Ben,

I understand you are a PI attorney, so you make money off screwing insurance companies, but I'm sure you know it's extremely beneficial for a disabled individual to receive Social Security Disability payments. If an individual receives Social Security Disability, their wages 'freeze' and as a result, Social Security retirement payments later on in life are greater. If a disabled individual does not qualify for Social Security Disability, their primary disability payments are considered earnings; and therefore, their average annual earnings decrease - which can dramatically effect Social Security Retirement payments.

Also, companies like Unum are paying for the SSDI filing - a cost that typically runs close to $100 PER FILING. These companies have Social Security experts/advocates which lower the chance of being declined by Social Security. I understand this is 'clogging' the system, but this service is a benefit to disabled individuals - it's not a 'ploy' to avoid paying claims.

Thanks for your anonymous comment. I'll make you the same offer I make anyone who looks at the work that I do as "screwing" insurance companies. You are invited to my office for a week. Check out what it is I do and how I do it.

My comments about the major disability insurance companies stands, and that's why they are again being investigated by Congress.

They do not force claimants to apply for SSDI benefits because it is good for claimants. They do it because they get a huge windfall when social security benefits are awarded because the group long-term disability policies reduce what benefits were paid for and deserved by what social security pays.

What is most outrageous, frankly, are those cases (and again, come on in if you don't believe me) where the insurance companies for the SSDI appilcation and Social Security awards benefits and the insurance company then completely terminates benefits it was paying, saying that "just because you qualified for social security doesn't mean you meet the definition of disability under our policy.

I expose these and other insurance company shananigans in my new book Robber Without a Gun, Why Your Employer's Long Term Disability Policy May be a Sham.

Its available at amazona and at More ...

Our disability plans are optional programs funded 100% by after-tax employee contributions. They are also coordinated with SSI benefits. The premiums our employees pay are very low, in some part because of this feature. We also have a plan feature that if SSI pays more than the employer plan would pay, the LTD plan will still pay a minimum of the $150/month. Windfall? I think not. Rather it's a plan feature that makes this important income replacement benefit very affordable to participants. The only thing I see is a huge increase in premiums that will directly be passed on to the participants.

You use expression "force", but I believe society is living in some law frame, insurance companies too. Then the question is "are they braking the law?" or not. Any social benefits should be based on some exact conditions and then it's not a misuse - you qualify or not. If they are forcing them and thus braking the law, justice system should work and stop them. I don't want to defend insurance companies, as a broker I am independent and I have no problem to tell my client which company I like and which not, however, talking about morale in business is useless, law should be the mine power to control this environment... Lorne