Servicing North Bay and all of Ontario
In business you often hear the phrase, “let’s do lunch.” But how often do you hear, “let’s do lunch… and talk about mental health.” A series of Lunch and Learn workshops hosted by Workplace Safety North in several communities, including North Bay, has tackled this important topic.
Mental health has become one of the biggest costs of doing business for some employers. Although workshops and seminars like these are helpful to be aware of mental health issues and proactively create a positive workplace environment, some employees will continue to have a need to take time away from work to manage and treat mental health conditions such as mood and anxiety disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress from work-related sexual harassment or assault, and the mental effects of fibromyalgia (chronic pain).
Fortunately, insurance plans paid for by an employer or the employee often provide disability benefits during these extended absences. Unfortunately, deserving people can be unfairly denied by insurance providers.
Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
Beyond regular sick days, if an employee requires time away from work to deal with a medical condition involving their mental or physical health, insurance plans may provide coverage for short-term leaves of up to 15 weeks to a year. Short-term disability benefits provide an average of about 70% of a person’s regular earnings and additional health care benefits during an absence if the employee provides appropriate documentation. Typically a medical practitioner’s reports on appointments and treatments suffice.
When the short-term leave concludes, if an employee is still not able to return to work they may qualify for long-term disability. Generally LTD requires additional applications and an insurance provider often facilitates independent medical evaluations and assessments. The threshold for LTD can be quite high. An applicant may need to demonstrate they are not able to do any reasonable amount of work, not simply their own job, to qualify.
If the insurance provider determines an applicant is not disabled, not sufficiently disabled to qualify for benefits, or misrepresented the nature of their illness in a application, they will deny a claim.
Hope After A Denial
Dealing with a mental health condition can be challenging enough in itself. But the stress and anguish you may experience upon learning you’ve been denied can make things feel even worse.
Howie, Sacks and Henry’s disability and critical illness lawyers have experience working with clients with mental illnesses who have been unfairly denied benefits. We will be pleased to meet with you in your own home in the North Bay area or at a nearby consultation office to ensure distance and travel time are not barriers to high quality representation.
As your legal advocates, we want to become part of your support team. Our approach emphasizes compassion, care and empathy in our service to you.
As you focus on managing your health, our team of skilled and knowledgeable lawyers will build a strong case to encourage your insurance provider to reconsider its decision. Our expertise has helped us to negotiate many fair and just settlements for our clients, and we have no hesitation about going to court if an offer does not meet your needs.
If you live and work in North Bay or the surrounding area and your disability benefits have been denied, contact the trusted team of disability and critical illness lawyers at Howie, Sacks, and Henry to learn what we can do to help you.
News You Can Use
“Let’s Do Lunch, and Mental Health.” Read More on the Northern Ontario Business Website.
Looking to work with a disability lawyer in North Bay? Contact Us.
We service North Bay and surrounding area, including Nipissing and Northeastern Ontario. When you think Disability Lawyer North Bay, Think Howie, Sacks & Henry.
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