options for seniors.
Roughly half of all adults will need long-term care at some point in their lives. That includes roughly 2 out of 3 seniors who are currently 65 or older, according to the Administration for Community Living.
One way to help prepare for this possibility is by purchasing long-term care insurance, usually as a component of a broader life
Continue Reading What Does Long-Term Care Insurance Cover?

Whether you’ve just filed a long-term disability claim, or you’ve been on claim for years, chances are sooner or later you’re going to have to talk to an insurance claims adjuster, who will be responsible for approving or denying your claim.
Insurance adjusters (often also referred to as claims handlers or claims analysts) are a necessary part of the disability claims process. They help the insurance company evaluate claims and identify potential cases of fraud. But they don’t always make the right decisions, and they’re not necessarily looking out for your best interest. Insurance adjusters can and do deny or
Continue Reading How to Talk to Insurance Claims Adjusters About Your Long-Term Disability Case