Hartford Disability Claim Denials
The Hartford Financial Services Group denied your employer-sponsored Long-Term Disability (LTD) claim, and now you don’t know what to do. You can’t work, you can’t earn a living, and you don’t know how you will provide for yourself or contribute to your family’s economic needs.
This happened after you diligently paid premiums, trusting you had a safety net, only to receive a denial letter filled with complex jargon and questionable reasoning, likely leaving you feeling betrayed, overwhelmed, and deeply worried about your financial future.
Dealing with an ERISA denial from a massive insurance carrier like Hartford adds layers of procedural complexity precisely when you need to focus on your health.
At Sandstone Law Group, our disability appeals lawyers understand this struggle intimately. We focus on fighting wrongful LTD denials under the federal law known as ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974), particularly those issued by large insurers like Hartford.
Because ERISA governs these employer-sponsored plans nationwide, Sandstone Law Group represents clients across the United States. We possess the experience, resources, and unwavering dedication needed to challenge Hartford’s tactics and pursue the benefits you rightfully deserve.
Our mission is to hold powerful insurance companies accountable and secure your financial stability.
Don’t let Hartford’s denial end your claim for the benefits you deserve. Contact Sandstone Law Group today for your free, confidential consultation to understand your rights under ERISA.
Fill out for the form below to schedule your free consultation.
Insurance Companies We’ve Challenged
- Unum Provident
- Unum Life
- Metlife
- Sunlife
- Cigna
- The Guardian
- Hartford
- Mutual Of Omaha
- New York Life
- Thrivent
- Provident
- Paul Revere
- Reliance
- Prudential
- Lina
- Liberty Mutual
- Transamerica
- Aetna
- Standard
- Reliance Standard
Hartford and ERISA: Understanding the Complex Landscape You Face
When your employer provides your LTD insurance, the federal law ERISA almost certainly controls your claim and any subsequent appeal. Individual disability policies you buy yourself typically fall under state law, but employer-sponsored plans operate under this distinct, complex federal framework.
ERISA dictates how insurance companies like Hartford must process your claim, the strict timelines you must follow for appeals, and even how federal courts review your case if you need to file a lawsuit.
While Congress intended ERISA to protect employee benefits, in practice, its procedures can sometimes feel skewed in favor of large, sophisticated insurance companies like Hartford. These insurers understand ERISA’s intricacies – its deadlines, its specific requirements for evidence, and crucially, the often-limited power of courts to overturn their decisions if they follow certain procedures.
Hartford, acting as the insurer or claim administrator for your employer’s plan, operates within this ERISA system every day. As one of the world’s largest insurance conglomerates, Hartford manages vast sums of money and possesses significant legal resources.
Understanding the basic rules of ERISA is your first step in leveling the playing field when Hartford denies your claim. You need to know the specific rights ERISA grants you and the procedural hurdles Hartford might use against you.
Why Hartford Denies ERISA Disability Claims: Exposing Common Tactics
Insurance companies, including Hartford, are for-profit businesses. Their financial health benefits when they minimize claim payouts.
While Hartford provides a valuable service when it honors its policy obligations, our experience shows the company frequently denies valid ERISA LTD claims using tactics designed to protect its bottom line at your expense.
Understanding these tactics is crucial for fighting back effectively.
- The Profit Motive and Investment “Float”: Hartford reported revenues exceeding $20 billion in recent years, much of it from premiums paid by policyholders like you. Insurers generate substantial income not just from premiums, but by investing that premium money (called the float). The longer Hartford holds onto money instead of paying it out in benefits, the more investment income it can earn. Some critics argue this financial incentive encourages delay tactics or creates reasons to deny claims and keep funds invested longer, though insurers dispute this characterization. While you struggle to pay bills due to a disabling condition, the money Hartford owes you might be generating profits for the company. ERISA’s structure, unfortunately, sometimes emboldens insurers in employing delay tactics.
- The Change in Definition / Test Change Ambush: This is one of Hartford’s most common tactics for terminating claims, typically after you receive benefits for 24 months. Most ERISA plans initially define disability as being unable to perform your own occupation. After 24 months, the definition often shifts to being unable to perform any occupation for which you are reasonably suited by education, training, or experience. Hartford aggressively uses this change in definition milestone to cut off benefits. They might claim you can perform some job, even if it pays far less or isn’t realistically available, based on minimal or biased evidence.
