Much has been written about “Long Covid” and people suffering as “Covid-Longhaulers,” but still, too little is known about the long term effects of a Covid-19 infection. As of this writing, according to the CDC there have been 92 million cases of Coronavirus infection in the United States, with the rate of infection running at about 108,000 new cases each day. A small, but significant number of those people will also suffer from Long Covid.  The CDC explains it is difficult to predict who might go on to develop long term symptoms of the disease and that estimates vary depending on data sa ..read more

Life insurance is one of those things we buy because we want the peace of mind that comes from knowing those we leave behind will be financially protected or buffered if something terrible should happen to us.  But more often than you might think, insurance companies find ways to deny claims for life insurance benefits! In simple terms, Life Insurance comes in two forms: 1) Traditional Life Insurance, and 2) Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance. Traditional Life Insurance is what most people think about when they think of life insurance.  This type of coverage will pay a deat ..read more

An estimated 3.1 million adults (1.3%) in the United States have been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. It is a broad term that indicates chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week was created in 2011 by U.S. Senate Resolution 199, “A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week, December 1-7.” Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week is designed to bring together the IBD community around a shared goal—to raise awareness and educate the publ ..read more

In 1972, Congress passed legislation to provide automatic increases linked to a rise in consumer prices. Recipients would no longer have to wait for Congress to take action to receive an increase. The first automatic increases to Social Security benefits took effect in 1975. After 1982, cost of living adjustments (“COLAs”) were effective for December of each year and received by beneficiaries in January. Legislation enacted in 1973 provides for cost-of-living adjustments, or COLAs. With COLAs, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits keep pace with inflation. Last week t ..read more

Wildfires have decimated swaths of California, leaving entire cities destroyed in their wake.  Many of the homeowners affected by these fires have found too late that they were dramatically underinsured and cannot rebuild or buy a similar home. In essence, their insurance is useless to them. The Department of Insurance is aware of the problem and issued regulations designed to combat underinsurance – regulations that the insurance industry fought all the way to the California Supreme Court. In 2017, the California Supreme Court upheld the Department of Insurance’s regulation, Sectio ..read more

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among women in the United States and is the second leading cause of death among women after lung cancer. On average, every 2 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. According to the Breast Cancer Foundation, in 2021 an estimated 281,550 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in the U.S. Although rare, men get breast cancer too. In 2021, the projection is that 2,650 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer ..read more

Group life insurance is a common benefit provided by employers to their workers. But unlike a private life insurance policy, your coverage is contingent on you remaining an employee. So when you stop working at that employer, what happens to your life insurance coverage? There are multiple ways to keep your life insurance coverage from your employer once your employment ends, but it is important to choose the correct option. The possibilities might include conversion, continuation, or porting the coverage. Each of these will be specifically defined in your life insurance policy along with the ..read more

Your news feed is constantly cluttered with natural disasters – wildfires, hurricanes, and floods seem to have become part of our daily conversations. According to a recent study by the Institute for Economics and Peace, natural disasters on a global scale have increased ten times since the 1960s. We often absorb this information with sorrow for those affected by the disaster, without stopping to think what we would do if our own home were affected. If you open mail for your homeowners insurer and stuff it in a draw or throw it in the garbage, this brief post is intended to help give you some ..read more

Very Medical records are an extremely important source of evidence in your disability claim. The records provide proof of the symptoms that disable you; they provide evidence of your treating provider’s opinion about your condition; and they provide proof of the period of time for which you have been disabled. Beware ..read more

Why Do I Have to File a Lawsuit? When an ERISA long-term disability appeal gets denied, the next step is, potentially, to file a lawsuit in federal district court. Some clients already know that they would like to settle their case and ask, why can’t we just negotiate a lump sum settlement with the insurance carrier? Why do I have to file a lawsuit? In short, while plaintiffs’ attorneys would likely be amenable to negotiating informally, insurers generally refuse to come to the table until a formal complaint has been filed. The weight of a formal lawsuit perhaps creates more real incentive and ..read more