This 62-year-old claimant was a senior bulk manufacturing technician who job required, among other things, the ability to lift up to 50 pounds in order to move raw materials as required for compounding, weighing and storage. He also set up, operated and monitored equipment used in compounding and had to wear heavy protective equipment as he was often exposed to high-temperature water and steam and wet floors as he handled flammable liquids and caustic solutions.
His treating physicians fully supported the claim due to joint pain, joint swelling, muscle weakness and back pain. MRI’s provided objective evidence of his condition. He also had liver disease.
After Prudential paid, but then later terminated, his long-term disability benefits, an ERISA-based administrative appeal was filed which argued that Prudential had selectively cherry picked snippets of information from the medical records; failed to have the records reviewed by an appropriate medical specialist; and had arbitrarily disregarded the opinions of the treating physicians. Further, the appeal argued that Prudential had not appropriately evaluated the requirement of the claimant’s occupation.