- Weaponizing Medical Reviews – Ignoring Your Doctors: Hartford frequently dismisses the opinions of your own treating physicians – the doctors who know your condition best. Instead, Hartford often relies on:
- Biased “Independent” Medical Exams (IMEs): Hartford may force you to attend an examination with a doctor it chooses and pays. Not only do these IME doctors often lack the specialization to evaluate your disability, they have long-standing financial relationships with insurance companies and frequently produce reports minimizing your limitations or questioning your diagnosis, providing Hartford the “evidence” it needs to justify a denial.
- Internal Paper Reviews: Hartford employs or contracts with doctors who review your file without ever meeting or examining you. These reviewers often rubber-stamp denials, selectively interpreting medical records to support Hartford’s desired outcome while ignoring evidence favorable to you.
- Aggressive Surveillance Tactics: Hartford may hire private investigators to watch you. They might videotape you doing everyday activities like carrying groceries, driving, or attending a family event. They monitor social media profiles for photos or posts they can twist. Hartford then uses snippets of this surveillance, often taken out of context, to argue that you are more functional than your medical records indicate, creating a pretext for denial.
- Flawed Vocational Assessments: Hartford employs vocational “experts” to conduct “employability assessment reviews.” These experts often produce reports claiming you can perform other jobs available in the national economy, even if those jobs:
- Are unsuitable given your specific physical or cognitive limitations.
- Pay significantly less than your previous occupation.
- Barely exist in the real labor market (known as ghost jobs). Hartford uses these often-unrealistic assessments to argue you don’t meet the plan’s definition of disability (especially after the “any occupation” change).
- Exploiting Complex Plan Language: ERISA plan documents are dense legal contracts. Hartford may interpret ambiguous terms related to “disability,” “pre-existing conditions,” “regular care,” or specific exclusions in the manner most favorable to denying your claim. Without skilled legal analysis, you may not successfully challenge their interpretation.
- Using Procedural Errors Against You: ERISA has strict rules and deadlines. Hartford might deny your claim based on a missed deadline (even by a day), incomplete paperwork, or failure to follow a specific procedural step, even if the core medical evidence supports your disability.
When Hartford denies your ERISA claim using these or other tactics, they may not have made an objective or final decision. You can fight back through the ERISA appeal process.
The ERISA Appeal: Your Critical Opportunity to Build Your Case
Receiving Hartford’s denial letter can leave you feeling devastated, but under ERISA, it triggers a crucial next step: the internal administrative appeal. You must typically file a detailed appeal directly with Hartford before you can take them to court.
This appeal is arguably the most important stage of your entire ERISA claim.
Why? Because of the administrative record.
Under ERISA, the evidence you submit during this internal appeal (along with the insurer’s documents) forms the official administrative record. If Hartford denies your appeal and you need to file a lawsuit in federal court, the judge will generally only consider the evidence already contained within that administrative record.
You usually cannot introduce new medical reports, witness statements, or expert opinions later in court.
Therefore, your ERISA appeal is your primary, and often only, chance to:
- Submit all favorable medical evidence (updated records, narrative reports from doctors directly addressing plan terms).
- Provide vocational evidence countering Hartford’s assessment (if applicable).
- Include personal affidavits detailing your symptoms and limitations.
- Submit statements from family, friends, or former colleagues about your condition’s impact.
- Legally challenge every reason Hartford stated for its denial.
- Point out bias in Hartford’s reviews or surveillance.
Simply writing a letter stating you disagree with Hartford is insufficient and can harm your case. A successful ERISA appeal requires strategically building a comprehensive evidence file before the deadline. Giving up or submitting a weak appeal allows Hartford’s denial—often based on flawed reasoning or biased reviews—to stand largely unchallenged in the official record.
Call us today to file your administrative appeal for you.
The ERISA Appeal Deadline: You MUST Act
ERISA regulations impose certain deadlines. For LTD appeals, you typically have 180 days from the date you receive Hartford’s denial letter to submit your complete written appeal.
If you miss this 180-day window, federal courts could dismiss any subsequent lawsuit, permanently barring you from recovering benefits, regardless of how disabled you are or how unfairly Hartford treated you.
Six months pass quickly, especially when managing a serious health condition. Gathering comprehensive medical records, obtaining detailed supportive statements from busy doctors, and potentially securing expert vocational or medical reviews all take significant time.
Start the appeal process promptly after receiving Hartford’s denial. Contacting an experienced ERISA attorney right away allows crucial time to request your claim file from Hartford, analyze the denial and plan documents, develop an evidence strategy, and submit a robust appeal before this critical deadline expires.
Sandstone Law Group offers free consultations precisely so you can understand your timeline and options without cost or delay.
