Disability Lawyer St. Thomas

Servicing St. Thomas and all of Ontario

“Where does it hurt?” When a doctor asks this question to people with fibromyalgia (chronic pain), sometimes it takes less time to explain where it doesn’t hurt. But physical pain – widespread tenderness and soreness in the body – is only one symptom of this debilitating condition. People with fibromyalgia may experience a mental fog that cause cognitive difficulties and memory problems, chronic fatigue, and severe sleep disturbances.

During periods when these symptoms become pronounced, day-to-day life can become a struggle and a person’s ability to work may be compromised. Fortunately, employees with private insurance plans (where they or their employer pay premiums), including many in the St. Thomas area, may be eligible to take time off work to focus on their health, well-being and recovery.

Short-Term And Long-Term Disability Benefits

When regular sick days alone aren’t enough to properly manage a debilitating condition such as fibromyalgia (chronic pain), anxiety or mood disorders, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder for workplace harassment or assault, employees with private insurance plans may take short-term disability leaves of up to 15 weeks to a year.

Based on reports from your medical practitioner about the nature of your disability, treatment options and expectation of when a return to work may be possible, a person taking a short-term leave will usually receive a portion of their regular earnings (sometimes the full amount) and additional health care benefits.

As this short-term leave approaches its end date, if an employee has no immediate prospects of being able to return to the job, insurance companies may launch the long-term disability (LTD) benefits application process. It can be more difficult to receive LTD benefits because an insurer will usually require independent medical testing and assessments and can deny a claim if they conclude an applicant is not disabled, not sufficiently disabled to qualify, or misrepresented their condition.

We Can Help If You’ve Received A Denial Letter

When you already hurt all over, it can be difficult to contemplate how things could get worse. But if your application for disability benefits has been rejected, the overwhelming stress you may feel as you worry about the ability to support yourself or your family can be devastating and worsen your condition.

At this very low point in your life, you should know that you are not alone. Howie, Sacks and Henry’s knowledgeable and experienced critical illness and disability lawyers can help you with your appeal in St. Thomas. Our team understands and respects the difficulties you are facing and will serve you with the compassion, care and kindness you need and deserve during this trying time.

Our Disability Lawyers Serve The St. Thomas Area

An HSH critical illness and disability lawyer can arrange to visit you in your own home in the St. Thomas area or at a nearby consultation office, so you’ll never need to worry about distance or your ability to travel when accessing high quality legal representation. We’ll listen to your story, discuss your options, and explain how we might facilitate additional tests and assessments to help support your case.

Our skilled team has the expertise to handle cases involving challenging and complex medical conditions such as fibromyalgia and other non-visible disabilities. HSH has a reputation among insurers for bringing strong, well-supported cases to them during settlement talks. They know we won’t hesitate to go to court if their offer isn’t fair, just, and meets the needs of our client.

With an HSH critical illness and disability lawyer as your trusted advocate, you can be certain we will be by your side and on your side as we seek the resources you need to focus on your health and well-being.