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To obtain long term disability (LTD) benefits, you must persuade the insurer that you meet the standard of disability in your policy or plan. Typically, you must prove that you cannot perform the material duties of your regular occupation. The insurer will rely heavily on your application and supporting materials to make its decision. A thorough, timely application significantly increases your chances of success.

If you qualified for and receive long term disability benefits in NY from your employer, this can represent a significant source of financial relief during your absence from work. However, there are still certain events that can put your benefits in jeopardy.

The success of a long term disability claim is dependent on proving that your symptoms are disabling. A diagnosis of a particular illness is not enough. You will need to establish that the symptoms that you suffer prevent you from performing the duties of your occupation. How do you do this? By submitting objective evidence, such as MRI's, SPECT scans and other test results; the opinions of your treating physicians, and by providing a statement explaining how your symptoms make you unable to do your job. We recommend that a claimant keep a contemporaneous diary of all symptoms. For instance, if you had a migraine headache on Monday, that should be put in your diary. If you could not get out of bed on Tuesday, that also should be placed in your diary, and so on and so on. By keeping a diary, you can be very specific. Specificity makes your symptoms more credible and allows them to be viewed and evaluated in context.