As you apply for long-term disability benefits, you will encounter various forms that you and others must fill out and return to your insurance company. While these forms may vary from one insurance company to the next, most insurance companies use three basic types of statement forms that ask for information about your medical condition and how it relates to your current job duties.

One of the first forms that you must complete is the claimant statement. This form typically requires you to describe your disabling conditions and how they make you unable to work. You often will need to disclose the date that you last worked and the date that you became disabled. Along with this form, you typically sign an authorization to allow the insurance company to access your medical records from all your treating physicians. In most cases, you fill out a claimant statement with your initial claim for benefits. However, your insurance company also may require you to fill out additional claimant statement forms later, such as when they are reevaluating your eligibility for benefits.

Your primary treating physician also fills out a physician statement. This form usually allows the doctor to detail your diagnosis, your prognosis, and your symptoms. The doctor also will be able to describe your current treatment plan, the medications that you are prescribed, and probable future treatment.

Your employer is responsible for filling out an employer statement, which primarily addresses your current job and the necessary duties that you must perform to do your job. This statement often allows the employer to include a job description for the position that you currently hold, which usually describes the minimum qualifications for the job.

It can benefit you greatly to get legal advice about the most effective means of building and maintaining the most successful ERISA long-term disability claim possible. Bonnici Law Group provides skilled, aggressive legal representation regularly for individuals who are seeking long-term disability benefits under insurance policies governed by ERISA. Our priority is to represent your interests and protect your rights to the benefits that you deserve. Call us at 858-261-5454 and schedule an appointment to meet with us about your case today.