Virginia disability attorney Ben Glass reveals: Why hard-working doctors tend to lose their long-term disability claims (or leave tons of money on the table even if "successful")

Here are the challenges for (and with) physicians who find themselves with a health situation that either prevents or limits their ability to work  in their own occupation:

1. They don’t understand the policies they own, so they don’t know what to do, and in what order, when a health issue arises. Disability insurance companies are unforgiving; one mistake and the claim is ruined.
2. Many get medical care from their doctor friends and the healthcare recordkeeping is horrible. When the insurance company inevitably asks for “proof of claim,” little objective evidence exists.
3. They ask their doctor friends for legal advice about the policies and their “friends” almost always have the wrong answer for them. Lawyers shouldn’t be doctors, and vice versa.
4. They wonder about making a claim vis-à-vis their obligations to their business partners, the Board of Health Professionals, and their malpractice carriers. This “analysis paralysis” can dimmish the value of their claim permanently.
5. Many either own their practice outright or have other equity interests which must be taken into consideration when filing a long-term disability claim.  No demonstrable loss of income often equals no “disability,” regardless of the medical condition.