A disability insurance cheat is a popular news story. We all work hard to pay into the insurance pot, and when someone takes advantage of it, a good public outing is meant to discourage other insurance cheats. But what if you're receiving long-term disability (LTD) and your health begins to improve?
Should You Continue to Collect LTD If Your Health Improves?
When your health improves while suffering from a long-term chronic illness, it is a happy but confusing time. There are many unknowns. Will you relapse? Have you plateaued or can you look forward to healthier days ahead?
In the early days, it certainly would be premature to return to work and cut off your long-term disability insurance. Fortunately, you do not personally need to make any hasty decisions. Regularly consult your doctor on your progress and follow his guidance. Ultimately, your doctor will decide if and when you should return to work.
Can You Be Charged With Disability Fraud?
However, if you do not disclose your change in health to your doctor, begin to lead a normal life, and continue to collect long-term disability insurance, you could lose your disability insurance. Worse still, you could be charged with fraud.
We have all read stories about the LTD recipient caught windsurfing on the weekends. Long-term disability can be cut off if the beneficiary:
- makes false statements
- provides incorrect information
- withholds facts for the purpose of collecting disability insurance,
Assuming the windsurfer's doctor and disability administrator know nothing of his spontaneous recovery from a debilitating back problem, he risks being charged with disability insurance fraud.
Exaggerating symptoms, intentionally inflicting self-harm, and forging medical certificates are other types of insurance fraud. Unfortunately, medical doctors sometimes participate in disability fraud in exchange for a kickback.
What Should You Do If Your Disability Benefits Are Wrongly Cut Off?
Disability fraud is the most common reason benefits are discontinued. If you suspect a private investigator is following you and taking pictures of your daily activities, you are likely under investigation for disability fraud.
Or you could lose your disability benefits for other reasons.
- the terms of your employer's disability insurance policy could change
- long-term disability with a time limit expires (e.g., for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder)
- you failed to follow the treatment plan prescribed by your doctors
If you have unjustly lost your long-term disability benefits, or are under investigation for potential fraud, contact a company near you, such as Scott E. Shaffman Attorney At Law.