How Sandstone Law Group Holds Hartford Accountable – Our National ERISA Appeal Process
Fighting an ERISA denial from an insurance giant like Hartford requires focused knowledge and experience. Sandstone Law Group focuses its practice on these complex federal cases, enabling us to represent claimants nationwide. We meticulously build your appeal to maximize your chances of success and preserve your rights for potential litigation.Here’s how we challenge Hartford:
- Free Consultation & In-Depth ERISA Case Evaluation: We start by listening to your story. We review Hartford’s denial letter, your Summary Plan Description (SPD), and other relevant documents at no charge. We assess the denial under ERISA standards and explain your options clearly.
- Demand the Claim File & Plan Documents: We request your complete claim file and the governing Plan Documents from the appropriate entity, as permitted under ERISA. Analyzing these documents can be crucial to understanding Hartford’s internal process and the specific provisions governing your claim.
- Strategic Evidence Gathering (Building the Administrative Record): This is where we focus intense effort before the 180-day deadline. We proactively:
- Gather all relevant medical records, including imaging, test results, and therapy notes.
- Work with your treating physicians to obtain detailed narrative statements that specifically address the ERISA plan’s definition of disability and counter Hartford’s denial reasons.
- Identify the need for, and obtain, specialized medical or vocational expert evaluations to provide objective evidence supporting your limitations.
- Collect witness statements and craft detailed personal affidavits from you describing your daily struggles and inability to work.
- Deconstruct Hartford’s Denial: We dissect Hartford’s denial letter point by point, identifying logical fallacies, misinterpretations of medical evidence, biased reviewer comments, procedural errors under ERISA, and instances where Hartford ignored favorable evidence.
- Analyze policy language: We scrutinize the specific language of your Plan Documents (definitions, limitations, exclusions) to ensure Hartford applied the terms correctly and fairly.
- Craft and Submit a Comprehensive, Persuasive Appeal: We compile all the evidence and arguments during appeal. We refute Hartford’s denial and present the affirmative evidence of your disability under the plan terms.
- Leverage Our Experience Against Hartford: Our ERISA attorneys possess deep experience challenging Hartford’s claim denials. We understand the arguments their lawyers make, the types of medical reviewers they tend to use, and the strategies needed to overcome their tactics. We know how to successfully overturn a Hartford denial by submitting compelling objective medical evidence and expert vocational testimony that demolished Hartford’s flimsy reasoning. Our experience against Hartford ERISA claims provides you with a distinct advantage.
Relentless Advocacy, Proven Results – Fighting Hartford Nationwide Under ERISA.
The Types of Cases We Manage
Long-Term Disability Claims
Long-Term Care Claims
Life Insurance Claims
Insurance Bad Faith
ERISA
Insurance Appeals
Beyond the Appeal: ERISA Litigation Against Hartford
If Hartford stubbornly upholds its denial even after receiving our comprehensive appeal, filing a lawsuit in federal court becomes the next step. Sandstone Law Group possesses the experience to pursue ERISA litigation vigorously.
However, ERISA lawsuits differ significantly from typical state court cases:
- No New Evidence: The judge generally reviews only the administrative record created during the claim and appeal process. This underscores why building a strong appeal record is paramount. There are exceptions and a skilled ERISA lawyer can try to secure supplementation if needed.
- Judge, Not Jury: A federal judge decides the case. ERISA benefit claims do not involve jury trials.
- Standard of Review: Often, the judge must uphold Hartford’s decision unless you can prove they made an “arbitrary and capricious” denial (meaning Hartford lacked any reasonable basis), even if the judge might have decided differently. This deferential standard makes winning tougher and highlights the need for an ERISA lawyer to meticulously document your appeal and show Hartford’s unreasonable actions.
- Limited Remedies: Typically, a successful ERISA lawsuit results in an award of back benefits owed, potential reinstatement of the claim, and possibly attorney fees and costs. Punitive damages or compensation for emotional distress are generally not available under ERISA.
We prepare every ERISA appeal with the possibility of litigation in mind, ensuring the administrative record is as strong as possible for potential court review.
Sandstone Law Group Leadership Team
Erin Ronstadt
Managing Partner
Kyle Shelton
Managing Partner
Ray Ortega | July 2021
In 2020 I was dealing with a Long Term Disability (LTD) appeal issue with my private LTD provider. After exhausting “in house” appeal methods to no avail, I decided I needed to seek a professional legal team to assist me with my appeal.
I performed an internet search in the Phoenix area and read through several Disability Attorney websites and advertisements. I decided to reach out to Sandstone Law Group and supply them with my basic information to have the firm perform an evaluation on my appeal case.
