Registered Nurses have an incredibly demanding occupation. As a result we have seen many prospective RN’s who have suffered some form of orthopedic problems which unsurprisingly prevent them from continuing to provide direct patient care.
SMDA successfully appealed Cigna’s decision denying Long Term Disability Insurance benefits to our client who was forced to stop working as a registered nurse at Henry Ford Hospital due to her significant and progressive orthopedic spine problems.
SMDA filed a comprehensive administrative appeal with significant supportive documentation demonstrating the marked restrictions and limitations the client experienced as a result of her neck and back pain and problems. Cigna overturned the claim denial decision and retroactively reinstated the monthly disability payments to the original date fo denial.
This win for our client again reconfirms the benefit of pursuing a claimant’s administrative remedies in a timely and exhaustive manner. Given the inherent limitations of the ERISA statute and regulations it is critically important that the appeal process be handled in this manner.