FAQ

Why should I contact & hire a disability, life, health, or long-term care insurance lawyer?

We understand how difficult it is to deal with insurance companies that are refusing to pay your claims. Your insurance company may have unfairly denied your claim, but you may rectify the situation with the help of one of our attorneys. Know your rights and options by contacting one of the Merlin Law Group's experienced insurance law attorneys today. Call us toll-free at 877.449.4700.

Where should I start if I did not submit a claim yet?

Prior to submitting your claim, our attorneys can help review your policy, analyze the facts of your situation, and minimize confusion with your insurance company. If you decide to move forward with your claim, you should have the support of your doctor and all medical records available. This will facilitate and expedite claim resolution.

What steps should I take if my claim was denied?

If you have filed a claim with your insurance company and it was denied, you may appeal or file a lawsuit. Our attorneys can assist you with deciding the most appropriate future course of action. As with all claims, there may be a statute of limitations or appeal deadline.

How much will it cost me to hire Merlin Law Group as my attorney?

Health, life, and long-term care insurance fee agreements are typically contingent in nature. A contingency fee agreement, of course, means that the Merlin Law Group does not earn a fee payment unless we recover insurance benefits for the client. Disability insurance contracts are typically structured on a case-by-case basis and usually end up being a hybrid, custom kind of contingency fee arrangement. Again, our intake analysis is free. If, after the intake analysis, the potential client and the Merlin Law Group decide that the firm’s legal services are necessary, thereby requiring a fee agreement to be made, we will more thoroughly discuss the terms of our proposed fee agreement with the potential client.

What is ERISA?

Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, 29 U.S.C. Section 1001. This Federal Law regulates most employee benefit plans. To learn more about ERISA, visit our resources.

What is an Individual & Private Disability Policy?

If an employer does not provide adequate disability insurance coverage, or if you are self-employed, or if you simply choose to, you may purchase your own disability policy from an insurance company. These policies are governed by state law, not ERISA.

What steps have you taken so far?

Have you submitted a claim and the carrier is taking way too long? Have you submitted a claim and the insurance company is bombarding you with documentation and information requests? Was the carrier’s claim payment too low? Has the carrier denied your claim? Have you submitted a claim, the claim has been initially denied, and now you have to wade through a mandatory appeal process (typically in the ERISA context)? We can help with all of this and more.

If possible, we encourage you to consult with a Merlin Law Group disability, life, health, or long-term care insurance attorney before submitting a claim. This does not mean, of course, that you should dilly-dally with claim submission, and we certainly understand that sometimes it is not possible to consult with us before claim submission (e.g., emergency healthcare). A smooth and successful overall claim experience, however, is often significantly influenced by what happens early on in the claim process.

Regardless of whether you reach out to the Merlin Law Group at the beginning, middle, or “end” of a claim, please note that our initial consultation is free. Regardless of when you reach out to the Merlin Law Group, please thoroughly document the claim from beginning to end. Take photos and videos (of an injury, for example), maintain all medical records, keep all correspondence concerning your claim, contemporaneously notate all phone calls concerning your claim, bring witnesses with you to independent medical examinations requested by the carrier (perhaps even ask the carrier to arrange for a transcriptionist or videographer), and have a copy of the policy handy … document, document, and then document some more.