UnumProvident Settlement Update
Because
UnumProvident is by far the biggest disability insurance carrier in the
U.S., what happened last November really affected a lot of people who had
given up hope of collecting on their Long Term Disability or Disability
Income Insurance policies issued by any insurance company in the UnumProvident
group.
For some time, UnumProvident, a conglomerate of Unum Life
Insurance Company of America, The Paul Revere
Life Insurance Co. and The Provident Life and Accident Insurance Co., was
the subject of intense scrutiny by State and Federal Regulators over alleged
bad faith claims-handling practices, a news story that was widely reported
in the National Media and by “60 Minutes” on TV.
Last November 20, UnumProvident, Unum Life Insurance Co.,
The Paul Revere Life Insurance Co. and The Provident Life and Accident Insurance
Co. agreed to the settlement of a multi-state investigation affecting some
215,000 disability insurance claims denied by these companies since 1997.
The terms of this so-called UnumProvident settlement or
Unum settlement require a complete, fair reassessment of each of those 215,000
disability insurance claims. This is especially important for Erisa disability
claims because upon reassessment, claimants should be able to supplement their
appeal record.
However, there are many rules to be followed by applicants
for UnumProvident disability insurance claim reassessments and they must be
followed closely for any claim to receive reassessment.
Only those Unum claims denied after January 1, 2000, will
be automatically notified by UnumProvident of their rights. Eligible claimants
whose disability insurance claims were denied between January 1, 1997 and
December 31, 1999, will have to ask for the reassessment of their claims.
And there are deadlines. UnumProvident policyholders whose
disability insurance claims were denied before December 31, 1999 must file
a written request for reassessment within 180 days of the UnumProvident settlement
implementation date (December 20, 2004). The last day for filing an application
for such Unum claim reassessments would be June 20, 2005.
However, no one should wait that long. If you are eligible
you should immediately submit a written inquiry concerning your disability
insurance claim to the insurance company to whom you are making the
request for reassessment, at
P.
O. Box 9728
Portland, ME 04104-5028
The inquiry should be mailed Certified Mail, Return
Receipt Requested or Registered Mail so that there will be proof of
the date of mailing and its actual receipt. If there is a reason to
call, the toll free number for Unum is:
(877)477-0964
For those who have already been notified in writing
by the company, your timelines are even more strict. You will receive
or have received an initial notice to specified claimants. If you want
your denied claim to be reviewed, you must respond to the initial notice
within 30 days of the date of notice (the date of notice to be no earlier
than the date the notice is mailed). You will then be mailed a series
of reassessment information forms which must be completed by the claimant
and returned to UnumProvident within 60 days of their receipt by claimant.
Click
here to review forms. (Adobe Acrobat Reader required)
There are exceptions to this time limit if a claimant
does not receive adequate notice or if the current address is unknown
or if the notice is mailed to the wrong address. If you are interested
in the complete details of the procedure required by the UnumProvident
settlement, click here.
For ERISA-related Unumprovident issues, click
here.
For a NO-COST telephone consult to explain any of
the details of the UnumProvident settlement or to discuss whether the
settlement applies to your disability insurance claim, call Attorney
Mike Quiat at (800) 797-5575, or simply ask by e-mail to
mquiat@uqur.com.
No material on this Web Site is meant as
legal advice. It is strictly for informational purposes. Your visit
to this Web Site does not create an attorney-client relationship of any
kind. (Full
Disclaimer)