​Los Angeles and Orange County Disability Insurance and ERISA Claim Attorneys Fight Provident Life & Accident Claim Denials

At McKennon Law Group PC, we aggressively exhaust all avenues to pursue your right to receive benefits from life and disability insurers like Provident Life & Accident (Provident), in part, because we know insurers like Provident.  McKennon Law Group PC’s founder, Robert J. McKennon, represented Provident and other such insurance companies in the past, which is part of the reason why we are to settle so many claims with Unum and Provident prior to litigation.  Provident Life and Accident Insurance Company was founded in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1887.  It became the first insurer to offer disability benefits in 1939, and acquired Paul Revere Life Insurance Company in 1997. 

In 1998, Provident and Unum agreed to a merger, ultimately making Unum the largest group and disability carrier in the United States.  At the time, Provident was the leader in disability insurance policies sold to individuals.  Initially called UnumProvident, the company was renamed to Unum in 2007.  

Unum is a Fortune 500 company.  Although Unum is the largest group and individual disability carrier in the United States, Unum also provides a wide array of insurance coverage, including disability, accident, critical illness and life insurance. 

Unum’s Settlement Agreement with the California Department of Insurance

In 2004, a settlement was announced with UnumProvident and five of its subsidiaries. The settlement resolved issues surrounding Unum claims practices criticized by 60 Minutes and NBC Dateline. 

In 2005, Unum and all of its subsidiaries (including Colonial, First, Provident, Starmount and Paul Revere) entered into a settlement agreement with the California Department of Insurance (“CDI”) after an investigation into the subsidiaries’ claims handling practices.  As a result, Unum agreed to change its practices and policies to conform with California law.  Unum also paid an $8 million fine and changed several policy provisions, including the definition of “total disability” in its disability policies.  For more detailed information about the settlement agreement with the California Department of Insurance, see discussion here.  

How does Provident Deny Life and Disability Insurance Claims?

Provident denies claims based on many reasons including, but not limited to, the following:

• The medical evidence does not support the life or disability claim
• The claimant did not provide adequate medical support for the life or disability claim
• The claimant did not provide documentation or proof of loss evidence in a timely manner
• The medical condition which is the subject of the claim is a pre-existing condition
• The insurance application contained materially false information, and thus the policy can be rescinded
• Surveillance of the claimant suggests that the claimant is not totally disabled
• The claimant’s policy has lapsed for failure to pay premiums
• An exclusion in the life or disability policy precludes coverage for the claim

What Should Disability or Life Insurance Claimants Look for When Provident Denies a Claim?

• Improperly investigating the claim
• Improperly obtaining opinions from unqualified persons/supposed experts
• Improperly misreading or misinterpreting medical records
• Improperly hiring and using biased “independent” medical reviewers and examiners
• Improperly denying a claim without any medical examination
• Asserting a lapse of the life policy
• Improperly refusing to acknowledge subjective disabling conditions such as mental disorders, autoimmune disorders, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome because there is no objective evidence of the condition
• Improperly asserting a pre-existing condition
• Improperly attempting to rescind the policy
• Improperly denying a claim with the intent to wear the claimant down to a lower settlement
• Improperly over-relying on surveillance evidence to conclude a claimant can work
• Improperly over-relying on social media evidence to conclude a claimant can work
• Improperly failing to have a meaningful dialogue with the claimant
• Improperly failing to use findings by the Social Security Administration to support a disability claim

If you feel you have a wrongfully denied claim for disability, life or other insurance involving Provident, the McKennon Law Group PC will fight for your benefits.

Having an aggressive and experienced disability, health and life insurance attorney is the most important decision you can make for the success of your insurance claim.  If your claim for health, life, accidental death or dismemberment, short-term disability or long-term disability insurance has been wrongfully denied or suddenly terminated, fill out a free consultation form or call (949) 387-9595 to schedule a free consultation with the attorneys of the McKennon Law Group PC, several of whom previously represented insurance companies and are exceptionally experienced in handling ERISA and non-ERISA, bad faith insurance claims.