A lot of companies, including the insurance companies, still have employees working from home.  So what does that mean for you?  It means that your claim administrator, appeal administrator, or anyone else associated with your claim may not be working in the same office environment.  Tasks that used to be done faster may not get done quite as quickly.  For example, since correspondence still comes from the corporate office after being generated from the administrator’s home, there may be some delay between the drafting of a letter, being forwarded to the office, and ultimately mailed to you.  Mail itself is somewhat slower.  You might receive a letter with a certain amount of time to respond dated two weeks ago.

Time is Ticking

If you receive correspondence from the insurance company stating you have a certain amount of time to respond, it’s important not to put it off.  While insurance companies might be behind in getting something in your hands, it doesn’t necessarily mean they will grant you an extension on the deadline.  They might give you an extension, but this isn’t something to rely on before it’s granted and it’s a very good idea to get it in writing.  In particular a deadline for an ERISA appeal of a denial of benefits will rarely be extended by an insurance company.

If you receive a denial letter from the insurance company, before you do an appeal, you may want to reach out to an ERISA attorney who is familiar with the process to see if they can help you.  Cremeens Law Group PLLC has handled many disability insurance cases, as that is all we do!  Call us to see if we can help!