San Francisco and Los Angeles Disability Insurance and Life Insurance Claim Attorneys Fight Hartford Claim Denials

If The Hartford suddenly terminated your benefits, you can trust in McKennon Law Group PC to fight to have your wrongful denial reversed and claim for benefits reinstated.  Our firm pursues your right to receive benefits from life, general liability, long-term care and disability insurers like The Hartford.  At our firm, we understand insurers like The Hartford better than just about anyone.  McKennon Law Group PC’s attorneys, including its founder, Robert J. McKennon, represented similar insurance companies for over 24 years.  At McKennon Law Group PC, we use our significant experience and focused attention to get your life and disability insurance claims paid.

The Hartford began in 1810 as a fire insurance company, protecting its customers by employing its own fire department.  In 1835, a fire destroyed New York’s financial district and Eliphalet Terry, then president of The Hartford, called a meeting where several pledged their personal fortunes to help pay the claims.  Today, The Hartford offers an array of insurance and investment products, including automobile insurance, homeowner’s insurance, business insurance, annuities and mutual funds.  The Hartford also offers employee benefits, including group life and accident, with supplemental and voluntary programs; group disability, with options for both short-term and long-term disability; group retiree health plans integrated with Medicare and additional voluntary benefits programs.  The Hartford also offers related services, including absence management, which coordinates with state and federal leaves for disability claims and estate guidance, beneficiary assistance and other programs.

In our practice we often represent clients against The Harford because they deny many claims, mostly group long-term disability and life and accident claims.  We have a proven track record representing clients against The Harford.

The Hartford Acquired Aetna’s U.S. Group Life and Disability in 2017

Aetna in November 2017 sold its group life and disability insurance absence management business to the Hartford for $1.45 billion.  We have seen clients with Aetna group disability policies have their claims denied after Aetna initially paid the claims.  Going forward, it appears The Hartford will have a different level of scrutiny on disability claims than Aetna had previously.  We have noticed that Aetna/Hartford is now taking a harder line in attempting to oppose our motions for attorneys’ fees.  We have very often recovered such fees for our clients.

How does The Hartford Deny Life, Long-Term Care and Disability Insurance Claims?

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

• The Hartford asserts the proof of claim you provided does not support the life, long-term care or disability claim
• The Hartford suggests the claimant did not provide adequate medical support for your life, long-term care or disability claim
• The Hartford asserts you provided inadequate documentation or proof of loss evidence or that you failed to provide such evidence in a timely manner
• The Hartford asserts the condition which is the subject of your claim is a pre-existing condition
• The Hartford asserts the insurance application contained materially false information, and thus the policy can be rescinded
• The Hartford asserts surveillance of the claimant suggests that you are not totally disabled
• The Hartford asserts your policy has lapsed due to nonpayment of premium
• The Hartford broadly interprets an exclusion in the life, long-term care or disability policy to preclude coverage for the claim

What Should Disability or Life Insurance Claimants Look for When The Hartford Denies a Claim for Life, Health, or Disability Insurance Benefits?

• Did The Hartford conduct a thorough and unbiased investigation into all potential bases for coverage?
• Did The Hartford take the opinion of its own, unqualified persons/supposed experts over the medical evidence you provided in support of your claim?
• If The Hartford did properly retrieve relevant medical records, did they improperly misread or misinterpret those records in support of your claim?
• Did The Hartford’s denial rely on the opinion of a reviewer that appears to be biased? Did the reviewer ignore relevant medical evidence or mischaracterize the content of a conversation with your primary care doctor?
• Did The Hartford deny your claim without requesting an in-person medical examination, even though you were willing to be examined?
• Did The Hartford refuse to acknowledge illness, injury or other symptoms for which only subjective evidence exists, such as mental disorders, autoimmune disorders, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome? Did the denial state that you failed to provide “objective evidence” in support of the illness or injury preventing you from performing the duties of your occupation?
• Did The Hartford improperly assert that your illness or injury is a pre-existing condition, wrongly attempt to rescind the policy or simply deny the claim with the intent of wearing you down so as to pay you a lower settlement?
• Did The Hartford improperly over-rely on surveillance of you engaging in activities as support that you can perform the activities of daily living? Did The Hartford do so without properly considering or characterizing the actual duties of your occupation?
• Did The Hartford improperly over-rely on social media evidence, from accounts such as Instagram, Facebook or other forms of social media to conclude you can work?
• Did The Hartford improperly fail to engage in a “meaningful dialogue” with you so you knew what you needed to get your claim paid?
• Did The Hartford wrongly fail to distinguish the findings by the Social Security Administration to deny your disability claim?

If you have a wrongfully denied claim for disability, life, long-term care or other insurance involving The Hartford, contact McKennon Law Group PC and pursue every avenue to your benefits.

Choosing an attorney to represent you when you find yourself in the vulnerable position of having your disability, life or long-term care claim denied is key to the success of your insurance matter.  You need a skilled, aggressive and experienced advocate in your corner.  If your claim for health, life, accidental death and 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.