Disability Lawyer Brockville

Servicing Brockville and all of Ontario

Brockville is no stranger to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Brockville Mental Health Centre (BMHC) established a satellite office for a clinic that serves Canadian Forces veterans and Mounties experiencing PTSD and other “service-related problems.”

There was a time when PTSD was almost exclusively linked to time spent in war zones, active combat, or police work. But the condition, like other mental health concerns, can affect anyone who has experienced one or a prolonged series of traumatic events and stressful situations, including incidents involving sexual assaults and sexual harassment in the workplace.

People who are dealing with the effects of PTSD can suffer from a variety of symptoms, including: re-experiencing the trauma, avoiding situations which serve as reminders of the trauma, emotional numbness, irritability, agitation or difficulty concentrating. These symptoms can make working extremely difficult, if not impossible, and sometimes PTSD sufferers will opt to take short-term or long-term leaves from their regular occupations.

Short-term and Long-Term Disability

Insurance policies carried by employers often provide a person with significant medical conditions (including anxiety or mood disorders, depression, and chronic pain or fibromyalgia) that prevent them from working at their jobs with the ability to take a leave while receiving some or all of their usual earnings and associated health benefits. A person who doesn’t have this kind of employer-funded policy can also pay premiums for this type of policy independently.

Short-term disability benefits programs typically last up to 15 weeks to one-year once sick days are exhausted. They tend to require medical reports and regular check-up with a person’s own medical practitioner to monitor their condition and assess their need for treatment. After this period, a person can apply for long-term disability benefits. Generally an insurance provider will require a person to have independent medical evaluations and testing completed when assessing an application and they may otherwise monitor a person or put them under surveillance to determine the validity of a claim for benefits.

If Benefits Are Denied, There’s Still Hope

If an insurance provider determines a person is not disabled, not sufficiently disabled, or misrepresented their condition during the claims process, they may deny disability benefits. Learning that your financial resources and health benefits will discontinue unless you return to work can be devastating if your condition makes such a return impossible. And sadly, debilitating conditions such as PTSD, mood disorders, or chronic pain can severely affect your ability to appeal this unfair decision.

Howie, Sacks and Henry’s disability and critical illness lawyers can help you when your disability benefits claim have been denied in Brockville. Our knowledgeable and experienced team has the expertise you’ll need. We can facilitate assessments and opinions from medical experts that can be used as evidence to show the insurance company that it has erred in its decision. HSH’s disability and critical illness lawyers skillfully build cases designed to encourage negotiated settlements. And we have no hesitation in going to court if an insurance company’s offer is not fair or just.

At a moment in time when you may feeling overwhelmed and defeated, HSH’s disability and critical illness lawyers are ready to be your advocates, advisors and supports to move your appeal forward. Our strong reputation for compassion and empathy when interacting with our clients means you will never feel as though you are just another case to us. We treat all of our clients with the respect and sensitivity that is needed during such a challenging period in your life.

Our team is pleased to meet with you in your own home, or at a local consultation office in Brockville. High quality legal representation will always be nearby when you trust an HSH lawyer to be your advocate.

If your claim for disability benefits in Brockville has been denied, don’t lose hope. The HSH team is ready to stand by your side and support you to claim what you need and deserve to help your manage your condition and take the time you need to recover.