I received a very quick response on my evaluation we started the ball rolling on building information for my appeal. I was in possession of
numerous documents for my LTD appeal; Erin and her staff worked with me to receive these documents for my case file.
Throughout my appeal process, Erin and her staff allowed me to work hand-in-hand with them to provide comments on insurance documents provided by my LTD provider. This allowed me to stay actively involved in my case and to assist in providing responses to the provider.
Erin and her staff were very knowledgeable, professional, and courteous all the way to our settlement. We settled out of court in the summer of 2021. I highly recommend Sandstone Law Group for anyone who has need for legal counsel pertaining to disability issues.
I sure picked the right Firm!
FAQs: Your Questions About Hartford ERISA Appeals Answered
Why did Hartford deny my employer-sponsored ERISA LTD claim?
Hartford denies ERISA claims for many reasons. Often, they claim your medical evidence doesn’t meet the specific disability definition in your employer’s plan, dispute the severity or limitations caused by your condition based on their own biased reviews, invoke a pre-existing condition clause, or state you missed a deadline or procedural requirement under ERISA rules. We analyze Hartford’s exact stated reasons.
Can I appeal after Hartford denied my ERISA claim?
Yes, and under ERISA, you must complete Hartford’s internal appeal process before you can file a lawsuit. This appeal is your critical chance to build your evidence record.
How long does Hartford have to decide my ERISA appeal?
ERISA regulations generally give Hartford 45 days to decide on your appeal, though they can grant a 45-day extension under certain circumstances. We monitor these deadlines closely and Hartford’s tolling efforts, as well.
What evidence does my ERISA appeal need to beat Hartford?
You need comprehensive, objective evidence proving you meet your specific plan’s definition of disability. This includes complete medical records, detailed narrative reports from treating doctors directly addressing plan terms and Hartford’s denial reasons, supporting functional capacity or other testing (if applicable), expert vocational opinions, and strong personal/witness statements. The goal is to overwhelm Hartford’s denial with proof within the administrative record.
What is the administrative record and what makes it critical in my Hartford ERISA appeal?
It’s the entire file related to your claim and appeal – everything you submitted and everything Hartford generated or considered (including internal notes, consultant reviews, plan documents). In an ERISA lawsuit, the federal judge typically reviews only this record. Your appeal is your main chance to ensure all evidence favorable to you gets included.
Hartford says I can do "any occupation." How do we fight that during the ERISA appeal?
We challenge this by submitting strong medical evidence detailing your specific physical and cognitive limitations, obtaining vocational assessments from independent experts demonstrating you cannot perform other jobs considering your skills and limitations, and showing flaws in Hartford’s vocational analysis (for example, ignoring limitations, identifying inappropriate ghost jobs).
Will I have to sue Hartford in federal court?
Our goal is always to win your benefits through a strong administrative appeal. Many ERISA appeals succeed at this stage. However, if Hartford unreasonably denies the appeal, we are fully prepared to file an ERISA lawsuit in federal court and fight for your rights based on the administrative record we built.
How much will it cost to hire Sandstone Law Group for my Hartford ERISA appeal?
We offer a free initial consultation to evaluate your case. We handle most Hartford ERISA appeals on a contingency fee basis – you pay no attorney fees unless we successfully recover benefits for you. We clearly explain how case costs (like paying for medical records or expert reports) are handled in our fee agreement during your initial consultation.
What if Hartford used surveillance against me?
We address surveillance during the appeal by putting it in context. We highlight your documented medical limitations, point out how short video clips often don’t reflect your overall condition or endurance, and argue Hartford is unfairly interpreting normal daily activities. Consistent medical evidence can counter surveillance.
Don’t Let Hartford Intimidate You – Take Action Today
Hartford wrongfully denied your ERISA disability claim, counting on you feeling overwhelmed and giving up. Do not let them succeed. You paid for these benefits, and under federal law, you have the right to appeal their decision and hold them accountable. Fighting back requires knowledge, persistence, and strategic action tailored to ERISA’s unique rules.
Sandstone Law Group focuses exclusively on this fight. We understand ERISA. We understand Hartford’s playbook. We represent clients nationwide, leveling the playing field against this insurance giant. Let us take on the burden of the complex legal battle so you can focus on your health and well-being.
Your financial security is too important to leave unchallenged. Contact Sandstone Law Group today at (602) 615-0050 for your free, confidential ERISA consultation. Learn how we can fight for the disability benefits Hartford owes you.